The purpose of NCER is to provide a forum for physical, biological, and social scientists, engineers, resource managers, and decision-makers to share their knowledge and research results concerning ecosystem restoration throughout the United States. The public forum will exchange information and “lessons learned” on opportunities for and challenges of achieving restoration. Conference participants will have the opportunity to learn about large-scale ecosystem restoration programs (e.g., Glen Canyon, Everglades, San Francisco Bay/Delta, Chesapeake Bay, Great Lakes, Louisiana Coastal Area, Puget Sound, Upper Mississippi River, etc.) and what has contributed to success of as well as lessons learned from these programs. The role of science in establishing goals and performance expectations for achieving successful and sustainable ecosystem restoration will be explored.