The first wildlife overpass was constructed by the Canadian government in Banff National Park in 1982 to reduce wildlife collisions. Till 2022, six overpasses and 38 underpasses have been constructed across Banff, reducing wildlife collisions by 80 percent. The project started with opposition and criticism from the public doubting whether animals would use the structure.

The iconic and productive Sonoran Desert landscapes of the Tuscon Basin are threatened by Buffelgrass, an invasive species introduced to the area in the 1930s. Buffelgrass alters the fire regime and is a threat to ecosystems, and human life and property. The Southern Arizona Buffelgrass Coordination Center was established in 2008 to bring stakeholders together to remove Buffelgrass effectively.  

The San Clemente Dam on the Carmel River was no longer useful due to sedimentation of the reservoir, and was declared a public safety hazard in the 1990s. This project removed the dam and restored the Carmel River’s floodplain and habitat. This improved habitat and connectivity for wildlife, including the threatened steelhead.  

To eradicate the Asian longhorned beetle (ALB), in 1999, USDA and USFS developed a 10-year plan in 1999 that follows five stages: phase-in, delimitation, and containment; suppression and control; deregulation; and eradication. All infested trees were either removed and replaced by non-ALB host trees on a one-to-one basis or treated with the insecticide Imidacloprid via trunk or soil injection.

After a 1995 extreme heat event that led to the deaths of several hundred residents, Chicago, Illinois conducted a heat vulnerability assessment. This assessment led to the creation of the Chicago Climate Change Action Plan, which first aimed to address extreme heat events. This led to mitigation efforts such as green roofs and cool pavements. 

Starting in 2013, the emerald ash borer (EAB) has been detected in Colorado, spreading throughout most of the North American ash (Fraxinus). The City of Fort Collins updated the tree inventory on public properties and aimed to treat 2,100 ash trees using pesticides (Emamectin benzoate) or mechanical removal, while replanting more resilient trees over a 3-year period.

Terminal 117, a former industrial and superfund site along the Duwamish River, was transformed into the Duwamish River People’s Park and Shoreline Habitat. This project cleaned up a contaminated site, restored natural and stable shoreline habitat, and created river access in a historically marginalized neighborhood. 

Havasu National Wildlife Refuge is threatened by a large population of invasive Feral Swine (Sus scrofa). Feral Swine negatively impact native vegetation and wildlife, cause damage to human property and infrastructure, and are a public health and safety threat. In 2016, refuge staff and many collaborators began to work towards Feral Swine eradication within the refuge.  

This project was initiated by BC Wildlife Services (BCWS) in 2019 to evaluate the degree to which fuel treatments have been effective in changing wildfire behavior. Two fuel treatments were studies: 1) manual treatment of older stands involving stand thinning, debris disposal + pruning, and 2) broadcast burning after timber harvesting.

As temperatures and pests change, urban ecosystems will need to adjust and will become ever more important for public health and quality of life. In 2012, the City of Goshen completed an urban tree canopy inventory and assessment in order to understand what trees are in the community and how they will be impacted by environmental changes.

The Maidford River Saltmarsh of Sachuest Point Wildlife Refuge in Middletown, Rhode Island was degraded as a result of sea level rise and powerful storm surges, particularly during Hurricane Sandy in 2012. This project was designed to improve the marsh’s resiliency against sea level rise, which involved a thin layer deposition and invasive plant species management.

Mangrove Reef Walls are seawall-enhancing panels that create engineered-living habitat along developed waterfronts. These were installed in two locations in Florida in 2016 and 2018. These can improve biodiversity and water quality, and reduce erosion in areas where “traditional” living shorelines are not feasible (high energy zones, narrow canals, steep slopes). 

The over 3-meter-high unstable banks of Meadowview stream were a serious public safety concern to the nearby community. To create a safer environment, the community installed a 3:1 slope planted with Californian native plants along the stream bank that was stabilized with compost rolls seeded with native grasses.

The St. Johns River is Florida’s most important commercial and recreational river. Mile Point, along the river in Jacksonville, has experienced severe shoreline erosion and has created dangerous navigation conditions. This project improved navigation conditions, reduced erosion, restored salt marsh habitat, and created new oyster habitat. 

Nesting herring and great black-backed gulls (Larus argentatus and Larus marinus) were removed from a recently abandoned tern (Sterna sp.) colony in the Gulf of Maine through a combination of poisoning and shooting. All three species of tern that had nested in the colony prior to the arrival of the gulls returned and nested in increasing numbers.

The Illinois Coastal Management Program and Navy Pier, Inc collaborated to redevelop Chicago’s Navy Pier with green infrastructure projects. These projects aimed to reduce runoff, flooding, and pollution. The project planted trees in planters designed specifically for this project to retain and filter stormwater, or redirect it for future use.

New York City is taking steps to mitigate current heat conditions and improve resiliency to future heat conditions. The city is increasing the use of cooling centers and promoting green infrastructure projects like urban foresting and green roofs to mitigate the urban heat island effect.  

The Regional Transportation Authority partnered with the Arizona DOT to construct two wildlife crossing structures (one overpass and one underpass) with adjacent wildlife-funnel fencing on Oracle Road to help wildlife move between protected habitat areas. The two wildlife crossing structures were constructed at the best available location to accommodate both large mammals and small animals.

The city of Kinston, North Carolina experienced devastating flood losses in the 1990s. After a string of three hurricanes flooded or damaged over 75% of homes in Lenoir county, Kinston took action to improve flood resiliency. The city purchased flood-prone properties and relocated neighborhoods to higher ground. This restored natural floodplain functions. 

This project explored the potential of using Wildfire Risk Reduction Buffers (WRRBs) between the urban area and the wildlands for fire risk reduction. The team selected Paradise, CA as its prioritization site due to its fire risk, opportunity, and recreation value. They created five buffers totaling 34,553 acres and conduct habitat-sensitive fuel reduction and open space management.