Wetland Mitigation Banking 101
Tyler introduces the foundational concepts of wetland mitigation banking, a market-based approach to offsetting unavoidable impacts to wetlands. She explains how mitigation banks are established, the regulatory framework that governs them—including Section 404 permitting under the Clean Water Act—and the ecological and economic benefits they provide. Attendees will gain insight into credit generation, service areas, and the role of interagency review teams. The talk also highlights recent proposed mitigation bank examples in Idaho and best practices for successful bank development and long-term management.
Tyler Bell is the Director of Westervelt Ecological Services’ Rocky Mountain Region. As a Professional Wetland Scientist and Certified Wildlife Biologist with over 15 years of compensatory wetland, stream, and sensitive species mitigation experience, she leads Westervelt’s efforts throughout the arid west and mid-west. She has worked on over 40 mitigation and restoration projects throughout the United States and participates as a teacher in the Conservation Fund’s annual Compensatory Mitigation Training, providing training to mitigation inter-agency review teams and other regulatory authorities.