New! How-to Information for Establishing a Bank on BLM Administered Public Land

Bureau of Land Management mitigation policy states a general preference for compensatory mitigation outcomes in advance of the impacts of a public land use (BLM Mitigation Handbook, Chapter 3.5.I.3). This presentation will walk mitigation sponsors through a step-by-step process for establishing a mitigation/conservation bank on public land managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). A side-by-side comparison of the process for establishing a bank on private land verses public land will be presented. Previously voiced concerns regarding advantages and disadvantages associated with siting banks on public lands will be discussed including, land costs, durability, equivalency regarding short- and long-term management and monitoring plans, and short- and long-term financial assurances. Insight on how land use plans and mitigation strategies can assist mitigation sponsors determine the most favorable areas for siting banks will be demonstrated. How third-party mitigation funds may be used in conjunction with mitigation banks and in-lieu fee programs sited on BLM-managed lands will also be discussed.