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losses ofwetland services that typicallyoccur when developers themselves initiate mitigation during
<br />or after the development impacts occur.
<br />Requirements and Limitations
<br />The creation of wetlands requires meticulous attention to a variety of ecological -and procedural
<br />details. Careful consideration must be given to the ecological suitability of a site for wetlands.
<br />Additionally, the site's size, location, hydrologic sources, compatibility with adjacent land uses and
<br />watershed management plans must be considered.
<br />Procedurally, prospective bank sponsors should first discuss their proposals with the appropriate
<br />state or local agencies, which are typically the state or county environmental agencies. Following
<br />this discussion, the sponsor must submit an
<br />initial plan, referred to as a prospectus, to the
<br />Army Corps of Engineers or the Natural
<br />Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) to
<br />initiate the formal agency review process. The
<br />prospectus should discuss the objectives of the
<br />bank and how the bank will be established and
<br />operated. A Mitigation Bank Review Team
<br />(MBRT) will review the prospectus. The
<br />Mitigation Bank Review Team will include
<br />representatives from the Army Corps of
<br />engineers, NRCS, EPA, Fish and Wildlife
<br />Service, and/or National Marine Fisheries
<br />Service, as appropriate given the projected use
<br />of the bank. This team and the bank sponsor
<br />will eventually agree on an "instrument" that
<br />embodies the information in the prospectus.
<br />The instrument defines several parameters
<br />including the bank's service area. The service
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<br />area, which generally consists of the regional
<br />watershed or county, is the area wherein a bank
<br />can reasonably be expected to provide compensation for impacts to wetlands. In the interest of
<br />integrating banks with other resource management objectives, bank service areas may encompass
<br />larger watershed areas if the designation of such areas is supported by local or regional management
<br />plans, state wetland conservation plans or other federally sponsored or recognized resource
<br />management plans. Ultimately, the viability of a wetland bank depends on the amount of
<br />development impacting wetlands in the bank's service area. Demand for wetland bank credits will
<br />be highest in areas where there is a high level of development activity.
<br />The bank instrument also articulates the monitoring requirements and general procedures for
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