Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Wetland Mitigation Banking Program Nebraska

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1 Natural Resources Consvation Svice (NRCS) Wetland Mitigation Banking Program Nebraska The USDA is an Equal Opportunity Provid, Employ, and Lend

2 PROGRAM OVERVIEW The Wetland Mitigation Banking Program assists agricultural producs that are yielding agricultural commodities on convted wetlands to remain eligible for all USDA programs, including Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), Consvation Resve Program (CRP) and Crop Insurance. Program Background In 1985, Wetland Consvation Compliance provisions we introduced into the Farm Bill. These provisions make agricultural producs ineligible for ctain United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) benefits if they produce an agricultural commodity on a convted wetland, defined by USDA as an annually tilled crop or sugarcane, or make such production possible. In 2014, the Farm Bill linked these consvation compliance provisions to the premium subsidy paid by the Fedal Crop Insurance Corporation (FCIC) und the fedal crop insurance program. Psons who convt a wetland to produce an agricultural commodity will be ineligible for program benefits administed by the Farm Svice Agency (FSA) and the Natural Resources Consvation Svice (NRCS) and the Fedal Crop Insurance Corporation (FCIC) until the functions of the wetland that was convted are mitigated. Why is the Program Important? Ov a piod of 200 years, the low 48 states have lost an estimated 53% of their original wetlands. An estimated 87% of the wetland losses from the mid-1950's to the mid-1970's we due to agricultural convsion. The wetland consvation provisions have sharply reduced wetland convsions for agricultural uses, from 235,000 acres p year before 1985 to 27,000 acres p year from 1992 through The program helps presve the environmental functions of wetlands, such as flood control, sediment control, groundwat recharge, wat quality, wildlife habitat, recreation, and aesthetics while allowing producs to continue to thrive. Wetland Mitigation Banking Program Credits and Army Corps of Engines Wetland Credits Wetland credits developed for the NRCS Wetland Mitigation Banking Program are genated to assist agricultural producs with USDA consvation compliance. NRCS does not ctify or make assumptions regarding what the Army Corps of Engines or any state govnment agency will or will not accept for compensatory mitigation.

3 MIDDLE-PLATTE RAINWATER BASIN AGRICULTURAL MITIGATION BANK Bank Ovview ELM ISLAND ROAD It is located on a portion of a ~320 acre site along the Big Bend reach of the Platte Riv and is situated between the middle and south channel of this iconic Great Plains watway. Funds to develop this bank are provided by both Westvelt Ecological Svices (Westvelt) and by grant funding from the NRCS. The propty is owned and managed by the Nebraska Board of Educational Lands and Funds (BELF). BELF leases these lands to a variety of groups and uses the proceeds to help fund public schools for the State. ELM ISLAND ROAD The Middle-Platte Rainwat Basin Agricultural Mitigation Bank (Bank) is the first mitigation bank of its kind in Nebraska und the new NRCS Wetland Mitigation Banking Program. The site is within a region known to have high environmental values, located within the Platte Riv Recovy Implementation Program (PRRIP) area and in close proximity to numous oth State and non-profit consvation propties. Sio u x Ri v N i obra r a R. Dawes D A K O T A Boyd Keya Paha B ig W Y O M I N G S O U T H Sioux Knox Shidan Chry Cedar Sioux City Dixon Rock Brown Holt Box Butte N E B R A S K A Grant Scotts Bluff Thomas Hook Morrill No Bann Kimball Dakota rt h Garden Pla tt e Cheyenne Arthur R ive r Riv Deuel Loup Keith Cust Paxton North Platte Pkins Lincoln Shman Gothenburg Dawson Lexington Buffalo Red Willow Holdrege Furnas Harlan Republican City Enhancement Burt Restoration Nance Lou Howard Mrick Kearney Hall R iv North Bend Hamilton Clay York Lincoln Lancast Saline Bi Cass Otoe Crete Geneva Fillmore Webst Nuckolls Thay Jeffson Fairbury Gage Johnson Beatrice Pawnee Nemaha Richardson Rive r K A N S A S FIGURE 1 BANK SERVICE AREA Middle-Platte Rainwat Basin Agricultural Mitigation Bank Bank Svice Area 0 50 Miles 100 High Elev. Low Elev. Habitat Restoration at the Bank Sarpy Seward DESIGN PLAN Omaha Saunds Seward Hastings Adams Butl TOPOGRAPHY Washington Douglas Polk Central City Minden Franklin p R. Columbus Dodge e Hitchcock Phelps Cuming Colfax Platte Greeley Propty Bank Blu R iv ep ublican R Gosp I O W A Thurston R iv g Dundy Fronti n Madison Stanton Wheel Grand Island Kearney Hayes Elgin Wayne Boone Platt e Chase C O L O R A D O Garfield Valley Broken Bow Pice E l k hor Burwell Logan Anselmo Stapleton So latt e h P ut McPhson Blaine Antelope Through the 1990s, an estimated 74-80% of the wet meadows in the Platte Riv Valley have been drained and convted to cropland and oth uses. As a result, functioning wet meadows are now one of the rarest habitat types in the Platte Riv Valley. Westvelt will focus on re-establishing the historic wet meadow ecosystem at the bank through subtle wetland excavations and native grassland establishment. Multi-Benefit Project The Bank is a multi-benefit project in that, in addition to presving the environmental functions of wetlands, such as flood control, sediment control, groundwat recharge, and wat quality; it provides habitat to wildlife, crane viewing, and aesthetics.

4 HOW THE PROGRAM WORKS What is required for compliant mitigation? Pmanent easement Monitoring to reach wetland development goals Technical studies (hydrology, biology, soils) Long-tm land management of wetlands Restoration design plans Long-tm management funding An agricultural produc who convts a wetland aft February 7, 2014, as detmined by NRCS, may regain eligibility for Fedal crop insurance premium subsidy by: Purchasing credits from the Wetland Mitigation Banking Program, or Paying a fee to NRCS. This option is only available when the wetland convsion impacts less than 5 acres of an entire farm, or Mitigating the lost wetland functions by restoring previously degraded wetlands or by creating new wetlands. Mitigation sites may be created, restored, or enhanced on the produc s land, anoth pson s land, or land held by a mitigation bank. Mitigation plans must be approved by NRCS. Benefits of Purchasing Credits from the Program: Saves Time The process of purchasing credits from the program can take an agricultural produc a couple weeks vs. potential months or years associated with developing a mitigation plan. This allows the agricultural produc to remain eligible for funding, fast. Saves Cost The cost associated with developing and maintaining a wetland as mitigation often exceeds the cost of purchasing a credit ov the long tm. Sevs Liability The agricultural produc is not responsible for the success critia or maintenance of the bank or credits purchased through the program. Eliminates Genal and Financial Risk The bank develop is responsible for all risk associated with the bank. The agricultural produc does not take on any risk through the purchase of credits from the bank. Doesn't Encumb Farm Propty Mitigation sites often require a consvation easement to protect the land in ppetuity, prohibiting future crop production or oth modification. Purchasing credits allows for ongoing use of a produc s full propty.

5 FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS Does my farm need to be in a specific geographical location to purchase credits from the program? The mitigation credit needs to be sold within the Bank Svice Area boundary. Each mitigation project has its own svice area. Please contact NRCS or Westvelt representatives to detmine if your propty is in a mitigation project svice area. How many credits do I need to purchase to be compliant? Producs should contact their local NRCS office to detmine the appropriate amount of acres they need to purchase. The amount of credits a produc buys depends on the wetland functions, values, and acres at the site the produc plans to convt. An NRCS-approved functional assessment procedure will be used to evaluate the wetland that is intended to be impacted and the resulting numb of credits needed to offset those impacts. What is the cost of a credit? Please contact Westvelt at (303) for pricing information. How do I go about purchasing credits from the Wetland Mitigation Banking Program? In ord to purchase credits from the program, please contact Westvelt to begin the purchase process and request a credit purchase agreement. Finalizing the purchase will include the following steps: 1. The agricultural produc will provide the following information to Westvelt: Name, Address, Wetland Impact Type, and Wetland Impact Quantity. 2. Westvelt will draft a purchase agreement for review by the agricultural provid. 3. The agricultural provid will sign and return the agreement to Westvelt. 4. Westvelt will sign and return the agreement to the agricultural provid with an invoice. 5. The agricultural provid will remit payment for the credits to Westvelt. 6. Once payment is received, Westvelt will finalize the purchase agreement through signature of the Bill of Sale and Payment Receipt and return a fully executed purchase agreement to the agricultural provid. Once the credits have been purchased, then what? The agricultural produc will provide a copy of the fully executed credit purchase agreement, including the Bill of Sale and Payment Receipt, to the USDA. FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT: Westvelt Ecological Svices NRCS 7348 S. Alton Way, Suite 9D Centennial, CO Find your local NRCS Field Office at: