wetlands mitigation??

[T-TOP]

Anyone have to mitigate any wetlands lately? past 5 years? what was the process like? cost per acre? wetland percentages? Any info would be appreciated.

[Duck Butter]

Originally Posted by T-TOP

Anyone have to mitigate any wetlands lately? past 5 years? what was the process like? cost per acre? wetland percentages? Any info would be appreciated.

Are you trying to build on a wetland? or have property that you want to see if you can qualify for a mitigation bank? It all depends on what type of wetland. Where is the project?

[T-TOP]

it is property that i would build a home on. it has been deemed wetlands, 35%. it is in the sulphur area.

[Duck Butter]

Originally Posted by T-TOP

it is property that i would build a home on. it has been deemed wetlands, 35%. it is in the sulphur area.

Can't help you with the pricing in that area. A mitigation bank in that area would probably be for longleaf pine. If you are developing 10 acres with 35% wetlands, you have to mitigate 35% of that, so 3.5 acres of credits is what you would buy. The ones in St Tammany Parish can go upwards of $5k an acre but that is probably different than SW LA and it differs with the quality of the wetland and the soil types. I helped with a project in Allen Parish the year before last where an investment group was doing some restoration work on longleaf pine areas to have as mitigation banks in SW LA. The company was called EIP - Environmental Investment Partners. You can maybe look them up and see what the going rate is for that area.
The people who had some money to invest in these things in the beginning are making a mint on these things, wish I knew then what I know now

[T-TOP]

So the mitigation bank or banks for the area of development set the price? Its not a flat rate set by the corps? i will look EIP up. Everyone i have talked to that actually mitigated said it wasn't bad. The last being 5 yrs ago. Now everyone that i have talked to that has looked into it and talked to the corps or a Firm, was ran off by some outrageous $35000 for 1 acre, or similar price. Whats the most you have seen a 1acre credit sell for? kind of looking for worst case...

[Duck Butter]

Originally Posted by T-TOP

So the mitigation bank or banks for the area of development set the price? Its not a flat rate set by the corps? i will look EIP up. Everyone i have talked to that actually mitigated said it wasn't bad. The last being 5 yrs ago. Now everyone that i have talked to that has looked into it and talked to the corps or a Firm, was ran off by some outrageous $35000 for 1 acre, or similar price. Whats the most you have seen a 1acre credit sell for? kind of looking for worst case...

I do not know worst case, sorry. The organization I work for has mitigation banks in St Tammany Parish but all our credits have been gone for several years.


And its Ecosystem Investment Partners, sorry

This is one of their projects right up the road from you
http://www.ecosystempartners.com/calcasieupinesavanna

[T-TOP]

i found them, just left a message. thanks for the help.

[ckinchen]

I paid $22,500 per acre last year (May 2012). The process was easy, below is a contact if you do not already have one.

[SIZE=3]Frankie Savoy[/SIZE]
[SIZE=3]Resource Environmental Solutions, LLC[/SIZE]
[SIZE=3]337.580.2781 cell[/SIZE]
[SIZE=3]225.372.6106 office[/SIZE]
[SIZE=3]frankie@res.us[/SIZE]

[ckinchen]

This was land on the ship channel near Hackberry from Petit Bois Migigation Bank.

[T-TOP]

Casey, you remember what the wetlands percentage was? And thanks for the info.

[Duck Butter]

If only I had a few hundred thousand laying around ten years ago

[ckinchen]

Originally Posted by T-TOP

Casey, you remember what the wetlands percentage was? And thanks for the info.

For me it was only .10, some of my neighbors paid more and some paid less. I have a feeling it is not an exact science.

[T-TOP]

Thanks guys!

[weedeater]

I am told that there has been some changes made in the past yr as to getting these permits but that was for Cal Parish.... 10 yrs ago I built a house on 1acre that consisted of about 40-50 percent being wetlands but I sent a drawing of my house and driveway which did not impact the area deemed wetlands and they allowed me to clear and build as long as I stayed out of wetlands with a tractor that had tracks and did not dig in that area..... I personally think these people or useless but I guess they have to justify their ripping us off.... I mean getting their pay checks

[ckinchen]

I had to pay for my small credit before I could get a permit to move ahead with construction.

[T-TOP]

i would like to think i could build with as little impact as possible. what gets me is its not even remotely close to any real wetlands. The parish works hard and spends good money to keep the large drainage ditchs in good order around the property. LOL

$22,500 per acre for 10% wetlands that is highway robbery...... lots of bamboozling going on in the bayou state!!!

[Smalls]

Little off topic, but I looked at that link you put up Duck, and these guys seem a bit confused:

"The tract is located 20 miles northwest of Lake Charles, Louisiana (in Allen and Jefferson Davis Parishes) and the service area for the Calcasieu Mitigation Bank's credits encompasses Calcasieu, Beauregard, Allen, and Jefferson Davis Parishes."

Since when are Allen and Jeff Davis NORTHWEST of Lake Charles? Either I learned my directions wrong, or we live in a mirrored world. lmao.

[Duck Butter]

Originally Posted by Smalls

Little off topic, but I looked at that link you put up Duck, and these guys seem a bit confused:

"The tract is located 20 miles northwest of Lake Charles, Louisiana (in Allen and Jefferson Davis Parishes) and the service area for the Calcasieu Mitigation Bank's credits encompasses Calcasieu, Beauregard, Allen, and Jefferson Davis Parishes."

Since when are Allen and Jeff Davis NORTHWEST of Lake Charles? Either I learned my directions wrong, or we live in a mirrored world. lmao.

:*****:I don't have a clue what they were thinking on that. The nearest town is Ragley!

[3FLa]

T-Top, seven months ago, I paid $13,400/acre in an effort to develope land in Lafourche Parish.

The biggest rip-off is that based upon the federal definition of wetlands, just about all tracts south of Alex, could be considered wetlands.

As stated in previous replies, there are many factors that play into what price you will pay. I have seen payments of $5,000 upwards of $31,000 per acre.

After getting a ballpark figure, you may want to consider retaining an enviromental service company. Those groups can save you money, time and the headaches dealing with the corps.

[Duck Butter]

Originally Posted by T-TOP

i would like to think i could build with as little impact as possible. what gets me is its not even remotely close to any real wetlands. The parish works hard and spends good money to keep the large drainage ditchs in good order around the property. LOL

$22,500 per acre for 10% wetlands that is highway robbery...... lots of bamboozling going on in the bayou state!!!

Its definitely something unusual but in a nutshell whenever build on a wetland, you have to mitigate for that 'wetland' that was altered which sounds crazy because for example you can completely take out a wetland down in Cameron Parish and build a subdivision by buying creditsfor a wetland in Allen Parish
What is a wetland? The Corps of Engineers has developed guidelines and a wetland delineation has to take place. The delineators go out and look at the soils, hydrology, and vegetation to determine if its a wetland. We think of wetlands as a marsh or a bottom, but longleaf pine flatwoods are wetlands as well as many prairies.
Mitigation banks - these are the areas you buy credits from, however the Corps releases the credits to the 'banker'. In order to get all the credits, the banker has to restore or keep that area in good condition (no alteration, has to manage for invasive species, etc.), basically put it back or keep it in its historical condition.
It can be extremely lucrative as long as you don't have to put too much work in the restoration process. If you owned a couple hundred acres of pine savannah in Allen Parish and had it in its historic condition, you would be sitting pretty right now. There are many players getting into this game now, so the best time to get in was a few years back.