On April 7, 1995, a relatively new conservation tool was formally introduced in California. At the dedication ceremony for the Bank of America's Carlsbad Highlands Conservation Bank, a new State policy in support of Conservation Banking was announced. Under this policy, administered by the California Resources Agency and the California Environmental Protection Agency (Cal/EPA), a conservation bank may be a parcel, or series of parcels of habitat owned by a private party, or public agency and managed for its natural resource values. The key difference here, is that under an agreement with the appropriate state and/or federal agencies, lands are assigned a conservation credit value. These credits are then available for sale to others who are required to compensate for adverse environmental impacts of a development project or other activity. While the concept of banking wasn't new, Conservation Banks, especially when established as a tool for helping to implement multi-species and regional conservation plans, can provide greater flexibility and economic opportunity for the private landowner than the more traditional and restrictive wetland mitigation banks. There are numerous benefits realized through the development of a Conservation Bank. Foremost among these is the economic benefit to the landowner. The ability to sell conservation credits provides private landowners with an incentive to develop their lands for conservation, rather than for other purposes. This type of incentive program will be critical to achieving long-term conservation goals and objectives throughout the state. Economic benefits are also realized through the streamlining of costly project-by-project mitigation and monitoring requirements which often involve lengthy regulatory processes and significant costs to both private landowners and public agencies alike.
Wetland Mitigation Banks Credits for Sale
		(RBV Mitigation Credits, LLC). Wetland/Vernal Pool. Temecula. Credit Area: Western Riverside County. This bank incorporates the Skunk Hollow Vernal Pool. With a water surface area exceeding 33 acres, this is the second largest vernal pool in the state. It provides habitat for numerous threatened and endangered species of plants and animals, including the Riverside fairy shrimp. This preservation mitigation bank has approximately 136 wetland credits, or functional units, for general wetland impacts in western Riverside County. The bank is formally permitted by the Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and Department of Fish and Game. This is a preservation bank...in other words, if your impacts destroy wetland habitat, mitigation for the impact must be accomplished at a wetland creation site to provide a no net loss of existing habitat. The balance of any mitigation ratio can be accomplished at the Barry Jones Bank. The bank can be used for low or high quality wetland impacts.  Credits are available now for sale! Click here for a Location Map.   Click here for the Bank Service Area
		(Westmark Development). Wetland and CSS. Carlsbad. Click here for the bank service area Coastal North County). The BEI was approved on May 23, 2007. Credits are available now. Send an email message to Mike McCollum for information. The Bank consists of a total of 15.7 acres with the following breakdown of habitats: ENHANCED AND CONSERVED: 6.57 acres of riparian forest 0.21 acres of mule fat scrub CREATED AND CONSERVED: 6.07 acres of riparian forest CONSERVED: 1.01 acres of Diegan coastal sage scrub 1.38 acres of sage scrub chaparral, 0.45 acres of non-native grassland	. Click here to download: Regional Map Location Map Vegetation Restoration Graphic BioTech Report Habitat Management Plan Aerial Photo of Bank Vicinity
		* COMING SOON * Edgemoor Wetland Mitigation Bank (County of San Diego) Wetland and Riparian Santee Credit Area: Under consideration. Availability uncertain.



Information 

McCollum Associates will happily provide information on any of its wetland mitigation or conservation bank projects. Please contact Mike McCollum for availability and pricing.

Upland Conservation Banks
Developed and Marketed by McCollum Associates

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• Carlsbad Highlands (Techbilt Construction, Inc.) SOLD OUT. Upland/Coastal Sage Scrub. Carlsbad. Credit Area: San Diego County. This is an approximately 180-acre upland bank in Carlsbad, California consisting of coastal sage scrub habitat. Multispecies credits are sold to mitigate for most upland impacts throughout the NCCP plan area of San Diego County, including coastal areas. Phase I of the bank is sold out, but Phase II and Phase III, owned by Tech-Bilt, Inc., are being marketed now.

• Whelan Ranch (Bank of America). Upland/Coastal Sage Scrub. SOLD OUT. Oceanside. Credit Area: San Diego County. This 150-acre bank is selling conservation credits for mitigation of multispecies impact within the San Diego County NCCP, including coastal properties.  Map

• Manchester Avenue Conservation Bank (Tech-Bilt, Inc.). Upland/Maritime Chaparral/Coastal Sage Scrub. Encinitas. Credit Area: San Diego County. This bank is selling conservation credits for both coastal sage scrub/multispecies and maritime chaparral habitats. Listed plant species abound on this 150-acre bank along the San Diego County coast. If you need mitigation for state or federally listed plants, this may be the place. Credits are not available for sale until further notice.

McCollum Associates represents clients to design and implement economically feasible solutions to conflicts with environmental and habitat issues. While development impacts can negatively impact habitat and sensitive species, we help facilitate ways to make those impacts provide a net benefit to the ecosystem. Conservation Banks is only one approach to this issue. The following are examples of other types of projects that McCollum Associates excel in:

• Habitat Conservation Plans: Villages of La Costa in the City of Carlsbad, California; prepared for the City of Carlsbad and The Fieldstone Company. Mission View Estates, facilitated for The Fieldstone Company. Rancho Bella Vista; prepared for Pacific Bay Homes. HCP Outline and land use permits for Ocean Trails project on Rancho Palos Verdes Peninsula, California. San Diego Gas & Electric NCCP subregional plan.

• Section 7 Consultations for endangered species take: Lennar, Stonegate Development, H.G. Fenton, Superior Ready Mix, RCP Block, Wal-Mart; The Fieldstone Company; Collins Development; Aradi, Inc.; Bank of America; CalMat; Catellus; Shapell Industries; and Pacific Bay Homes; Rutter Development; Techbilt, Inc.

• Army Corps of Engineers 404 Permits and 1600 Agreements: Lennar, Wal-Mart, The Fieldstone Company; SDG&E; Larwin Company; Collins Development; Allred Company; Bank of America; Hon/Zuckerman Properties; Aradi, Inc.; Pacific Bay Homes; Shapell Industries; Bixby Ranch Company; Catellus.

• General environmental documentation: Represent clients at U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Department of Fish and Game, Army Corps of Engineers, EPA, State Water Resources Control Board, Bureau of Land Management, Forest Service, Coastal Commission, CalEPA, Resources Agency, and local governments. Lennar, The Fieldstone Company; SDG&E; Larwin Company; Collins Development; Allred Company; Bank of America; Hon/Zuckerman Properties; Aradi, Inc.; Shapell Industries; Lewis Homes; Altamira, First Nationwide Bank; Carlsbad Ranch Verde, Centex Homes; Gauer Ranch, Chevron.

• Memorandum of Understanding Negotiation for Regional HCP in San Bernardino County. Representing landowners in San Bernardino County on a County Technical Committee to develop MOU that will ensure planning efforts for a regional, multi-species conservation plan will be approached without undue regulatory constraints. Baldy View BIA and San Bernardino landowners.

For more information on Conservation Banks, use the following links to the California Resources Agency.

California Resources Agency Conservation Banks Catalogue
Conservation Bank Guidelines
California Environmental Resources Evaluation System (CERES)

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