Do Ecologists and Engineers Have Differing Views of Stream Restoration?

The 1998 ASCE Wetlands Engineering and River Restoration Conference featured several panel discussions that were designed to draw upon the diversity of backgrounds present in the conference to promote a lively interaction and discussion. The discussion topics are issues that have generated debate and controversy among professionals involved in environmental restoration. The members of the panel were selected to provide a variety of view points and they were encouraged to involve the audience as much as possible. The current paper presents the results of the panel discussion titled "Do Ecologists and Engineers Have Differing Views of Stream Restoration?". Since few people possess all of the skills necessary to conduct a successful environmental study and design, an interdisciplinary team approach is necessary. The exact makeup of teams can vary, but successful restoration typically involves the application of engineering and ecological expertise. So the question of whether ecologists and engineers have differing views of restoration and how different these views are, is very relevant.