EW-6: Habitat Restoration

Goal

• Offset the destruction and deterioration of natural habitat caused by road construction. Restore and protect natural habitat beyond regulatory requirements.

Requirements

EITHER requirement must be met for credit.

Requirement 1: For projects required to mitigate habitat impacts through restorative practices:

• Implement a restoration/preservation plan that restores and/or preserves more area by 5% beyond what is required such that:
  • Total area of restored and/or preserved habitat = 105% of total required mitigation area

  OR

• Total restoration and/or restoration cost = 105% of total cost required for restoration/preservation due to the roadway project

OR

Requirement 2: For projects not required to mitigate habitat impacts through restorative practices:

• Conduct a biological assessment of the pre‐development condition of the project site and surrounding ecosystem or watershed

AND

• Implement a restoration plan that:

  • Restores an area equal to the total disturbed surface area of the roadway project. 

  • States quantifiable goals regarding at least one of the performance metrics outlined below. 

  • Describes ecological design or engineering elements that are expected, with reasonable professional certainty, to meet the goals stated above. 

  • Lists responsible parties for restoration activities and subsequent monitoring efforts. 

  • Lists sources of funding for restoration activities and subsequent monitoring efforts. 

  • Completes restoration activities prior to the roadway facility opens to traffic, ideally during project planning. 

  • Is signed and approved by the responsible parties or the project ecologist.

Documentation

• Copy of the executive summary from the biological assessment.
• Copy of the restoration/preservation plan, highlighting the boundaries of the restored areas and the roadway project. If offsite, provide separate plans showing both areas.
• Copy of the schedule of restoration activities or preservation efforts demonstrating that the completion of all restoration activities and preservation efforts coincides with or occurs prior to opening to traffic.

Public commentary on credit EW-6