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Objective Setting: A Currituck Sound Case Study
Currituck Sound is a large estuary located in northeastern North Carolina and southeastern Virginia and is part of the Albemarle-Pamlico National Estuary. Thin barrier islands separate the Sound from the Atlantic Ocean, and the system receives saline inputs primarily through the southern entrance to the Sound. Historical observations identify Currituck Sound as having high water quality and significant submerged and emergent aquatic vegetation coverage which provided for a flourishing bird and fish community. In the last 50-100 years, significant changes have taken place in the Sound, and the health of the ecosystem has declined considerably. To counteract this trend, the North Carolina Department of Environmental and Natural Resources (DENR) has partnered with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Wilmington District to identify potential restoration actions within Currituck Sound. "A clear definition of objectives and constraints is essential to the success of the planning process" (USACE 2000, ER-1105-2-100, Planning Guidance Notebook). Proper articulation of a complete and clear set of objectives paves the way for metric and model development, alternative formulation, and plan comparison. Although the importance of objectives is well-acknowledged, coming to agreement on a set of objectives is challenging for large-scale, multi-faceted ecosystem restoration projects. A number of techniques were used to guide objective setting for the Currituck Sound estuary restoration project, including: From this process, three project goals were identified for Currituck Sound restoration (listed below). Goal 1 emphasizes the restoration of ecosystem structure, function, and dynamic processes and serves as the impetus for plan formulation. Goal 2 describes secondary benefits offered by the project which are not the focus of plan formulation but do provide ancillary benefits of particular note (i.e., those associated with USACE “accounts” for National Economic Development, Regional Economic Development, and Other Social Effects). Goal 3 highlights the aims of the project team in carrying out the restoration process. Although Goal 1 is the primary objective and source of National Ecosystem Restoration (NER) benefits, Goals 2 and 3 describe elements of the project that help the USACE team communicate with the USACE chain-of-command, cost-share sponsor, external agencies, and other stakeholder groups. Each goal was decomposed into objectives and sub-objectives in order to clarify the direction and purpose of the project to the greatest extent possible, resulting in 8 objectives and 26 sub-objectives. EBA Resources |
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Updated: March 2024 |