Wetland and Stream Mitigation: a Handbook for Land Trusts
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Primer on the Aquatic Resource Regulatory Program 2 Wetland and Stream Mitigation: A Handbook for Land Trusts The Environmental Law Institute & Land Trust Alliance Funded by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency September 2012 Acknowledgments Acknowledgments This report was prepared by the Environmental Law Institute (ELI) with funding from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency under EPA Wetlands Program Development Grant No. WD-8350101. The contents of this report do not necessarily represent the views of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and no official endorsement of the report or its findings should be inferred. Any errors and omissions are solely the responsibility of ELI. Principal ELI staff members contributing to the project were Jessica B. Wilkinson, Rebecca L. Kihslinger, and Chloe Kolman. ELI also gratefully acknowledges the help of Science and Policy Intern, Eric Sweeney and Law Clerk, Carolyn E. Clarkin. Sylvia Bates, Director of Standards and Research at the Land Trust Alliance, provided extensive and invaluable guidance. The following individuals served on an Advisory Committee and provided us with critical direction and reviewed and commented upon the draft report: Sylvia Bates, Land Trust Alliance; Darin R. Blunck, Ducks Unlimited, Inc.; Lisa Creasman, Conservation Trust for North Carolina; Palmer Hough, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Wetlands Division; Tom Kelsch and Tim DiCintio, National Fish & Wildlife Foundation; Margaret Kohring, The Conservation Fund; Jennifer Lorenz, Bayou Land Conservancy; Steve Martin, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Institute for Water Resources; Ann Taylor Schwing, Best Best & Krieger LLP; Patrick Shea, Wildlife Heritage Foundation; Philip Tabas, The Nature Conservancy; Sherry Teresa, Eco-Logical Solutions Consulting; and Dave Urban and Michael Dennis, Ecosystem Investment Partners. Finally, we would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to the numerous individuals – land trust professionals and mitigation providers – who shared with us their wisdom and accomplishments. Their names appear throughout the handbook. They are the pioneers and professionals whose expertise forms the backbone of this report. Cover photographs (left-right): Campbell Creek Estuary (Great Land Trust, Alaska). Photo Credit: Carl Johnson Lynch Canyon Irrigation System (Solano Land Trust, California) Pineywoods Mitigation Bank (Texas Land Conservancy) Page 2 of 155 Wetland and Stream Mitigation: A Handbook for Land Trusts PrimerTable of on Contents the Aquatic Resource Regulatory Program 2 1. Introduction ..........................................................................................................................7 1.1 Purposes of This Handbook ................................................................................ 10 1.2 Roadmap for Handbook .......................................................................................11 2. Primer on the Aquatic Resource Regulatory Program ...............................................13 2.1 Purpose and Goals of the Section 404 and Section 10 Programs ................13 2.2 The Impact Side: How the Corps Evaluates a Proposed Permit and Determines How Much Compensation Is Required .......................................... 14 2.2.1 The Mitigation Sequence ..........................................................................14 2.2.2 Calculating the Amount of Compensation Required for “Unavoidable Impacts” .............................................................................16 2.3 The Compensation Side: How Impacts Are Offset ........................................ 18 2.3.1 Mitigation Methods: Restoration, Establishment, Enhancement and Preservation ................................................................ 18 2.3.2 Mitigation Mechanisms and Agency Oversight ................................... 20 2.4 Providing Compensation That Is Permanent and Sustainable ..................... 24 2.4.1 The Mitigation Plan ................................................................................... 25 2.4.1.1 Element 1: Objectives ............................................................. 25 2.4.1.2 Element 2: Site Selection ....................................................... 26 2.4.1.3 Element 3: Site Protection Instrument ................................ 26 2.4.1.4 Element 4: Baseline Information .......................................... 28 2.4.1.5 Element 5: Determination of Credits .................................. 28 2.4.1.6 Element 6: Mitigation Work Plan ......................................... 28 2.4.1.7 Element 7: Maintenance Plan ............................................... 29 2.4.1.8 Element 8: Performance Standards...................................... 29 2.4.1.9 Element 9: Monitoring (and Reporting) Requirements ... 30 2.4.1.10 Element 10: Long-Term Management Plan ........................ 32 2.4.1.11 Element 11: Adaptive Management Plan ............................. 33 2.4.1.12 Element 12: Financial Assurances ........................................ 33 2.4.2 The Watershed Approach ........................................................................ 34 2.4.3 Banks and In-Lieu Fee Programs: Default and Closure Plans ........... 36 2.4.4 Party Responsible for Project Implementation, Performance, and Long-Term Management .................................................................. 37 2.5 Corps District Mitigation Policies and the Role of States .............................. 37 3. Compensatory Mitigation Project Phases ....................................................................40 3.1 Phase I: The Project Planning and Approval Phase ........................................ 41 3.1.1 Site Selection ............................................................................................. 41 3.1.2 Site Protection ............................................................................................ 42 3.1.3 Long-Term Stewardship Arrangements ................................................ 42 3.1.4 Establishment of Financial Assurances .................................................. 42 3.1.5 Mitigation Program and/or Project Approval ....................................... 42 3.2 Phase II: The Active Phase ................................................................................... 46 3.2.1 Mitigation Bank and In-Lieu Fee Program Credit Release ................. 46 3.2.2 Monitoring and Reporting ....................................................................... 47 3.2.3 Cases of Corrective Action and Default ................................................48 3.3 Phase III: The Long-Term Stewardship Phase .................................................. 50 Wetland and Stream Mitigation: A Handbook for Land Trusts Page 3 of 155 Table of Contents 3.4 Plan and Instrument Amendments or Modifications ..................................... 50 4. Roles That Land Trusts Can Play in Compensatory Mitigation ............................... 52 4.1 Mitigation Provider ............................................................................................... 52 4.2 The Watershed Approach, Site Selection, and Project Design ..................... 54 4.3 Long-Term Stewardship Responsibilities.......................................................... 56 4.3.1 Fee Title Holder .......................................................................................... 56 4.3.2 Easement Holder ....................................................................................... 57 4.3.3 Long-Term Stewardship Fund Holder ................................................... 59 4.3.4 Long-Term Manager ..................................................................................60 4.3.5 Conclusion: Long-Term Stewardship Roles ..........................................61 4.4 Funding for Restoration: Carrying out Compensatory Mitigation Projects on Your Fee Title Lands ......................................................... 61 4.5 Beneficiary of a Standby Trust ............................................................................ 63 4.6 Participant in Restoration .................................................................................... 64 5. Assessing Your Land Trust’s Participation in Compensatory Mitigation: Opportunities and Challenges ..................................................................................... 66 5.1 Is the Project or Program Consistent with Your Organization’s Mission and Conservation Goals? .......................................................................................66 5.1.1 Examples from the Field ........................................................................... 67 5.1.2 Professionalization of Long-Term Stewardship ................................... 68 5.2 How Will Involvement in the Project or Program Affect Your Organization’s Reputation and What are the Potential Conflicts of Interest? ........................68 5.3 Will Involvement in the Project or Program Require New Skills and the Commitment of More Time for Your Organization? .........................................69 5.3.1 Evaluation of the Areas of Expertise Needed ...................................... 70 5.3.2 Evaluation of the Number of Staff and Amount of Time Needed .... 72 5.3.2.1 Building and Maintaining Relationships with Regulatory Agencies and Mitigation Providers ....................................... 72 5.3.2.2 Negotiation, Cooperation, and Review ............................... 73 5.3.2.3 Easement Drafting, Monitoring, and