Full Schedule

Pre-recorded presentations available beginning the week before EMC, with opportunity to connect with speakers via Q&A system and App.

This 1/2 day workshop is ideal for those new to or exploring compensatory mitigation. Includes introduction to Mitigation & Conservation Banking, ILFs and PRMs / Implementation: Site Selection • Site Design • Entitlement Development/ Business of Banking: Market Conditions • Financials • Sales • Marketing.

A hands-on training workshop to assist mitigation providers and IRT members in the review of third-party mitigation programs and projects.  Facilitated by EPA and ACE, small mixed stakeholder groups (regulators, resource agencies, providers, consultants, etc.) will use the workbooks and checklists to review portions of existing bank and ILF program instruments and then report their findings back to the larger group of workshop attendees. This training is intermediate level and not for those new to compensatory mitigation.

Designed specifically for landowners, managers, and decision-makers of private and publicly owned natural resources to learn foundational information, guidance and key insights into environmental markets.  Are you new to exploring environmental markets or looking to pro-actively evaluate opportunities now available for your enterprise?  Or are you looking to advance your overall understanding of risk-aware decision making of the state of play across all environmental market options.

Hosted by Ecosystem Investment Partners
70 to 90 minute drive
Visit two mitigation banks in Ohio on this field visit -- UPPER OHIO MITIGATION BANK, together with EIP’s Tuscarawas Mitigation Bank, is located on 4,200 acres in Harrison County, Ohio. Here EIP has reestablished, rehabilitated, enhanced, and preserved 2.85 miles of ephemeral, intermittent, and perennial streams. Historically, surface mining, logging, cattle pasturing, channelization, roads, and crossings interrupted these streams, disconnecting them from their floodplains. Unsustainable meander and riffle/pool complexes, excessive sediment caused by lateral and vertical erosion, and reduced aquatic habitat resulted. EIP’s restoration work has reversed these trends. EIP has also reconnected, enhanced and preserved wetlands adjacent to streams — all to improve the chemical, physical, and biological integrity of downstream watersheds.  Credits generated through this restoration of these critical aquatic resources are used to compensate for the unavoidable impacts from various economic development projects throughout eastern Ohio. 

TUSCARAWAS MITIGATION BANK is a stream restoration site in Harrison County, Ohio, which, together with our Upper Ohio Mitigation Bank, is located within a 4,200-acre private outdoor recreation center. Prior to EIP’s restoration efforts, the site was impacted by a variety of land use activities including surface mining, logging, horse and cattle pasturing, recreational horse riding, and stream channelization. Our restoration has re-established functional geomorphological structure and riparian buffers, improved biogeochemical cycling, and diversified benthic communities and aquatic habitats, providing a distinct watershed benefit. Our efforts resulted in the restoration of 6.46 miles of stream. Credits generated through this restoration of these critical aquatic resources are used to compensate for the unavoidable impacts from various economic development projects throughout eastern Ohio.

DRESS: Long pants and closed-toe shoes a must.  Recommend appropriate hat and sun protection shirt, bug spray and water.  

Learn how to enter data in RIBITS! Bank and ILF sponsors in many USACE districts are given permission to enter data on a limited basis. In this workshop, we will show bank and ILF sponsors how to enter data and perform queries. We will also cover basic RIBITS navigation. This is the only formal RIBITS training for bank and ILF sponsors, and it consistently receives high ratings.

Specifically designed for landowners, consultants, and others who are seeking mitigation bank funding, the workshop will focus on financing  alternatives, their pros and cons, and the practical steps needed to obtain them. This session will zero in on the key features that private investors, commercial banks, and other funding sources  consider when presented with a mitigation project for funding. Designed to target the types of mitigation projects most conducive to successful financing, the session will present the critical issues to consider when evaluating funding alternatives. Designed to be interactive, significant  time will be provided for discussion and Q&A around the trade-offs involved when accessing investment capital, as well as best practices and pitfalls to avoid when working finance providers.

Hosted by Watersheds of South Pittsburgh
Bus tour of areas in south Pittsburgh that have had some ecological restoration or are in need of this. Additional information to be provided.

ILF program ledgers are very complex, and the RIBITS Team has made changes to make them easier to understand, based on feedback we received at NMEMC 2023. In this workshop, we'll talk about the new format and answer your questions.

In mitigation projects, the modification of altered hydrology is critical to provide functional uplift to degraded streams, wetlands and other ecosystems. However, these modification may affect hydrology in ways that give rise to legal issues and litigation from adjacent property owners and other parties. Claims of “hydrologic trespass,” nuisance, and other actions deriving from the broad area of water law can sometimes arise even when the designer has properly followed the local regulations and carefully considered potential hydrologic impacts. This presentation will discuss the basic principles of the drainage law claims of nuisance and trespass, and other legal actions that may arise from altering hydrology in mitigation projects.  Case studies will be provided demonstrating how  these legal issues can arise in the world of mitigation and best practices that can be used to avoid them.

The mining industry delivers essential materials used nationwide on a daily basis. The activities of this industry intersect heavily with regulatory compliance and corporate stewardship commitments. This session considers the opportunities to utilize mining land assets to minimize costs, generate revenue, and contribute to corporate sustainability commitments through practitioner insights and case examples. The discussion is relevant to those with mining interests, investments, community relations, and mitigation and restoration project developers.

The USACE issued Regulatory Guidance Letter (RGL) 19-01, “Mitigation Bank Credit Release Schedules and Equivalency in Mitigation Bank and In-Lieu Fee Program Service Areas,” on February 22, 2019. This RGL in part discusses the option to implement an accelerated credit release schedule (i.e., conducting a single interim credit release provided that sufficient financial assurances are in place to provide a high degree of confidence that ecological performance standards will be achieved). Implementation of this RGL is a common topic of discussion amongst mitigation providers and USACE Regulators across the nation.  Implementation of the RGL 19-01 accelerated credit release schedule concept varies by USACE District, and in some cases by state within a given District, for a variety of reasons.  Regulators from several USACE Districts discuss which would address whether, why, and how Districts are implementing accelerated credit release schedules. Each participating District will be allotted time to present District-specific implementation after which, the floor would be open to questions from conference attendees.

Hosted by Water and Land Solutions
60 minute drive
Nestled in the northern panhandle of West Virginia, Tomlinson Run is located within the West Virginia Department of Natural Resources Tomlinson Run State Park in the Upper Ohio River North HUC 8 Watershed (05030101). Credits generated from this bank provide compensatory stream mitigation credits for unavoidable impacts to waters of the United States authorized under Sections 401 and 404 of the Clean Water Act and Section 10 of the Rivers and Harbors Act.
A pioneering public-private partnership between WLS and the WV DNR, this project has not only restored an ecosystem, but also has provided far-reaching benefits to the public.
Some of the benefits include:7,891 linear feet of restored stream; 8,906 indigenous trees planted; Eradication of invasive species; Aquatic and wildlife habitat improvements; Creation of forested wetlands adjacent to the stream to offset pollution and stream erosion; 2,000 feet of accessible trails; 5 accessible platforms from which to fish or view wildlife; New, accessible pedestrian bridges over stream tributaries
The credits generated from this project are available to projects required to offset environmental impacts within the same watershed.  In this way, economic development and environmental restoration work together to improve ecological functioning and compensate for environmental impacts.

Picnic Lunch provided by WLS onsite!

DRESS:  Most of the site can be viewed by maintained accessible trails.  Optional long pants, close-toe shoes, hat and sun protection.  Recommend bug spray.

Discussion of relevant compensatory mitigation markets (PA/OH/WV) involving state/federal regulators and mitigation providers within the region about new developments and policies. Conversation centered on adjusting to post-Sackett requirements, changes to crediting/debiting, new practices [expanded service areas and accelerated schedules], exploration of additional restoration practices, and what is on the horizon for each area.

The session will open with a brief baseline overview of state-of-the-art in data and modeling for use in co-benefits accounting and MRV. It will then explore cost-effective software-driven re-use of legacy artifacts (such as spreadsheets and data from Ribits) in combination with modern data sources (such as remote sensing and IoT) and will summarize strategies for IT support for automation and scale of co-benefits accounting. The session will then assess efficiencies gained using software in a prototype accounting  for the additional dollar value of co-benefits (beyond mitigation credits, including carbon, biodiversity, and others) in a Minnesota mitigation bank. The session will conclude with a look at taking those credits to the voluntary carbon markets (VCMs) for sale, with use of proceeds funding maintenance or additional development within a bank. 

Environmental DNA (eDNA) has emerged as a valuable tool in the fields of biodiversity monitoring, species detection, and ecological research due to its efficient and non-invasive approach for assessing various species within their habitats. However, its position within the US mitigation and environmental markets warrants closer examination. Questions arise regarding its alignment with monitoring and reporting requirements, its acceptance by regulatory agencies, and any potential limitations.
.  A panel discussion on the eDNA and nature-intelligence domains. The aim of this discussion is to delve into the current status and future prospects of eDNA within the US Mitigation Market.

A meeting for state regulators

Forum for mitigation bankers, ecological restoration business providers and developers of offsets to facilitate improvements in the industry.

A forum for consumers/buyers/customers offsets and mitigation credits to explore common challenges and potential solutions.

A forum designed specifically for providers of In Lieu of Fee programs to discuss common challenges and potential solutions.

A forum meeting for federal and state regulators