EFC 2003 primer on habitat restoration costs

From Salish Sea Wiki





Evergreen Funding Consultants. 2003. A primer on habitat project costs. Prepared by Evergreen Funding Consultants for Shared Strategy for Puget Sound. pp. 51.

The purpose of this primer is to help watershed groups identify the costs of their salmon recovery strategies. Groups are currently working on plans to restore salmon populations in each of the 14 watersheds in the Puget Sound basin. As the plans are being assembled, they are becoming more specific in the actions proposed. A few of the plans have information on costs, but the methods used to compute costs vary widely. This primer is designed to give the groups working on these plans a simple, consistent tool to estimate costs.

Why worry about costs? In the next few years, attention will need to shift from planning to implementation of the salmon recovery strategies. Implementing the plans will be costly. Thinking about costs in the early stages of planning will ensure that (1) the plans are realistic about the costs and likelihood of funding for the recommended actions, and (2) funding sources are available when and where they are needed.

The primer focuses on a specific segment of the costs of salmon recovery: the capital costs of habitat acquisition and restoration projects. The cost estimates in the primer include construction, design, permitting, appraisal, basic monitoring (2 years), routine maintenance (2 years), reestablishing the site to prior conditions, and project management costs that are normally associated with implementing a capital project. More general administrative, enforcement, and long-term monitoring and maintenance costs are not included although they are likely to be warranted.

The primer was assembled by Evergreen Funding Consultants on contract to the Puget Sound Salmon Forum with funding provided through the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation. However, the real credit for the publication goes to the many habitat experts around Puget Sound who contributed their expertise on project costs. They are recognized individually in the Credits and Sources chapter.