"Can Restoring City Streams Bring Back Missing Bird Life?"

"Scientists often assess the success of stream restoration by analyzing water chemistry and tallying measures such as sediment load to answer the question: Has restoration recreated the hydrological, chemical and physical properties [of the native stream]? But many biologists argue that a better way to gauge success is to find out whether a restored stream supports a wider array of life than it did before the effort."

Biological monitoring in Rock Creek, a stream running the length of Washington DC through its namesake park, routinely centers on the diversity of insect life present. This has not improved after stream restoration projects - due to the persistent loss of pollution-sensitive species. The Louisiana waterthrush, an inconspicuous bird with secure numbers in the US, wasn't on the monitors' radar. They weren't the target of stream restoration, but their numbers increased anyway. Read more about the story here.