WETLAND MITIGATION
We have experience in all aspects of wetland mitigation banking including planning and design, permitting, monitoring and management, reporting, and administration.
Our company currently operates the 46 North Mitigation Bank which serves the Lake Superior basin in northern Wisconsin.
To see a current list of available credits, visit the Army Corps of Engineers website (RIBITS) or the Wisconsin DNR wetland mitigation website.
Please contact us for credit pricing information.
What is wetland mitigation?
When a development project impacts wetlands, federal and state laws mandate compensation – or mitigation – for the loss of those wetlands. Wetland mitigation is done by creating new wetlands or improving existing wetlands at another location nearby. The amount of wetland that a project will impact determines how much wetland mitigation is required (i.e., acres of wetland to be created or improved).
A person or company that impacts a wetland is responsible for wetland mitigation, however in most cases they do not mitigate wetland losses themselves. Typically that is done at a wetland mitigation bank. These are large properties where wetlands are created and/or improved to offset the anticipated loss of wetlands from future projects in the region. The created or improved wetlands are “banked." Then, when a project will impact wetlands and the person/company needs to mitigate wetland losses, they pay a fee to the owner of the wetland mitigation bank. The fee is based on how much wetland mitigation is required under federal and state permits, and the cost involved with creating/improving that many acres of wetlands.
There is no exchange of property with wetland mitigation banks. The customer is merely paying the mitigation bank owner for a service. Instead of selling property, mitigation banks use a system of “credits” that are sold to customers (a person or company that will impact wetlands). Credits are priced based on the expenses involved in developing and managing the wetland mitigation bank.
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Wetlands at a mitigation bank must be high quality to compensate for wetland losses from development projects. Wetland mitigation banks are typically managed by environmental consultants who specialize in wetland restoration. They conduct extensive monitoring and documentation to meet regulatory requirements. Banks are regulated at the federal and state level and closely monitored by agency staff to ensure compliance with the law. Wetlands at a mitigation bank must continue to meet performance standards in order for a bank to continue selling credits. All bank transactions are tracked and shared with regulatory agencies, and are subject to public record.