Anchorage is covered with wetlands. At the same time Anchorage is short of developable land and we need to continue to develop land in Anchorage, including wetlands.
When I met with Phil Shephard, executive director of the Great Land Trust, I learned that a system is in place that does both. His nonprofit organization works to conserve Southcentral Alaska's lands and waterways.
Here is how the system works.
The federal Clean Water Act provides for protecting the integrity of the nation's waters. This does not mean wetlands may not be developed. It means development of wetlands is offset by preservation, restoration, enhancement or creation of wetlands elsewhere.
As provided in this law, the municipality of Anchorage, with the Army Corps of Engineers and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, mapped and prioritized all Anchorage wetlands in what is called the Anchorage Wetland Management Plan. Information about this plan, with answers to questions about wetlands, can be found on the city's Web site (www.muni.org/departments/planning/physical/envplanning/Pages/default.aspx).
In this plan, wetlands are ranked by priority -- A, B and C -- with A being the most valuable in terms of wetland function and flood retention. For example, an A category wetland might host a salmon stream while a C category wetland might be wet only part of the year.
You can look up a specific property on the map and see if is contains wetlands and if so, what category. Go to http://wms.geonorth.com/library/LibraryMaps.aspx, then click MOA Wetlands Atlas, 2008 Edition. This page contains downloadable maps identified by township, range and section.
The maps are not 100 percent accurate, but they are an excellent starting point. For exact information, contact the Corps, and you might also need to have a private company with wetland delineation expertise determine if there are wetlands and their extent.
To develop a wetland the owner needs to obtain a permit from the Corps for A and B wetlands and the municipality for class C. Information about obtaining Corps permits is available from the Alaska District's regulatory division at http://www.poa.usace.army.mil/reg.
The Corps will look at what portion of the A and B wetland will be affected by the development and first work to minimize the impact by stipulating impact reduction measures or alternative development plans. Class C wetlands mitigation is negotiated directly with the municipality.
The Corps might stipulate that the owner provide something called wetland credits, which is part of the mitigation process. The number of wetland credits required is based on wetland type. For example, the stipulation might be that 1.5 class A wetland credits are required.
Three organizations in Southcentral Alaska are approved by the Corps to sell wetland credits for wetland preservation: Su-Knik Mitigation Bank South-Central Alaska (www.su-knikmitigationbank.com); Great Land Trust (www.greatlandtrust.org); and the Conservation Fund (www.conservationfund.org/alaska_hawaii/alaska).
The price of credits reflects what these organizations have to pay at market prices to purchase land for preservation.
These organizations work slightly differently, but essentially each uses the money from selling wetland credits plus grants and other funds to buy high-value wetlands and place a conservation easement on the property. The grants and other funds make possible preservation of more wetlands than are developed.
The conservation easement prevents the property from being altered in a way that would impair its wetland function, thus preserving the property for its wetland values and permanent enjoyment of the public. Low-impact development of the property, such as trails and park use, is possible under the conservation easement.
Examples of projects completed or assisted by the Great Land Trust since 1998 include:
• Preservation of 12 acres near the corner of Tudor Road and Lake Otis Parkway containing productive wetlands.
• Preservation of Fish Creek Estuary, 30 acres, on the Anchorage Coastal Trail near Westchester Lagoon.
• Preservation and restoration of a 40-acre wetland complex in South Anchorage adjacent to the Tanglewood Golf Course to provide better habitat for wildlife.
• Acquisition of a greenbelt along Little Campbell Creek conserving salmon habitat, maintaining wetland function, and adding to open space.
• Contribution to The Nature Conservancy's purchase of 160 acres in the Palmer Hayflats State Game Refuge.
No system is perfect. I have heard complaints about the time required for the Corps to make its determination, the requirements it stipulates for development, and the cost to purchase the credits.
A significant benefit of this system is that mitigation is often accomplished through purchase of credits, which is a monetary solution and far simpler than the owner having to buy a wetland elsewhere or mitigate on site. The biggest benefit is the system makes possible development of wetlands in Anchorage that funds preservation of wetlands elsewhere. Sort of like having your cake and eating it too.
Chris Stephens, CCIM, is a local associate broker specializing in commercial and investment real estate. His opinion column appears every month in the Anchorage Daily News.
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