Westshore Lake Pontchartrain, Bottomland Hardwood, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New Orleans District   4

Background
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New Orleans District (CEMVN), is seeking to purchase Bottomland Hardwood (BLH) mitigation bank credits located in the Lake Pontchartrain Basin watershed.

This initiative aims to compensate for unavoidable habitat losses resulting from the construction of the West Shore Lake Pontchartrain (WSLP) Project within the Louisiana Coastal Zone. The purchase of these credits is part of CEMVN's plan to mitigate impacts on BLH habitat associated with this construction project, as approved by the Louisiana Department of Natural Resources.

Work Details
CEMVN intends to acquire LDNR-approved CZ BLH credits representing up to 40.3 average annual habitat units (AAHUs) to offset habitat impacts caused by the WSLP Project.

All credit sales must be conducted in increments of 1/10th acre. Eligible mitigation banks must meet specific qualifications, including being approved by CEMVN, complying with their Mitigation Banking Instrument and other legal instruments, being located within designated Hydrologic Unit Codes in the Lake Pontchartrain Basin, providing matching habitat types, and having a duly-recorded perpetual conservation servitude/easement. The assessment of mitigation credits will utilize version 1.2 of the Bottomland Hardwood Forest Wetland Value Assessment Community Model.

Place of Performance
Lake Pontchartrain Basin, Louisiana