ROCKLIN, CA, March 3, 2015 -- Wildlands, a Rocklin, Calif.-based private company that develops mitigation and conservation banks, has announced that restoration is underway at the recently approved San Luis Rey Wetland Mitigation Bank in Oceanside, San Diego County, a 54-acre existing agricultural field that will be restored to a native floodplain wetland habitat.
The bank is being established to offset unavoidable impacts to wetlands and a riparian habitat in Northern San Diego County and Southwestern Riverside County. Public and private development projects with permits from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (ACE) or California Department of Fish and Wildlife (DFW) can mitigate their impacts by purchasing mitigation "credits" from the bank.
Local, state and federal agencies involved with the project -- including ACE, DFW and San Diego Regional Water Quality Control Board -- recently attended a groundbreaking ceremony to commemorate the occasion. Members of the Wildlands team and the Wildlife Heritage Foundation also attended, who will hold a permanent conservation easement over the bank and manage a non-wasting endowment to ensure long-term management and protection of the habitat once established.
David Castanon, chief of the Los Angeles District's Regulatory Division, said that the groundbreaking is the result of a long effort. "I've been waiting 25 years for something like this," he said. "We've always known we've preferred some sort of a landscaped watershed approach to mitigation instead of the small postage stamp effort that we have on permitting historically. We've been pursuing this, advocating for it for a long time."
Wildlands plans to complete earthmoving and planting at the San Luis Rey bank by fall of 2015. Wildlands currently has several other established projects in Southern California for endangered species and wetland habitat mitigation and several others in the planning stages.
See also:
"EPA awarding $1M in grants to help protect, restore vital U.S. wetlands"
"Wildlands' Pajaro River Mitigation Bank approved"
About Wildlands
Established in 1991 and based in Rocklin, Calif., Wildlands is a private company utilizing a highly skilled team of engineers and biologists in developing mitigation and conservation banks. With mitigation and conservation projects throughout California, Oregon and Washington, Wildlands has preserved and protected over 50,000 acres of habitat, offering mitigation and conservation solutions to public and private developers. For more information, visit www.wildlandsinc.com.
About Wildlife Heritage Foundation
The Wildlife Heritage Foundation is dedicated to preserving California's rich heritage of open spaces, agricultural land and diverse wildlife. With that dedication, the directors and staff welcome land-conservation projects of all sizes that aim to protect wildlife and their habitats. Their mission is to protect, enhance and restore wildlife habitat on lands conserved for the benefit of future generations. For more information, visit www.wildlifeheritage.org.
###
