Category: News

As part of the wetland restoration efforts at the new Granger Wetlands mitigation bank and in conjunction with his Eagle Scout project, Matt Sahadi designed and constructed wood duck boxes for Ohio Wetlands.  Working with specifications and guidance provided by Vince Messerly on which materials were best to use, Matt and his fellow scouts built 13 wood duck boxes and presented to Ohio Wetlands to install at the Granger site. Thank you Matt and all the scouts for your hard work and dedication to this project.

The Army Corps of Engineers issued changes to the Nationwide Permit program in the Federal Register today.  The changes will provide a uniform 45-days for the preconstruction notification review (some NWP’s used to have a 30-day review requirement).  Also, the changes will now allow NWP certifications to be valid until NWP’s expire rather than a two year certification expiration.  The current NWP’s are set to expire on Mach 18, 2017. Contact us for more information.

On February 15, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) announced revised and renewed nationwide permits (NWPs) necessary for work in streams, wetlands and other waters of the United States under Section 404 of the Clean Water Act and Section 10 of the Rivers and Harbors Act of 1899. The permits are necessary to replace existing permits,which expire on March 18, 2012. The new NWPs will take effect March 19, 2012. Click here to read more.

It is important to note, however that there is a grandfather provision currently in place for expiring NWPs. In accordance with 33 CFR part 330.6(b), activities authorized by the current NWPs issued on March 12, 2007, that have commenced or are under contract to commence by March 18, 2012, will have until March 18, 2013, to complete the activity under the terms and conditions of the current NWPs. For further information about this provision, contact Vince Messerly.

On February 9, Ohio Senator Tim Schaffer introduced Senate Bill 294 which addresses a number of changes to many chapters of the Ohio Revised Code. S.B. 294 allows more options for protective wetland development including creating a mechanism to allow for an In-Lieu fee program for wetland mitigation. The bill will establish a process to facilitate wetland mitigation resulting from impacts to isolated wetlands, and modify ORC 6111.0381 to ensure that it can be used for the jurisdictional wetlands as well. The bill will improve the likelihood of success of mitigation projects and remove the burden of conducting the mitigation from the applicant.

In March of 2010, the J.M. Smucker Company announced plans to replace the company’s existing fruit spread manufacturing facility in Orrville, Ohio with a new, state-of-the art facility. Referred to as “Project Heritage,” the company broke ground on the new Orrville facility in the fall of 2010. The new 460,000 square-foot manufacturing facility will offer the opportunity to implement the most current equipment and technologies available and help ensure the company’s long-term competitiveness. Smucker’s anticipates the facility will be fully operational in the summer of 2013.

In order to provide compensatory mitigation for impacts to the wetlands and a stream on the property being developed for the new plant, the J.M. Smucker Company retained Ohio Wetlands Foundation (OWF), on a fixed cost basis, to develop a mitigation and monitoring plan for the Little Stillwater Wetlands Mitigation site. OWF worked closely with their ecological consultant, Davey Resource Group, to develop a compensatory mitigation plan that was acceptable to regulatory agencies. The approximately 12-acre mitigation site is located in Franklin Township, Harrison County, Ohio.

Wetland mitigation will be provided for impacts to 1.439 acres of forested wetlands and 0.489 acre of non-forested wetlands; all wetlands impacted are ORAM Category 1 or 2, non-isolated wetlands. The project also provides mitigation, via additional wetlands restoration, for impacts to 120 linear feet of Class 1 ephemeral stream. OWF developed this plan to provide compensatory mitigation for unavoidable impacts to aquatic resources associated with the construction of Project Heritage. Additionally, OWF will be responsible for implementation of this plan and completing all monitoring and remedial measures necessary to meet the terms of the final 401/404 permits.

A minimum of 3.38 acres of forested wetlands and 1.16 acres of non-forested wetlands will be reestablished on the Stillwater site. This will provide the required compensatory mitigation for the impacts that will occur at the new manufacturing site.

Ohio Wetlands Foundation President, Vince Messerly, was a featured panelist at the December 6 Ohio Oil and Gas Association Environmental Seminar titled “Wetlands, Streams and Sensitive Habitat Areas”. The seminar was held at the University Center on the Kent State University – Stark Campus in North Canton, Ohio. The Ohio Oil and Gas Association (OOGA) is a statewide trade association with over 1,450 members who are actively involved in the exploration, development and production of crude oil and natural gas within the State of Ohio.

On July 20, after more than three years of development, the United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) released guidance for the establishment of mitigation banks in Ohio.  The guidance was developed by the Interagency Review Team (IRT) which includes staff from the following agencies: USACE; United States EPA; Ohio EPA; Ohio Department of Natural Resources; United States Fish & Wildlife Service; and USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service. While this document will provide some increased predictability in the review process, it will also have a significant economic impact on the cost of development of mitigation banks in Ohio. Ohio Wetlands Foundation (OWF) anticipates the additional criteria included in this document will likely result in an increased cost of mitigation credits by 25 percent or more. OWF believes that the additional requirements and associated costs place an unreasonable burden on permit applicants in Ohio (adjacent states do not have such stringent requirements for the development of mitigation banks). Click here to read the guideline in its entirety.

EcoSummit 2012 – an international conference to explore innovative science-based strategies to create, manage, and restore ecosystems – is scheduled for September 30 – October 5, 2012 in Columbus, Ohio. The conference will bring together the world’s most respected minds in ecological science to discuss restoring the planet’s ecosystems. During the conference, Ohio Wetlands Foundation (OWF) President Vince Messerly will lead a tour of two wetland mitigation banks in central Ohio to view and discuss various protection, restoration and enhancement techniques. The trip will provide an opportunity to discuss the evolution of mitigation banking policy and wetland engineering/design improvements over the past 20 years.

Field trips vary from several hours, to a full day and evening. All field trips will depart from and return to the conference venue— the Columbus Convention Center.  Click here for more information about EcoSummit 2012 and registration information.

The United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) issued public notices for Nationwide Permits (NWP) in February, 2011. Renewed every five years, the current set of NWPs is set to expire in March, 2012. Click here for the current Federal Public Notice for the proposed NWPs as well as the Ohio Corps District’s public notice for regional conditions specific to NWP’s for impacts in Ohio.

John Jaeger, retired director for natural resources at the Metroparks of the Toledo Area, walks through a three-hour bird survey every 10 days. Jaeger is contracted to perform the survey for the Columbus-based Ohio Wetlands Foundation. Read the entire article here.

The Press, Thursday 11 March, 2010