Bidwell Ranch Project: Mitigation Bank and Management Plan Development
What's New?
Project Overview
Timeline
Upcoming Events
Frequently Asked Questions
What's New?
The Meeting Summary for the Citizen Work Group meeting held on Thursday, January 31, 2008 is now available. The purpose of the meeting was to update the Citizen Work Group on the progress of the Bidwell Ranch Mitigation and Conservation Bank Project and to gather information and suggestions from those in attendance. Presentations by the project team covered an overview of the Prospectus and Preliminary Bank Agreement Package, potential scenarios and management options for the site, the potential resources and species to be protected and enhanced by the bank, an analysis of long-term management costs, and a review of the results of the Cultural Resources survey conducted on the property. The Project Team included representatives from the City of Chico, River Partners (the project lead), North State Resources, and Pacific legacy (formerly represented by California State University, Chico — Archaeological Research Program). The meeting was open to the public.
River Partners is currently working on the draft management plan, which are anticipated to be completed by this spring. The Site Inventory and Draft Wetland Delineation are now available for review.
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 Citizen Work Group Meeting Announced (9-25-07)
- Public meeting: Bidwell Ranch Mitigation Bank Workshop Announced (3-29-07)
- Citizen Work Group: Site Visit and Tour (9-25-07)
- Citizen Work Group: Meeting 1 (9-25-07)
- Citizen Work Group: Meeting 2 (1-31-08)
- 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 impacts 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.
For more information, please contact River Partners at info@riverpartners.org
