Restoration

Taking decisions on matters of practical consequence and acting upon them to enable an element of the environment to revert to a sustainablecapable of lasting over time, durable. better ecological balance, is the essence of restoration.

Taking decisions to apply tax dollars to matters of no practical consequence is the same as taking a decision to do nothing and watch the decline of a given water body in need of restoration. Worse: to measure water qualityA term used to describe the chemical, physical, and biological characteristics of water, usually in respect to its suitability for a particular purpose. in such a way as to as to ignore adverse effects of pollutantSomething which contaminates (water, the air, etc.) with harmful or poisonous substances. growths in the water body is unacceptable policy.

Time is the most precious and valued commodity of all.

Restoration requires that a starting point be defined in fairly precise terms and the intended results be qualified so that a measure of success or failure can be taken at a future date. A restoration project can thus be evaluated over time and abandoned, or continued, with or without changes, following principles of Adaptive ManagementA management process involving a defined start position and a defined objective position, whereby the progress toward the objective can be measured, in order that judgments may be made as to degree of achievement reached and the process continued in the same or a revised form, or abandoned.. No matter the outcome of any particular project, the aim must always be to become better equipped to restore the environment to a sustainablecapable of lasting over time, durable. better balance after embarking upon a project.

It is this principle by which the Board of Directors of the Amy H Remley Foundation will evaluate every project as a candidate for application of the freely donated funds under its control.

Drawing upon the learning experience of the past as reflected on this website, certain issues contributing to ecological imbalances in the environment can be listed - not necessarily in any order of significance:

• Man's intense and perpetual competition with nature for scarce resources of space, and clean water have had profound influence upon the ecological balance and health in which each co-exists.
• The resources of nature have existed in one form or another for billions of years; the same cannot be said looking ahead.
• Ecological balance is extremely complex and consequences of any action to change it are difficult to predict with certainty.
• Of the many influencing factors are:
  • Natural Cycles
  • Velocity of stream flows both above and below ground
  • Availability and over-abundance of nutrientsAny food, chemical element or compound an organism requires to live, grow, or reproduce., such as, nitrogen, phosphorus, calcium and mineralComponent of rocks. A naturally occurring inorganic solid with a crystalline structure and a specific chemical composition. Over 2,000 types of minerals have been classified. elements
  • Mix of submerged aquatic vegetation and associated living things in a water body or region
  • Soil constituents, and cover separating interaction with the atmosphere

There is no panacea to restoring environmental balance; only a carefully planned step by step approach holds any promise of succeeding.