2010 Annual Conference
May 3–6, 2010
Hilton Austin
Austin, Texas

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Conference
by JT&A, inc.
National Mitigation & Ecosystem Banking Conference
c/o JT&A, inc.
14524-F Lee Road
Chantilly, VA 20151
Phone: (703) 548-5473
Fax: (703) 548-6299
Email: cbahler@comcast.net
HOME
PAGE
|
| SEMIFINAL
PROGRAM
(as of 1/01/2010)
click
here for the SEMIFINAL PROGRAM in PDF format
Opening Session begins Tuesday (May 4) at 4 p.m. |
MONDAY,
May 3, 2010 |
| 7 a.m.-5:30 p.m. |
Registration
Open |
8:30
a.m.-
12:30 p.m.
(optional
activity)
Registration
includes reference materials and online audio proceedings.
REGISTER
NOW! |
Mitigation
& Conservation Banking
Primer Workshop 101
Early
registration fee: $135 (by
1/25/10)
Pre-conference fee: $195
(by 3/24/10)
Late/Onsite Fee: $225 (after 3/24/10)
Facilitators:
Craig Denisoff and Greg
Sutter, Partners, Westervelt
Ecological Services, Sacramento,
Calif.; and Robert Brumbaugh,
Senior Policy Analyst, Water
Resources Institute, U.
S. Army Corps of Engineers,
Alexandria, Va. |
12:30 -
5:30
p.m.
(optional activity)
REGISTER
NOW! |
3rd Annual MBEC Golf Tournament:
Golf at Grey Rock Gulf Club!
$95 per person (by 3/24/10)
$125 per person (after 3/24/10)
Optional Golf Club Rentals (limited supply): $55
1:30 p.m. Start
(Bus departs Hotel at 12:30 p.m.)
for more info on Golf Tournament click here
Hosted by JT&A, inc. |
1:30 - 5:30 p.m.
(optional activities)
click
here for
FIELD TRIP DETAILS |
FIELD
TRIP
Hickory Pass Conservation Bank
hosted
by Hickory Pass Conservation Bank
Early
registration fee: $45 (by
1/25/10)
Pre-conference fee: $55
(by 3/24/10)
Late fee (if space available): $80 (after 3/24/10)
Buses depart Hotel entrance
at 1:30 p.m.
See
special section on Field Trips
in this program for more details. |
1:30 - 5:30 p.m.
(optional activities)
click
here for
FIELD TRIP DETAILS |
FIELD
TRIP
Driftwood & Salt Lick BBQ
hosted by Scott Roberts
Early
registration fee: $45 (by
1/25/10)
Pre-conference fee: $55
(by 3/24/10)
Late fee (if space available): $80 (after 3/24/10)
Buses depart Hotel entrance
at 1:30 p.m.
See
special section on Field Trips
in this program for more details. |
1:30 - 5:30 p.m.
(optional activities)
click
here for
FIELD TRIP DETAILS |
FIELD
TRIP
Twin Springs Preserve
hosted by Williams County Conservation Foundation
Early
registration fee: $45 (by
1/25/10)
Pre-conference fee: $55
(by 3/24/10)
Late fee (if space available): $80 (after 3/24/10)
Buses depart Hotel entrance
at 1:30 p.m.
See
special section on Field Trips
in this program for more details. |
2 - 5:30 p.m.
(optional
activity)
Registration
includes reference materials and online audio proceedings.
REGISTER
NOW! |
Stream
Mitigation Banking &
Restoration Workshop
Early
registration fee: $135 (by
1/25/10)
Pre-conference fee: $195
(by 3/24/10)
Late/Onsite Fee: $225 (after 3/24/10)
George Howard, President and Tara Allden, Director, Operations, Restoration Systems, Raleigh, N.C.;
Cynthia Robinson, President, Robinsong Ecological Services, Madison, Ala.; and Steve Jones, Vice President, Environmental Services, Inc., Stone Mountain, Ga. |
| |
TUESDAY,
May 4, 2010 |
| 7 a.m.- 6:30 p.m. |
Registration
Open |
7 - 11 a.m.
(optional activities)
click
here for
FIELD TRIP DETAILS |
FIELD
TRIP
Hickory Pass Conservation Bank
hosted
by Hickory Pass Conservation Bank
Early
registration fee: $45 (by
1/25/10)
Pre-conference fee: $55
(by 3/24/10)
Late fee (if space available): $80 (after 3/24/10)
Buses depart Hotel entrance
at 7 a.m.
See
special section on Field Trips
in this program for more details. |
7 - 11 a.m.
(optional activities)
click
here for
FIELD TRIP DETAILS |
FIELD
TRIP
Twin Springs Preserve
hosted by Williams County Conservation Foundation
Early
registration fee: $45 (by
1/25/10)
Pre-conference fee: $55
(by 3/24/10)
Late fee (if space available): $80 (after 3/24/10)
Buses depart Hotel entrance
at 7 a.m.
See
special section on Field Trips
in this program for more details. |
8:30 - 10 a.m.
(optional activities)
click
here for
FIELD TRIP DETAILS |
CLASSROOM FIELD
TRIP
Pineywoods & Bunker Sands Mitigation Banks
hosted
by PBS&J, Houston, Texas
Early
registration fee: $45 (by
1/25/10)
Pre-conference fee: $55
(by 3/24/10)
Late fee (if space available): $80 (after 3/24/10)
Classroom Style at Hotel
See
special section on Field Trips
in this program for more details. |
11 a.m. -
12:30 p.m.
Session not recorded.
NO
ADDITIONAL FEE! |
Business of Banking Session
( Sponsored by NMBA)
MODERATOR: George Platt, General Counsel & Partner,
The Wetlandsbank Group, Deerfield Beach, Fla.
Surviving the Crash and Growing a Mitigation Banking Company in Tough Economic Times. Craig Denisoff, Vice President, Westervelt Ecological Services, Sacramento, Calif.
Private Equity Investment in Mitigation and Conservation Banking Opportunities. Charlie Thompson, Vice President and Portfolio Manager, Timbervest, LLC, Atlanta, Ga.
Has the New Federal Compensatory Mitigation Rule Affected Sales & Marketing? Sheri Lewin, President, Environmental Resource Marketing, Clermont, Fla.
No
additional charge for this
workshop, but registration
for workshop is required
– use Conference Registration
form. |
11 a.m. - 1 p.m.
(Corps
Regulatory staff only)
Session not recorded.
Box Lunch Provided
NO
ADDITIONAL FEE! |
National Corps Workshop (only for U.S. Army Corps staff involved in the IRT process)
Facilitated by Meg Gaffney-Smith, Chief, Regulatory Program and David Olson, Regulatory Program Manager, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Washington, D.C., and Robert Brumbaugh, Senior Policy Analyst, Institute for Water Resources, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Alexandria, Va.
Corps staff involved in the IRT process will address concerns, share experiences and learn more about the IRT process. (Corps IRT staff are encouraged to submit questions and/or concerns for discussion to cbahler@comcast.net.)
No
additional charge for this
workshop, but registration
for workshop is required
– use Conference Registration
form. |
11 a.m. - 1 p.m.
(USFWS & NOAA staff only)
Session not recorded.
Box Lunch Provided
NO
ADDITIONAL FEE! |
National USFWS-NOAA Workshop (for USFWS and NOAA staff involved in the conservation banking permitting process)
Moderators: Deborah Mead, National Conservation Banking Coordinator, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Arlington, Va., and Angela Somma, Chief, Endangered Species Division, NOAA, Silver Spring, Md.
New in 2010, USFWS and NOAA staff involved in the conservation banking regulatory process will address concerns, share experiences and learn more about the process. (FWS and NOAA regulator staff are encouraged to submit questions and/or concerns for discussion to cbahler@comcast.net.)
No
additional charge for this
workshop, but registration
for workshop is required
– use Conference Registration
form. |
| 12 - 3 p.m. |
Exhibitor
Set-up |
1 - 3 p.m.
(for
Users)
Session not recorded.
NO
ADDITIONAL FEE! ! |
User's
Forum
Facilitated by Dennis Durbin, Ecologist, Federal Highway Administration, Washington, D.C. and Susan Asmus, Staff Vice President for Environmental Regulatory Affairs, National Home Builders Association, Washington, D.C.
We’re delighted to
present the 3rd year of the User’s
Forum at the Conference
which will serve as a gathering of those involved in the use of mitigation and conservation banks and other ecosystem programs throughout the United States in an effort to share experiences and address special concerns to users. (User attendees are encouraged to submit questions and/or concerns for discussion to cbahler@comcast.net.)
No
additional charge for this
workshop, but registration
for workshop is required
– use Conference Registration
form. |
1 - 3 p.m.
(open
session)
Session not recorded.
Box Lunch Provided
NO
ADDITIONAL FEE! |
Bankers’
Forum and National Mitigation
Banking Association Meeting (NMBA)
Facilitated
by George Kelly, President,
NMBA
The National Mitigation Banking Association will have its annual meeting with the last part devoted to a forum to address questions and concerns from bankers. (Attendees are encouraged to submit questions and/or concerns for discussion to cbahler@comcast.net.)
This forum is only for bankers and those interested in banking (not for users or regulators).
No
additional charge for this
workshop, but registration
for workshop is required
– use Conference Registration
form. |
1:15 -3 p.m.
(Regulators
only)
Session not recorded.
NO
ADDITIONAL FEE! |
Regulators'
Forum
Facilitated
by Robert Brumbaugh, Senior Policy Analyst, Institute for Water Resources, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Alexandria, Va. and Steve Martin, Environmental Planner, Institute for Water Resources, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Norfolk, Va.
This forum is only for regulators involved in regulating mitigation and conservation banking (those on IRTs) in an effort to share their experiences and address special concerns. (Regulator attendees are encouraged to submit questions and/or concerns for discussion to cbahler@comcast.net.)
No
additional charge for this
workshop, but registration
for workshop is required
– use Conference Registration
form. |
| 3:30 - 5 p.m. |
OPENING SESSION PLENARY |
MODERATOR: George Kelly, President, National Mitigation Banking Association
Welcome – Judith F. Taggart, Chairman, JT&A, inc., Chantilly, Va.
The Honorable Jo-Ellen Darcy, Assistant Secretary for Civil Works, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Washington, D.C.
The Honorable Ken Salazar, Secretary of the Interior, Washington, D.C. (invited)
|
| 5
- 6:30 p.m. |
Welcome
Reception in Exhibit
Area
CoHosted by National Mitigation Banking Association and JT&A, inc.
Fishing Trip Raffle -- Four nights lodging and three days fishing for one rod at the Miramichi Black Rapids Salmon Lodge, New Brunswick. Includes guide, private accommodation and meals. Step out of our newly remodeled lodge right into our private pools. Contact donor for mutually agreeable dates which must be used in 2010.
The Miramachi Black Rapids Salmon Lodge in New Brunswick, Canada is provided by Westervelt Ecological Services: The Lodge offers trophy quality Atlantic salmon fishing in private pools on the legendary Miramichi River. Increasing in both populations and size, the Atlantic salmon offers a challenging fight over Spring, Summer, and Fall runs. The former property of baseball legend Ted Williams, the lodge’s blend of expert guides and warm hospitality creates an ideal setting for the serious fly fishing angler, not only for Atlantic salmon but also for brook trout. As a Westervelt Sporting Lodges Network property, exact standards for excellent customer service are promoted and practiced.
Sponsorships available, contact Carlene
Bahler at cbahler@comcast.net |
| |
WEDNESDAY,
May 5, 2010 |
| 7 a.m.
- 6:30 p.m. |
Registration Open |
| 7:15
- 7:50 a.m. |
Continental
Breakfast in Exhibit Area |
| 8 - 9:30 a.m. |
CONCURRENT SESSIONS |
SESSION 1.
Evaluating & Managing Risk
Moderator: George I. Platt, General Counsel & Partner, The Wetlandsbank™ Group, Deerfield Beach, Fla.
Quantifying the Fiscal Risks of Ecological Restoration. Randy Wilgis, President, Environmental Banc & Exchange, LLC, Owings Mills, Md.
Regulatory Risk – Banker and Investor Perspectives. Dan Spethmann, Managing Partner, Working Lands Investment Partners, Alexandria, Va.
Casualty Insurance — Meeting the Short-Term Financial Assurance Requirement. Robert Spoth, Senior Vice President, Hays Companies, Washington, D.C. |
SESSION 2.
Conservation and Species Banking
MODERATOR: Michael McCollum, President, McCollum Associates, Sacramento, Calif.
Overview of Conservation Banking from the Sacramento Fish and Wildlife Office, 1994-2010. Valerie Layne, Conservation Banking Coordinator, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, Sacramento, Calif.
Species Conservation Banking in Texas: Practical Experiences and Future Opportunities. Alan M. Glen, Partner, Smith, Robertson, Elliott, Glen, Klein & Bell, L.L.P., Austin, Tex.
10 Costly Delays to Conservation Bank Approval and How To Avoid Them. Deborah Mead, National Conservation Banking Coordinator, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Arlington, Va.
|
| 9:30
- 10 a.m. |
Break in Exhibit Area |
| 10 - 11:30 a.m. |
CONCURRENT SESSIONS |
SESSION 3.
Emerging Markets
MODERATOR: Rebecca Madsen, Biodiversity Program Manager, Ecosystem Marketplace, Washington, D.C.
Water Quality Trading — It’s in NC. Richard Mogensen, Director of Environmental Services, EarthMark Mitigation Services, LLC, Concord, N.C.
The FHWA Carbon Sequestration Pilot Program: Economics, Environment and Policy. Stephen D. Earsom, Ecologist, Federal Highway Administration, Washington, D.C.
Voluntary Gopher Tortoise Habitat Credit Trading System. Todd Gartner, Manager, Conservation Incentives, American Forest Foundation, Washington, D.C. |
SESSION 4.
Tracking & Assessment
MODERATOR: Stacie Craddock, Environmental Protection Specialist, Wetlands Division, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, D.C.
RIBITS Implementation and Analysis of National Mitigation Banking Status and Trends. Steven M. Martin, Environmental Planner, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Institute for Water Resources, Norfolk, Va.
The Conservation Registry: Tracking and Assessing Mitigation Banks in the Conservation Context. Gina LaRocco, Conservation Program Associate, Defenders of Wildlife, West Linn, Ore.
Critical Infrastructure: A Credit Registry for Tracking Mitigation Markets. Nathaniel Carroll, Director, Biodiversity Markets, Ecosystem Marketplace, Washington, D.C. |
| |
11:30 a.m.-
1:45 p.m. |
LUNCHEON PLENARY |
Maximizing Ecosystem Market Value: Multiple Uses
MODERATOR: Royal C. Gardner, Professor and Director of Institute for Biodiversity Law and Policy, Stetson University College of Law, Gulfport, Fla.
A moderated interactive panel discussion following brief presentations.
Jessica A. Fox, Senior Project Manager, Electric Power Research Institute, Palo Alto, Calif.
Sally D. Collins, Director, Office of Environmental Markets, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Washington, D.C. |
| |
| 2 - 3:30 p.m. |
CONCURRENT SESSIONS |
SESSION 5.
Alternatives to Banking
MODERATOR: Robert Kessler, President & CEO, Environmental Heritage Investors, LLC, St. Augustine, Fla.
The Changing Face of In Lieu Fee. Doug Lashley, President & CEO, GreenVest, LLC, Annapolis, Md.
Alabama General Conservation Plan. Darren LeBlanc, Fish & Wildlife Biologist, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Daphne, Ala.
Trends in Banking and Alternatives in the Savannah District Before and After the New Rule. Greg Smith, Vice President, Wildlands, Inc., Lawrenceville, Ga.
|
SESSION 6.
Partnerships
MODERATOR: Vicki K. Tauxe, Environmental Manager, Florida Department of Environmental Protection, Tallahassee, Fla.
Building Partnerships with Land Trusts. Terrence Nolan, Senior Project Director, The Trust for Public Land, Morristown, N.J.
Hackensack Meadowlands, N.J. Partnership. Margaret (Peg) McBrien, Manager, Ecological Engineerings, The Louis Berger Group, Inc., Morristown, N.J.
Mitigation For-profit Partnerships with Non-profit Organizations. Tina Yerkes, Director of Conservation Programs, Ducks Unlimited, Inc., Ann Arbor, Mich. |
| 3:30 - 4 p.m. |
Break in Exhibit Area |
| 4 - 5:30 p.m. |
CONCURRENT SESSIONS |
SESSION 7.
Banking Across the U.S. Corps Districts
MODERATOR: Brent J. Jasper, Regulatory Project Manager, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Fort Worth, Tex.
Credit Sale History of Mitigation Banks within the USACE Galveston District. Michele Wilkins, Greens Bayou Wetlands Mitigation Bank Manager, Harris County Flood Control District, Houston, Tex.
Banking Templates and Conversion of In-Lieu Fees. Thomas Cavanaugh, Administrative Appeal Review Officer, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, South Pacific Division, San Francisco, Calif.
Mitigation Banking Guidelines for Georgia. Justin Hammonds, Project Manager, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Savannah District, Buford, Ga. |
SESSION 8.
Stewardship & Sustainability
MODERATOR: Erik J. Meyers, Vice President for Sustainable Programs, The Conservation Fund, Arlington, Va.
Avoiding Financial Calamity in Your Future: Appropriately Utilizing Endowments and Trust Agreements. Hal Holland, Bank Entitlement Manager, Westervelt Ecological Services, Sacramento, Calif.
Tracking the Long-term Status of Transportation Bank Sites in the Upper Midwest. Thomas S. Mings, Senior Ecologist, Bank Coordination, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul, Minn.
Stewardship & Sustainability — The Texas Experience. Mark Steinbach, Executive Director, Texas Land Conservancy, Austin, Tex.
|
| 5:30 - 6:30 p.m. |
Social Hour in Exhibit Area (looking for sponsors)
Hosted by JT&A, inc.
Sponsorships available, contact Carlene
Bahler at cbahler@comcast.net |
| |
THURSDAY,
May 6, 2010 |
| 7 a.m.
- 6:30 p.m. |
Registration Open |
| 7:30
- 9 a.m. |
BREAKFAST PLENARY |
Legislative and Regulatory Update
Moderated by David Urban, incoming President, National Mitigation Banking Association
Brief presentations followed by moderated Q&A and discussion.
Margaret (Peggy) N. Strand, Esquire, Venable LLP,
Washington, D.C.
Rick Sayers, Chief, Division of Consultation, HCPs, Recovery and State Grants, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Arlington, Va.
Brian Frazer, Chief, Wetlands & Aquatic Resources Regulatory, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, D.C.
Margaret (Meg) Gaffney-Smith, Chief, Regulatory Program, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Washington, D.C.
|
| 9:15 –
10:45 a.m. |
CONCURRENT SESSIONS |
SESSION 9.
Emerging Markets II
MODERATOR: Aynsley Toole, Associate, Head of Acquisitions, Equator, LLC, New York, N.Y.
Stacking Ecosystem Service Credits in the Upper Mississippi River Basin. Mark S. Kieser, Senior Scientist, Kieser & Associates, LLC, Kalamazoo, Mich.
Update on Climate Change Legislation (Carbon and Wetlands). Radha Kuppalli, Director, New Forests, Inc., Washington, D.C.
Habitat Banking, Compensation and Offsetting–A UK Perspective. Bob Edmonds, Principal, SLR Consulting, Ltd., Cambridge, England
|
SESSION 10.
The Science of Banking
MODERATOR: Stephen Collins, Chief Executive Officer, The Wetlandsbank™ Group, Deerfield Beach, Fla.
Invasive Plant Coverage in Wetland Mitigation Areas — A FHWA Study. Dennis Durbin, Ecologist, Federal Highway Administration, Washington, D.C.
Use of Reference Sites in Determining Performance Standards for Fire-adapted Plant Communities Undergoing Restoration in Northern Florida. John David Tobe, Director of Ecological Restoration and Conservation, Ecological Resource Consultants, Inc., Tallahassee, Fla.
Different Approaches Used in Determining Service Areas. Steven M. Martin, Environmental Planner, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Institute of Water Resources, Norfolk, Va. (co-author Robert W. Brumbaugh, Senior Policy Analyst, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Alexandria, Va.) |
| 10:45 - 11 a.m. |
Break in Exhibit Hall |
11 a.m.
-
12:30 p.m. |
CONCURRENT SESSIONS |
SESSION 11.
New Ground in Conservation Banking
MODERATOR: Wayne White, Director of Business Development, Wildlands, Inc., Rocklin, Calif.
Relocations in Conservation Banking: Considerations for Credit Methodology and Climate Change. Shauna M. Ginger, Wildlife Biologist, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, Jackson, Miss.
NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service Salmonid Banks. Howard L Brown, Fisheries Biologist, National Oceanic & Atmospheric Admininstration, NMFS, Sacramento, Calif.
South Carolina Heelsplitter Conservation Bank. Lora Zimmerman, Biologist, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Arlington, Va.
|
SESSION 12.
Stream Banking
MODERATOR: Adam Riggsbee, Partner, Riverbank Ecosystems,
Austin, Tex.
NC Wetland and Stream Functional Assessment. Matthew Cusak, Group Manager/Senior Scientist, PBS&J Mid Atlantic Sciences, Raleigh, N.C.
Flat Out Wonderful: Katy Prairie Conservancy Brings Stream Mitigation Banking to Houston. Mary Anne Piacentini, Executive Director, Katy Prairie Conservancy, Houston, Tex.
Stream Restoration in Arid Regions: A Review of Regulatory and Mitigation Issues. Matt Stahman, Professional Wetland Scientist, SWCA Environmental Consultants, Houston, Tex. |
| 12:30 p.m. |
Adjourn |
| 12:45 - 1:45 p.m. |
Texas Mitigation Bankers Inaugural Meeting |
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