Restoration ecologists recognize that one of the great benefits of restoration is its experimental value. As scientists we will probably never completely understand the complex underpinnings of our ecosystems. Restoration allows us to test ecological ideas in a synthetic way trying to rebuild an ecosystem, rather than the usual analytic methods of science. Restoration provides opportunities for learning on a large scale that are otherwise unavailable. Research on dense-flowered cordgrass is still in its infancy, and it is our sincere hope that the controversy surrounding this project will propel efforts to focus scarce resources on this problem.
Preliminary experimentation shows some promise that cordgrass can be controlled.
Preventing an exotic species from becoming established is far easier than eradicating it from an area in which it is already abundant. The take-home message here is that the sponsoring agencies should be prepared to monitor and manage the project for many years into the future a tenet of any valid restoration project. We encourage them to incorporate an experimental element into the project as well. Finally, we would like to offer our support, as botanists, ecologists, and scientists, to the efforts of the City of Arcata, the Coastal Conservancy, and California Department of Fish and Game for their willingness to be pioneers in a new area of restoration of our local natural heritage. They are to be applauded.