Overview of What We Do
It is well known that millions of acres of land and countless waterways in the United States have been damaged by human development. In the past, the effort to save and protect the remaining natural areas has been very beneficial and slowed the destruction of natural lands, as well as the loss of the environmental functions they provide. However, it is less commonly understood that large scale future improvements and net gains for the environment depend on restoring previously degraded areas, rather than simply protecting the natural areas that remain. Many degraded areas hold the potential for restoration and permanent protection, such as streams and creeks polluted and eroded by livestock or urban development, major rivers dammed by early industry, and swamps and wetlands which have been clear-cut, ditched and drained for agriculture.
In order to restore and protect such areas, Restoration Systems purchases a permanent conservation easement or fee-simple interest from property owners. Our team then physically restores the land, waterways, trees and vegetation to duplicate natural function and historic condition. For a minimum period of five years after restoration, each site receives regular inspections, tree counts, water table monitoring and structural stability analyses.
These activities are funded by sale of "mitigation credits." Providing mitigation is a requirement for the issuance of government permits to regulate impacts made on the environment, such as wetland or stream fill, drainage or channelization. These impacts are allowed only after a public process, which demands the impact be avoided and minimized to the extent possible before mitigation of impacts is required.
As our mitigation projects are put in place and meet standards for ecological success, Restoration Systems is issued "credits" by state and federal regulatory agencies over a minimum five year monitoring period allowing the transfer and use of the mitigation fee programs. Credits may also be purchased for public works projects and by commercial developers, which includes airports, reservoir authorities, mining operations and builders. Credit sales permanently transfer the responsibility for the mitigation success from the purchaser to Restoration Systems.
Restoration Systems provides a permanent solution that works by going beyond protecting the environment—we restore and improve the environment.
