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Wetlands are between aquatic and land-based ecosystems, temporarily or permanently submerged in water. They are the water systems in the landscape, capturing, storing and slowly releasing water. They provide habitats and refuge for up to 40% of biodiversity including vulnerable and endangered flora and fauna. They support many birds, amphibians, fish, and plant species by providing vital breeding, feeding, and nesting grounds. They also form corridors for migrating species. Healthy wetlands provide many benefits and services that far exceed those of terrestrial

HOW TO PERMIT A WETLAND MITIGATION BANK IN FLORIDA? To permit a mitigation bank, one will need to obtain a State (FDEP) and Federal MBI (USACOE) Timeline: It takes approx. 2 years for a state permit and 7 years for a federal permit. You should evaluate what other mitigation banks are currently within the same drainage basin/watershed to understand mitigation credit pricing, absorption, and availability of current inventory. Depending on SEVERAL factors, you can guesstimate that you can obtain 1 Credit for Every

BREAKING NEWS The Environmental Protection Agency and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers are in receipt of the U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona’s August 30, 2021, order vacating and remanding the Navigable Waters Protection Rule in the case of Pascua Yaqui Tribe v. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. In light of this order, the agencies have halted implementation of the Navigable Waters Protection Rule and are interpreting “waters of the United States” consistent with the pre-2015 regulatory regime until further notice.   WHAT DOES THIS

Last year, Florida’s governor, signed an agreement with the US Army Corps of Engineers to build a massive $3.4bn reservoir west of Palm Beach, which would help restore the flow of freshwater to the Everglades. The goal is to restore the flow and treat dirty water from Lake Okeechobee so that by the time it reaches the Everglades, the water is mostly free of the nutrients that cause toxic algae blooms. Construction is underway to create a network of marshes spanning

Join MBG, Inc. in a discussion on “Wetland & Species Mitigation Banking” @ 4:00 PM EST: April 22, 2021 Hosted by Ecological Services and Markets, Inc. This webinar will include information on the administrative and policy barriers, strategies of credit sales, best practices for credit ledgers, sales contracts, integration with RIBITS, and matching project impacts with banks & credits. RSVP HERE

Join Us on This Upcoming Webinar to Discuss The Future of Wetland Mitigation Banking March 17th, 2021, 12:30 – 1:30 pm ET In this webinar, we will dive into the current state of affairs around wetland mitigation banking and respective policy with bankers, consultants, and policymakers. We will also introduce how some bankers, regulators, and consultants are leveraging technology to reduce risk and increase resiliency in due diligence planning, bank design, implementation, and monitoring. Moderators: Jeremy Schewe PWS, Chief Scientific Officer, Ecobot

A UF student who is studying ecological restoration contacted MBG for more information on the Environmental Restoration Industry. Victoria put her in touch with John Lesman, Bio-Tech Consulting, Inc to discuss the ins and outs of the environmental industry.   Lesman says, “We need more people in the mitigation field (especially mitigation banking). It is a growing industry and there is a vacuum when it comes to skilled manpower (monitoring, permitting, etc.).  It is a very challenging field and there are many

MBG, Inc. is a proud sponsor of the February CFAEP Webinar Join The Central Florida Association of Environmental Professionals and Eric Olsen Olsen, Attorney, Hopping Green & Sams as he discusses: FDEP Assumption of Section 404 Wetland Permitting as well as the Navigable Water Protection Rule (New WOTUS Rule) All environmental professionals from across Central Florida are welcome! Thursday, February 18th, 2021 12:00pm to 1:00pm

Many environmental consultants in Florida and throughout the U.S. are working on fixing broken swamps to create wetland mitigation banks. There are approx. 120 mitigation banks in the state of Florida, which are approved at the State and Federal Level. In the 1950s, landowners ditched and drained their swamps because the USACOE was not aware of wetlands critical importance to our environment. Since then, Mitigation banks were established as restoration projects – where we bring the land back to its

Earthjustice has filed suit in federal court to undo a decision by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency that has handed Florida officials primary regulatory authority over the state’s wetlands.   Earthjustice filed the suit on behalf of the Center for Biological Diversity, Defenders of Wildlife, the Sierra Club, the Conservancy of Southwest Florida, the Florida Wildlife Federation, Miami Waterkeeper and St. Johns Riverkeeper.   Stay Tuned!   Read More Here:   https://news.yahoo.com/groups-sue-federal-epa-rescind-183010601.html