20170108 Ver 1_Mitigaton Bank Prospectus_20161216 (24)

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Andrea Hughes
Todd Tugwell
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
3331 Heritage Trade Drive, Ste 105
Wake Forest, NC 27587
Steve Kichefski
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
151 Patton Avenue, Rm 208
Asheville, NC 28801
Mae Haupt
NCDEQ, Division of Water Resources
512 N. Salisbury Street, 9th Floor
Raleigh, NC 27604
Byron Hamstead
U.S. Fish & Wildlife Services
160 Zillicoa Street
Asheville, NC 28801
Todd Bowers
USEPA, Region 4
61 Forsyth Street, SW
Atlanta, GA 30303
Fritz Rhode
National Marine Fisheries Service
101 Pivers Island Road
Beaufort, NC 28516
November 30, 2016
Olivia Munzer
NC Wildlife Resources Commission
Skyes Depot, 2430 Turner- Road
Mebane, NC 27302
Re: RES French Broad Umbrella Mitigation Bank, Carolina Bison Site — Prospectus
Dear Sir/Madam,
On behalf of Resource Environmental Solutions & Environmental Banc & Exchange, LLC, I am pleased to submit the
Prospectus for the Carolina Bison Mitigation Site ("Site").
Location
The proposed mitigation site is located in Buncombe County approximately two miles northeast of Leicester, NC and
eight miles northwest of Asheville (35.671107°N and 82.669235°W). The Site can be accessed from Ridgeview Road.
The Site is located in the Newfound Creek Watershed (06010105090020).
Existing Site Conditions
The Site area is comprised of a unique agricultural expanse of land and will involve the restoration of two unnamed
tributaries and Parker Branch. The proposed mitigation site will restore and protect a catchment within the Newfound
watershed, which discharges directly into the French Broad River. The Site's watershed is primarily agricultural land and
has historically served this purpose. Restoration is proposed to increase hydrologic and ecological function and protect
these features in perpetuity. Water quality stressors currently affecting the Site include livestock leading to in -channel
erosion. Current land use around the Site is primarily pasture and disturbed riparian forest. Forested riparian areas are
primarily a narrow fringe with common canopy species including black walnut (Juglans nigra), red maple (Acer rubrum),
black cherry (Prunus serotina), American sycamore (Platanus occidentalis), and black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia).
Sub -canopy species include Chinese privet (Ligustrum sinense), greenbriar (Smilax sp), muscadine (Vitus rotundifolia),
and black willow (Salix nigra). Outside of the narrow forested fringe the herbaceous community is highly disturbed due to
overgrazing and erosion. Some exotics were noted, including Chinese privet.
Project Purpose
The purpose of the proposed Site is to generate compensatory mitigation credits for inclusion in the RES French Broad
Umbrella Mitigation Bank in hydrologic unit 06010105 of the French Broad River Basin associated with Department of
the Army permit authorizations pursuant to Section 404 of the Clean Water Act.
The Site will result in significant water quality improvements including:
• Decreased non -point source pollution,
• Decreased in -stream sediment contribution, and
• Improved hydrologic function.
412 N. 4th St. #300 701 E. Bay St. #306 5020 Montrose Blvd. #650 1200 Camellia Blvd. #220
Baton Rouge, LA 70802 Charleston, SC 27904 Houston, TX 77006 Lafayette, LA 70508
13742 East Main St. #210 10055 Red Rur BNd.#130 33 Terminal Way #431 302leffemn St. #110 1521W. Main F° Floor
Oak Hill, WV 25901 Owings Mills, MD 21117 Pittsburgh, PA 15219 Raleigh, NC 27605 Richmond, VA 23220

The Site will provide uplift for ecological functions, including:
• Improved aquatic habitat diversity,
• Invasive species treatment, and
• Wildlife corridor enhancement and preservation
The Site will restore and protect an important aquatic resource and wildlife corridor while also accommodating existing
agricultural land uses.
Project Description
The North Carolina Division of Mitigation Services (DMS) develops River Basin Restoration Priorities to guide its
restoration activities within each of the state's 54 cataloging units. The Site supports all of the French Broad River Basin
Restoration Priorities (RBRP) goals and presents an opportunity to restore 5,194 linear feet of stream and riparian corridor
generating 5,194 Stream Mitigation Units (SMUs). The Site will provide improvements to water quality, hydrologic
function, and habitat.
As stated in the French Broad RBRP report (2009), the following restoration and protection goals are listed for the
watershed:
1) Implement wetland and stream restoration projects that reduce sources of sediment and nutrients by restoring
riparian buffer vegetation, stabilizing banks, excluding livestock, and restoring natural geomorphology, especially
in headwater streams.
2) Restore and protect habitat for priorityfish, mussel, snail, and crayfish species in the basin.
3) Cooperate with land trusts and resource agencies to help leverage federal and state grant funding for watershed
restoration and conservation efforts.
4) Work with local partners to improve management ofstormwater runoff, controlling both stormwater volume and
pollutants, and promote low impact development techniques to lessen impacts of new development, especially in
the expanding areas of Asheville, Black Mountain, Fletcher, and Hendersonville.
5) Protect high quality habitats, especially those prioritized by the Natural Heritage Program as Significant Natural
Heritage Areas.
The proposed Bank is designed to help meet these goals. The projects will address stressors identified in the watershed
through nutrient removal, sediment removal, runoff filtration, and improved aquatic and terrestrial habitat. These project
goals will be achieved through stream restoration.
Thank you for your consideration. Please let us know if you need anything further.
Sincerely 4X11--1
yours,
i��
Daniel Ingram
North Carolina Project Manager