Ill 



Credits to the Bank are made for all acreages of restored wetland and for acreages of man- 

 made wetland that are determined by the commissioner and state engineer to have "material wildlife 

 values". Guidelines for determining whether a man-made wetland has (or will have) material wildlife 

 value reouires the evaluation team to consider soil types, water depth and permanence, adjacent land 

 use, the like! ih(HHl that desirable wetland vegetation will become esUblished, the potential for wildlife 

 use, and other factors pertinent to the wetland under a>nsideraiion. In essence, the determination is 

 the evaluation team's judgment that the man-made wetland will provide habitat comparable to a natural 

 wetland in good condition. The evaluation team may determine that only a portion of a man-made 

 wetland has material wildlife value and limit credits to that acreage. 



Debits are made for all wetland acres drained. Although only drainage of wetlands with 80 

 acres or greater watersheds requires a state permit and is, therefore, easily tracked and accounted in 

 the Bank^ drainage of smaller wetlands is also subject to debiting. 



Exceptions to the above credit and debit rules are made for wetlands replaced as required 

 mitigation for federal projects, wetlands involved in active mining operations, and wetlands that are or 

 may be only temporarily restored such as those under the Conservation Reserve Program. Separate 

 accounts are kept for wetlands involved in mining operations and temporarv restoration programs. 

 These acwunts will be reconciled and incorporated Into the permanent banting system upon 

 completion of the mining operation or a finaiization of temporary wetland restoration programs. 



The acreage of any wetlands which are drained or created is determined by the spring water 

 level in years with typical amounts and rates of runoff during periods judged to be of normal 

 precipitation, Aerial photographs, meteorological data, soil surveys. National Wetland Inventory 

 maps, and watershed site, wetland basin size and watershed yield calculations, plus any other 

 enlightening information may be used to arrive at the most accurate acreage determination possible. 



Under North DakoU wetlands law, only projects that either store more than l2'/4 acre feet of 

 water or drain wetland with greater than 80 acre watersheds require permits from the state engineer. 

 All wetland drainage and wetland creations are, however, eligible for debiting and crediting to the 

 Wetlands Bank. An additional function of the wetlands banking system is, therefore, to coordinate 

 directly with the many public and private entities involved in small wetland projects to create a timely 

 and efficient reporting network that allows debiting and crediting of unpermitted wetland drainage and 

 development. 



In both debiting and crediting operations, the state engineer's office assumes primary 

 responsibility for developing technical information on water volumes, acreages, and depths. The Game 

 ancf Fish Department is principally resiwnsible for identifying the ecological limits of wetland and 

 determining acreages with material wildlife values. With experience, members of the interagency 

 evaluation team become well acquainted with technical aspects of determinations made by both 

 agencies and the basis for judgments made by each. This results in some ability for critical review, 

 productive discussion, and problem resolution by the team beyond what may be initially apparent. 



Day to day operation of the Wetland Bank can perhaps be better understood by considering 

 typical credit and debit situations and the major complexities associated with each. 



Wetland Credits : ^ . ^ 



In credit determinations, the major challenge for die evaluation team Is to agree on the size or 

 the wetland that will be created and the acreage of the created wetland that will have material wildlite 

 value. In other words, to determine the size of the credit that should be made to the Bank. 



For projects requiring permits, the application received by the -state engineer generally contains 

 sufficient information relative to watershed and basic characteristics, the proposed water retention 

 structure, and any proposed operational features t)r water management purposes so that the size and 

 general characteristics of the wetland to he created can be reasonably determined. If all regulatory 

 requirements external to the Wetlands Bank are met, a permit to construct is issued and all available 

 project information is submitted to the interagency evaluation team's representative at the state 

 engineer's office. Information relative to credit projects thai do not require permits is submitted 

 directly to the evaluation team at the state engineer's office. ^ 



A preliminary determination as to the amount of credit is made by the state engineer s office, a 

 standardized wetland evaluation form is completed and this form alon^ with other relevant project and 

 watershed information is forwarded to the North Dakota Game and Fish Department of review and 

 concurrence. If there is disagreement, the evaluation team representatives meet and attempt to resolve 

 differences. 



Upon agreement of both agencies, the Wetlands Bank evaluation form is co-signed, the credit 

 acreage is entered into the proper account, and copies of the evaluation form are permanently filed at 

 the state engineer's office. 



