No abstract

The term “invader” is typically paired with adjectives such as “non‐native” and “alien”, yet native species can also cause ecological and economic impacts that rival those of well‐known invasive species. By spreading within their historical range, attaining extreme abundances, and exerting severe per‐capita effects as a result of predation or competition, native invaders can create an unusual set of challenges for science, management, policy, and society. Identifying when, where, and why species become invaders in their native ranges requires additional scientific inquiry, outside the current focus of invasion biology. Management strategies often mitigate the symptoms rather than address the causes of problematic native species invasions. Convincing stakeholders to comply with management actions aimed at controlling native invaders creates societal challenges and policy makers must prioritize goals from varied and often conflicting human interests. We illustrate these challenges by highlighting native species that adversely affect threatened and endangered Pacific salmon (Oncorhynchus spp).

Across the Pacific Northwest (PNW), both public and private agents are working to improve riverine habitat for a variety of reasons, including improving conditions for threatened and endangered salmon. These projects are moving forward with little or no knowledge of specific linkages between restoration actions and the responses of target species. Targeted effectiveness monitoring of these actions is required to redress this lack of mechanistic understanding, but such monitoring depends on detailed restoration information-that is, implementation monitoring. This article describes the process of assembling a database of restoration projects intended to improve stream and river habitat throughout the PNW. We designed the database specifically to address the needs of regional monitoring programs that evaluate the effectiveness of restoration actions. The database currently contains spatially referenced, project-level data on over 23,000 restoration actions initiated at over 35,000 locations in the last 15 years (98% of projects report start or end dates between 1991 and 2005) in the states of Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and Montana. Data sources included federal, state, local, nongovernmental organization, and tribal contributors. The process of database production identified difficulties in the design of regional project tracking systems. The technical design issues range from low-level information such as what defines a project or a location to highlevel issues that include data validation and legalities of interagency data sharing. The completed database will inform efficient monitoring design, effectiveness assessments, and restoration project planning.