River Partners

An introductory meeting (See Agenda) on the development of the Bidwell Ranch Project will be held on Thursday, March 29, 2007 at 5:35 pm at the Chico Municipal Center on Main Street between East 4th and 5th Streets. The Project will develop a Management Plan and other materials to set up the site as a potential Mitigation and Conservation Bank. The meeting will provide an overview of the process and describe opportunities for citizen input. A Citizen Work Group will be developed for the project and will provide input throughout the project.

Project Overview

In fall 2006 (See timeline), River Partners began working with the City of Chico to develop a conservation and mitigation bank on the Bidwell Ranch property. River Partners will review and compile the technical information and produce the documents necessary to establish the Bank. Ultimately, the City of Chico will decide whether to move forward with the mitigation bank. River Partners and the City will work with the regulatory agencies to gain approval of the bank.

A Conservation and Mitigation Bank on Bidwell Ranch may provide a mechanism to protect natural resources on site, ease regulatory burdens on infrastructure and private development projects, and pay for the long-term management of the site. Public participation is an important part of the project and citizens may join the email list for the project or join the Citizen Work Group to provide input. As part of the project, public access and recreational activities will be identified that are consistent with the site as a Conservation and Mitigation Bank.

Please see the Project Summary and the Frequently Asked Questions information sheet.

Timeline

Click here for a timeline of the project.

Upcoming Events

• Public meeting: Bidwell Ranch Mitigation Bank Workshop Announced, 3/29/07
• Citizen Work Group: Site Visit and Tour, Spring 2007
• Citizen Work Group: Meeting 1 (Site Inventory and Preliminary Mitigation Proposal), Summer 2007
• Citizen Work Group: Meeting 2 (Management Plan), Winter 2008
• Citizen Work Group: Meeting 3 (Update on Management Plan), Summer 2008
• Public meeting/Presentation to City Council of Project Findings, TBA

Frequently Asked Questions

Click here for frequently asked questions.

Conservation and Mitigation Banks

The following information comes from the California Department of Fish & Game Habitat Conservation Planning Branch.

A conservation or mitigation bank is privately or publicly owned land managed for its natural resource values. In exchange for permanent environmental protection, the bank operator may sell habitat credits to developers who need to satisfy legal requirements for the environmental impacts of development. A conservation or mitigation bank is a free-market enterprise that:

• Offers landowners economic incentives to protect natural resources;
• Saves developers time and money by providing them with the certainty of pre-approved compensation lands; and
• Provides for long-term protection and management of habitat.

A conservation bank protects threatened and endangered species upland habitat. Credits are established for the specific species that occur on the site. Mitigation banking compensates for unavoidable wetland losses. Mitigation banking helps to consolidate small, fragmented wetland mitigation projects into large contiguous sites which will have much higher wildlife habitat values. Conservation banks must be approved by the wildlife agencies, such as the Department of Fish and Game and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Mitigation banks are generally approved by the wildlife agencies and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

Economic Incentives

The mitigation banker receives payments from developers and governments to protect and manage natural habitats.

Time and Money

The mitigation banker assumes all liability for the ecological success of the habitat and management; therefore the developer is released from that responsibility.

Banks are established before mpacts occur, reducing permiting time and expenses, and making costs much more predictable.

Mitigation banks provide an economy of scale that often reduces costs over other remedies.

Mitigation banks streamline the permit process. The bank is already approved by the agencies, providing a much simpler transaction (purchase of the appropriate number of credits).

Ecological Benefits

A bank's large size allows for ecological processes to continue and provides a greater biodiversity potential than a collection of small, scattered mitigation projects.

Mitigation occurs before impacts.

Large preserves typically have more resources and management attention than small mitigation projects.

Public Participation

Cooperation is an important component of the project. The public may participate in the project in two main ways.

• Interested citizens may sign up to be on our email list for the project. We will post announcements and note the availability of documents. We always welcome suggestions as we work through the bank development process.
• Community members may also participate on a Citizen Work Group for the project. The Workgroup will be focused on management issues regarding the Bidwell Ranch Site as a mitigation and conservation bank. The Workgroup will provide input on the project, review key documents, and receive information about the project.

Please contact River Partners for more information and to join the mailing list for this project.

Citizen Work Group

Public input is very important component to the project, River Partners will seek input though the Citizen Work Group. The Citizen’s group welcomes interested citizens to provide input on the development of the site as a conservation and mitigation bank (A Process Flowchart is under construction).

We anticipate members of the workgroup to:

• Express commitment to participate fully in the workgroup during the 18-24 month long process.
• Attend approximately 4 meetings.
• Provide constructive input to help River Partners on the management plan and to develop the site as a Conservation and Mitigation Bank.
• Work respectfully and cooperatively with other members of the community who may possess different points of view.
• Review and comment on Draft Documents (Site Inventory and Preliminary Mitigation Proposal, Draft Management Plan and Mitigation Bank Enabling Instrument).
• Communicate effectively to members of the workgroup and community.
• Access the internet and receive email.

We hope to engage a diverse representation of the community, therefore no previous expertise is required. Please contact River Partners to receive more information about the workgroup.

For more information, please contact River Partners at info@riverpartners.org