A group from Restoration Systems has just returned from another successful conference in Portland; the 9th National Mitigation & Conservation Banking Conference. George, Paul, Tara and I attended and we are all left feeling optimistic and energized about the future of the industry.

The conference was host to many influential industry leaders, Federal Regulators and environmentalists alike, including Mark Sudol, Chief of the Regulatory Program for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Washington, D.C., Robert Brumbaugh, Senior Policy Analyst for the Institute for Water Resources, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and Craig Denisoff, President of the National Mitigation Banking Association, Sarah Vickerman, Senior Director of the Biodiversity Partnership and Palmer Hough, an Environmental Scientist with the US Environmental Protection Agency.

Other notable speakers included Judith F. Taggart, Chairman, JT&A, Inc., the Honorable Mike Chrisman, Secretary of Resources for the state of California, the Honorable Benjamin H. Grumbles, Assistant Administrator for Water, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency from Washington, D.C. and the Honorable George S. Dunlop, Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works based in Washington, D.C.

Not to be forgotten is Restoration Systems’ own George Howard who played host to “The McGeorge Group” for the third year. His spirited panel this year included the following guests from varied backgrounds:

Federal Agency: Ron Abrant, Senior Project Manager
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Chicago, Ill.

Banker: George Platt, Principal, The Wetlandsbank™ Group, Deerfield Beach, Fla.

Environmental: Sarah Vickerman, Senior Director, Biodiversity Partnership, West Linn, Ore.

Academic: Leonard Shabman, Resident Scholar, Resources for the Future, Washington, D.C.

And as an added bonus, the Honorable Bruce Knight, Chief, Natural Resources Conservation Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Washington, D.C., joined in as an impromptu guest, providing insight from his point of view.

As the last presentation before the closing of the conference, “The McGeorge Group” was an entertaining success, drawing in a full crowd up until the very end.

More info to follow. Please stay tuned to hear more and follow our week in pictures!