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creation of a wetland is the Amazon Creek Enhancement (ACE) project which involved creation <br /> of wetlands in the floodway associated with a linear creek widening action. Some of the areas <br /> attempted for creation failed due to soil conditions. <br /> Construction costs vary dramatically depending on the type of action occurring. In the most <br /> extreme case, costs can be very high per acre for extensive fill removal and disposal. In the <br /> mildest case, costs could be very low per acre if the activity is enhancement and the action is <br /> mowing. However, the average cost per acre to date for those sites with financial tracking in <br /> place has been approximately $26,000 per acre. <br /> Seeding - The WEW Mitigation Bank has developed an excellent reputation due to the high <br /> standards used for wetland restoration activities. The bank uses approximately 93 native wet <br /> prairie species from within a 20 miles radius of west Eugene. Nearly all of these species must be <br /> collected by hand by trained botanists since they are not commercially available. 5 of these <br /> species have been successfully grown by commercial grass seed farmers in the Willamette Valley <br /> (using the local gene pool as the source). Another 10-15 of these have been grown in large plots <br /> <br /> by a US Department of Agriculture Forest Service nursery in Medford. A crop is harvested each <br /> year at the nursery and sent to Eugene for cleaning and use in restoration sites. <br /> Rough estimates of the cost for seeding restoration sites are approximately $6000 per acre. <br /> However, there are fixed costs (vehicles, processing equipment and space) and variable costs <br /> (number of botanists, amount of seed) that change from year to year. <br /> Maintenance -The bank MOA requires 50% vegetative cover 2 years after restoration and 80% <br /> native species composition in the 5"' and final reporting year. These are extremely high standards <br /> which require intensive maintenance in the 5 year monitoring period following certification of the <br /> credits (which is usually done following seeding in the fall). The Eugene District BLM does not <br /> allow herbicide use on it's lands due to a lawsuit under the Endangered Species Act in the early <br /> 1990's. Therefore, WEW mitigation bank sites must be weeded by hand which requires a large <br /> labor force and sometimes low success rates (weeds are pulled but portions of the root are left <br /> behind to grow again). Weeding has typically been performed by afour-person crew of seasonal <br /> workers. However, in the summer of 2001, this was insufficient to keep up with the acreage <br /> under bank management. Two crews of four will be used in the Summer 2002 in an effort to stay <br /> in compliance with the regulatory agencies. Failure to meet the native species targets could result <br /> in loss of certification (i.e. no credits would be approved) for the site and would require additional <br /> actions (i.e. re-constructing) which would be very costly. <br /> Monitoring -Restored sites must be monitored for a period of at least 5 years following <br /> completion of seeding. Sometimes this period is 7 years (depending on when it was submitted for <br /> credit certification due to a change in policy at the Corps). Monitoring requires skilled botanists <br /> working in teams of two. The data is collected in the field, then downloaded into a computer for <br /> analysis and report generation. The reports are sent to the regulatory agencies. There is one full <br /> time botanist who coordinates the monitoring program. <br /> Long Term Operating & Maintenance (O&M) -Regulatory reporting requirements expire <br /> <br />