In this podcast we dive into the current state of affairs around wetland mitigation banking and respective policy with bankers, consultants, and policy makers. We also introduce how some bankers, regulators, and consultants are leveraging technology to reduce risk and increase resiliency in due diligence planning, bank design, implementation, and monitoring.

Moderators:
Jeremy Schewe, PWS, Chief Scientific Officer, Ecobot
Daniel Martin, Consultant/Project Manager, Esri

Presenters & Panelists:
Drew Haley, Director of Operations, Mitigation Resources of North America
Victoria Colangelo, CEO, The Mitigation Banking Group, Inc.
Susan-Marie Stedman, MS, Wetland Scientist/Policy Analyst, NOAA
Kae Hovater, President, Florida Association of Mitigation Bankers
Nichoel Church, PWS, Environmental Scientist, Snyder & Associates, Inc.
Tara Allden, J.D., Natural Resources Specialist, Kimley-Horn
Michael Sprague, CEO, Trout Headwaters, Inc.

Topics:
Overview of wetland mitigation banking
Case studies in the integration of tech with wetland mitigation banking
Wetland and stream mitigation current state of affairs
Roving policy changes and impacts to wetland mitigation banking
Q&A discussion with panel and presenters

More from Jeremy:
As an ecologist conducting wetlands delineations, threatened & endangered species surveys, and baseline ecological inventories for over 18 years around the world, I have been able to avoid the rise of tech for many years more than people in most other professions, due to the lack of quality tools available to environmental scientists. It is the 21st century, however, and the wheel of innovation is rolling through every profession, including earth sciences.

In this webinar, we discuss how it is essential that tech be simple, intuitive, and shaped by scientists. We need technology that wraps and enhances our existing methodologies and protocols. Our shared vision as scientists is that good technology should be almost invisible and is not simply a transference of inefficiency from one process to another. The wrong kind of technology just adds to the stresses of balancing conservation and monitoring with permitting and state and federal changes in the legal jurisdiction of water bodies.

Data collection and analysis are the foundation for the creation of knowledge, and knowledge leads to the protection of our natural resources while enabling economic progress. The right kind of technology gets out of the scientist’s way and allows for a greater percentage of attention and focus on the creation of this critical knowledge. In this webinar series, we discuss technology trends in the wetland science community from GPS collectors, field equipment, drones, data collection applications, digitization of the regulatory review process, with the goal-setting a high bar of expectations for new technologies that are becoming part of our everyday workflows.

The Ecobot Podcast is edited and produced by Earfluence.