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2025 Public Interest Environmental Conference: Conservation – Preserve Today, Protect Tomorrow   Since its inception in 1995, the Public Interest Environmental Conference (PIEC) at the University of Florida Levin College of Law has been a vital platform for legal professionals, policymakers, and environmental advocates to discuss pressing environmental issues. This year’s 31st annual conference, themed “Conservation – Preserve Today, Protect Tomorrow”, will bring together industry leaders to explore strategies for protecting Florida’s natural resources and advancing environmental law. I’m honored

Hello to all our followers and partners in sustainability, As the CEO of the Mitigation Banking Group, I am always eager to share updates that impact our environment and the regulatory landscape we navigate. Today, I’m highlighting a significant advancement in environmental stewardship from Orange County, Florida—a place where we, too, have deep-rooted interests and commitments. Recently, Orange County has taken a bold step to bolster the protection of its wetlands, those vital natural systems often dubbed the earth’s kidneys due

Sand Skink and Blue-tailed (Bluetail) Mole Skink   This guide for sand skink (Plestiodon [Neoseps] reynoldsi) and blue-tailed mole skink (Plestiodon [Eumeces] egregius lividus) conservation and Endangered Species Act (ESA) consultation is intended to assist project proponents to determine if or how a proposed action may affect sand skinks or blue-tailed mole skinks.   The sand

The Passing of a Legend: Les Alderman   With heavy hearts, we announce the death of Leslie (Les) David Alderman Jr. (Fort Myers, Florida), who passed away on March 16, 2023 at the age of 78. Les was a pioneer for the protection of Panthers in Southwest Florida, and paved a way to restore thousands of acres for panther habitat. He was a sweet soul who always asked about the family! Last year, he discovered that he had a brain tumor; and the

The Time it Takes for Restoration In a new research report, the Environmental Policy Innovation Center (EPIC) and the Ecological Restoration Business Association (ERBA) reveal persistent delays in the approval of a class of wetland and stream restoration projects called ‘mitigation banks.’ These delays hinder the availability of offsets for impacted waterways during the coming surge in infrastructure building.   Read the Report   Mitigation banks are large tracts of degraded lands restored under the Clean Water

Navigating Florida Land Use and Cover with FLUCCS Codes   The Florida Land Use and Cover Classification System (FLUCCS) is a comprehensive and standardized system for classifying and mapping the land use and cover of the state of Florida. Developed by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP), FLUCCS provides a framework for understanding the distribution and patterns of land use and cover across the state, and serves as an important tool for managing and conserving Florida’s natural resources.   What is

Women in Conservation: Victoria Bruce! Clearview Geographic /clearviewgeographic.com/ — To help celebrate Women’s History Month, we wanted to highlight someone for her work in wetland mitigation for Florida: Victoria Bruce! Her company, The Mitigation Banking Group, generates conservation credits for wetland mitigation, helping to environmental efforts to reduce impacts for the past five years. We wanted to know more about Victoria, so we asked her a few questions: How did you

World Wetlands Day On February 2nd; we celebrated World Wetlands Day! Wetlands provide water purification by acting as a filter removing sediments and other pollutants before the water is slowly released into the aquifer. Wetlands store approximately 44.6 million tonnes of carbon per year globally: they play a crucial role in maintaining the ecosystem and mitigating the impacts of climate change. Due to population growth, Wetlands are facing increasing pressure of being impacted. Wetland Conservation and Restoration Efforts, balance economic growth with the preservation of