An Overview of Recent Changes To the EEP Restoration Plan and Mitigation Plan Templates

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An Overview of Recent Changes To the EEP
Restoration Plan and Mitigation Plan Templates

• Steven D. Roberts
• Vegetation Senior Specialist
• Steven.Roberts_at_ncmail.net

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Overarching Goals of Changes

• Transform the mitigation plan document from an
  after the fact account to a guidance document and
  repository of closeout related information.
• Increase functionality and congruency among the
  series of documents being applied to mitigation
  projects from the design phase to close out.

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Diagram of Process Inefficiency
Site Selection
Mitigation Plan Monitoring Reports Maintenance/Rep
air Contingencies
Close Out
Restoration Plan Construction
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Diagram of Process Linkage
Site Selection
Monitoring Reports Maintenance
Close Out
Restoration Plan Mitigation Plan Construction
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Presentation Outline

• Mitigation Plan Format Changes
• Primary Issues with Previous Mitigation Plan
  Formats
• Means of Mitigation Plan Improvement
• Beyond Minimum Success Criteria
• Refinement of Terminology
• Diagram of Document Congruency
• Restoration Plan Format Changes
• Primary Issues with Previous Restoration Plan
  Formats
• Means of Restoration Plan Improvement
• Comments and Discussion

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Primary Issues with Previous Mitigation Plan
Formats

• The conventional process has involved submitting
  Mitigation Plans after design and construction
  activities have occurred
• Application of multiple formats from different
  agencies and inconsistency
• Unclear accounts of applicable success criteria
• The lack of a standard method for addressing
  endeavors to achieve more than the minimum
  success criteria

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Means of Mitigation Plan Improvement

• Processes
• Requiring the development and review of the
  mitigation plan document to occur in concert with
  restoration plan development
• Phasing in this new approach to document
  development on all new projects
• Mitigation Template Format
• Requirement of complete outlines of all
  applicable minimum success criteria, including
  official rules, guidelines and adopted law-
• Restoration Template Format
• Standard format improvement intended to
  facilitate and documents endeavors that go beyond
  the minimum success criteria

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Primary Agency Involvement
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List of Applicable Guidelines, Official Rules and
Laws

• Stream Mitigation Guidelines (2003) US Army Corps
  of Engineers, Wilmington NC District
  (http//www.saw.usace.army.mil/wetlands/Mitigation
  /stream_mitigation.html)
• NC Administrative Code NCAC 15A 02B.0100 , .0200,
  and 0300. (May 1, 2007) NC Division of Water
  Quality http//h2o.enr.state.nc.us/admin/rules/do
  cuments/Redbook2007_000.pdf
• The Coastal Area Management Act ARTICLE 7. NC
  Division of Coastal Management
  http//dcm2.enr.state.nc.us/Rules/cama.htm
• Endangered Species Act of 1973 (As amended
  through 2008) US Fish and Wildlife Service
  http//www.fws.gov/laws/lawsdigest/ESACT.HTML
• Sedimentation Pollution Control Act of 1973 (As
  amended through 2007) The NC Sedimentation
  Control Commission http//www.dlr.enr.state.nc.us
  /pages/sedimentation_new.html
• Etc.

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Means of Mitigation Plan Improvement

• Processes
• Requiring the delivery and review of the
  mitigation plan document before baseline
  monitoring is done
• Phasing in the new standard format to all new
  projects
• Mitigation Template Format
• Requirement of complete outlines of all
  applicable minimum success criteria, including
  official rules, guidelines and adopted law
• Restoration Template Format
• Standard format improvement intended to
  facilitate and document endeavors that go beyond
  the minimum success criteria

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Beyond Minimum Success Criteria
Great, lets go further! Wait, why go further?

• Simply stated, the minimum success criteria are
  inadequate for addressing the achievement of
  variable amounts of project success and
  corresponding credit.

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Terminology Refinement

• Minimum Success Criteria Defined by official
  rules, guidelines and adopted law administered by
  various regulatory agencies.
• Goals Measures of success necessary to achieve
  and go beyond the minimum success criteria.
• Objectives The means of achieving goals.

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Linking Restoration With Function(Exert taken
from 2008 Restoration Plan Template)
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Diagram of Document Congruency
Restoration Plan Define Goals/Objectives
Mitigation Plan Est. Monitoring
Approach Goals/Objectives/Methods
Monitoring Reports Tempered Analysis Goals/Objecti
ves
Close Out Document Outline of Goal/Objective Achie
vement
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Example Goals

• Reduce the dominance of exotic invasive
  vegetation to a non detrimental level
• Reduce or eliminate soil erosion
• Restore historic wetland hydrology
• Enhance the vegetative community structure

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Example Objectives

• Mechanically remove and dispose of all vegetative
  portions of existing exotic invasive species
  using heavy equipment
• Survey for exotic invasive species throughout the
  construction phase of the project and treat with
  herbicide as needed
• Execute maintenance contract during monitoring
  years 1-3 for the purpose of controlling exotic
  invasive vegetation
• Install temporary and permanent seed mixes along
  with live stakes immediately after construction
• Staged installation of plant species derived from
  natural community reference data in the form of
  bare root, containerized and burlap plant
  material
• Alter the hydrology of the given site based on
  hydrology gauge data from nearby reference
  wetlands
• Install seeds, plugs and containerized forms of
  plant species derived from natural community
  reference data

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Primary Issues with Previous Restoration Plan
Formats

• Lack of an adequate template for addressing the
  range of activities that potentially happen
  within each planting zone.

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Means of Restoration Plan Improvement

• Introduction of a standard format for tables
  pertaining to vegetation establishment and soil
  treatments for each zone

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Restoration Plan Template 7.7 Soil
Restoration Table 7-Soil Preparation and
Amendment Summary
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Restoration Plan Template 7. 8 Natural Plant
Community Restoration Table 8-Seeding Plan Summary
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Restoration Plan Template7. 8 Natural Plant
Community RestorationTable 9-Planting Plan
Summary
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• http//www.nceep.net/abouteep/project_control_rese
  arch.htm

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