As the field of ecological restoration grows, novel methods to improve the effectiveness of restoration projects are being advanced and tested. Here, measured plant functional traits are used to select a native planting palette for the restoration of riparian habitat at Strawberry Creek, a heavily invaded urban ecosystem in Berkeley, CA. I partnered with an active restoration program and together we focused on methods to prevent re-invasion by a dominant non-native understory species and reduce nitrogen pollution of the riparian ecosystem. uptake study revealed a marginally significant (0.05