There are often wide eyes and raised eyebrows when people see excavators in a stream, but stream restoration done-right requires large machinery operated with a light touch. With careful planning and appropriate techniques, we can restore the proper form and function of a stream or river. This lifts the biological function from degraded and minimally productive to diverse and highly productive. Techniques range from riparian vegetation management, on the least invasive end of the spectrum, to whole stream-channel manipulation, in the most degraded scenarios. Overall, our philosophy is to remove the pressures on the stream and allow the stream to heal itself.