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identifying and implementing remedial actions at the bank. Typically, the bank sponsor must <br />monitor the wetland bank for five years to ensure that the wetland is functioning as intended, <br />although it may be necessary to extend this period for projects requiring more time to reach a stable <br />condition or where remedial actions were undertaken. The bank sponsor should issue monitoring <br />reports annually to the authorizing agencies, which then distribute these reports to other members <br />of the MBRT. <br />wetland Banking Resources <br />Although the specifics of establishing a wetland bank vary from one place to another, the basic <br />protocol for wetland banking is available in the Banking Guidance. Many states and counties issue <br />their own guidance manuals, which detail the nuances of wetland banking in their specific areas. <br />A number of agencies, resources, and programs can help mine land owners weave through the web <br />of wetlands banking regulations and create a wetland bank that is effective and profitable. The <br />Appendix lists some of these organizations and government agencies. <br />Conclusions <br />Across the country today, hundreds of thousands of former mining sites stand idle and underutilized, <br />no longer providing the local community with a job base and tax revenue. Wetland creation, <br />however, can help return these areas to productive parts of the community. Areas that once provided <br />industry with coal and minerals can now provide the communitywith recreational opportunities and <br />tourist attractions. Lands that once bustled with miners and extractive machines can now support <br />diverse plants and wildlife, providing the community with anaesthetically pleasing amenity and the <br />region with immensely valuable ecosystem services. The creation of wetland banks at former mine <br />lands provides mine land owners with an opporiunityto benefit fmancially from long-underused sites <br />where conventional development opportunities are limited. Moreover, wetland banking offers mine <br />land owners a reuse approach that can have far-reaching benefits for the community and the <br />environment. <br />7 <br />