Several wetlands mitigation banks developed by a partnership between Wetland Studies and Solutions, Inc. (WSSI) and The Peterson Companies have incorporated a research component in their Mitigation Banking Instruments (MBIs). The purpose of this research is to advance the state-of-the-art of wetlands mitigation so that success rates are improved and ecological benefi ts are increased. Over $2.9M in grants have been awarded to date. The information below has been provided as a resource for regulators and practitioners on research progress/results. Briefings regarding related research efforts underway under USACE and EPA auspices have also been included.

Wetland Studies/Peterson Foundation Wetland Mitigation Research Symposium: March 13, 2013:

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Symposium Presentation Slides and Other Resources

Symposium Agenda (.pdf 9KB)

Introductions and Overview (.pdf 1.5MB)
     Michael Rolband, Wetland Studies and Solutions, Inc.

Measuring water levels in clayey created wetland soils (.pdf 3.9MB)
     W. Lee Daniels, Virginia Tech

New methods for water budgeting - WetBud (.pdf 3.7MB)
     Rich Whittecar and Kerby Dobbs, Old Dominion University; Tess Thompson and Eric Neuhaus, Virginia Tech; Zach Agioutantis, Technical
     University of Crete

Sustainable wetland reforestation practices (.pdf 1.9MB)
     Jim Perry and Wes Hudson, Virginia Institute of Marine Science

Wetland assessment tools developed by Mid-Atlantic Wetland Workgroup (MAWWG) to aid mitigation (.pdf 4.9MB)
     Regina Poeske, EPA; Rob Brooks, Penn State University

USACE science support for compensatory mitigation (.pdf 3.5MB)
     Sally Yost, USACE, Engineering Research and Development Center

Determining physiochemical parameters to enhance tree growth and design plans for Piedmont created wetlands (.pdf 4.4MB)
     Rob Atkinson and Shawn Wurst, Christopher Newport University

Alteration of soil hydraulic properties during the construction of mitigation wetlands in the Virginia Piedmont (.pdf 5.2MB)
     Bradley Petru and Changwoo Ahn, George Mason University

The effects of site preparation, planting stock, and planting aids on growth of American sycamore and willow oak for Piedmont wetland
     restoration (.pdf 7.0MB) Mike Aust, Virginia Tech

Available Research Materials and Results

RFP #1: Wetland Hydrology Monitoring
Effects of well design and sensor type on the measured hydroperiod of a high clay created wetland soil in Virginia, USA (.pdf 1.1MB)
W. Lee Daniels, Michel Beck, Nicole Troyer, John Galbraith and Gaber Hassan
9th Annual INTECOL/SWS International Wetlands Conference - June 2012

Monitoring hydrology in created wetland systems with clayey soils (.pdf 3.8MB)
Nicole Troyer
Thesis: Master of Science, Crop and Soil Environmental Sciences - May 2013

RFP #2: Water Budget Monitoring
2012-2015 Monitoring and Research Summary Wetlands Restoration at Huntley Meadows Park (.pdf 10.34MB)
W. Lee Daniels, Sara Koropchak, Kathryn Haering, Pat Donovan, Daniel Evans, Tess Thompson, James Jones, Laura Lehmann G. Richard Whittecar, Ben Hiza, Stephen Stone, and Zach Agioutantis
Research website for the Huntley Meadows Restoration Project  

Feedbacks between wetland vegetation and hydrology (.pdf 4.4MB)
Candice Piercy
ERDC-EL Seminar - April 2010

Evaluating a process-based mitigation wetland water budget model (.pdf 4.9MB)
Matthew A. Gloe, T.M. Thompson, W.C. Hession, W.L. Daniels

WetBud (.pdf 795KB)
Lee Daniels, Rich Whittecar, Tess Thompson, Zach Agioutantis
South Atlantic/Mid-Atlantic SWS Joint Chapter Meeting - March 2011

Evaluating the contribution of groundwater to wetland water budgets, central piedmont, Virginia (.pdf 12.6MB)
Kerby Dobbs
Old Dominion University thesis submission - August 2013

Evaluation of a water budget model for use in wetland design (.pdf 2.9MB)
Eric Neuhaus
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University thesis submission - August 2013

POSTER: Evaluation of a water budget model for use in wetland design (.pdf 833KB)
Eric Neuhaus
Presented at American Ecological Engineering Society Annual Conference - June 2013

Building Basic and Advanced Model Scenarios in Wetbud (.pdf 5.9MB)
Kerby Dobbs
Wetbud Workshop - January, 2014

Introduction and Overview of Wetbud (.pdf 1.7MB)
W.L. Daniels
Wetbud Workshop - January, 2014

Understanding groundwater components for Wetbud (.pdf 4.5MB)
Rich Whittecar, Kerby Dobbs, Mathew Richardson, Tracy Thompson, Cal Smith
Wetbud Workshop - January, 2014

The programming structure and data requirements for Wetbud (.pdf 590KB)
Zach Agioutantis
Wetbud Workshop - January, 2014

Using Wetbud: Surface water considerations (.pdf 2.9MB)
T.M. Thompson, W.L. Daniels, Matthew A. Gloe, Karen Hall, Eric Neuhaus, O. Waverly Parks, Candice Piercy
Wetbud Workshop - January, 2014

RFP #3: Sustainable Forested Wetlands

Assessment of woody vegetation for replacement of ecological functions in created forested wetlands of the piedmont province of Virginia
      (.pdf 4.3MB)
Herman W. Hudson III, Eli Wright, Robert B. Atkinson, and James E. Perry, VIMS
2014 Annual Report submitted to Piedmont Wetlands Research Program

Assessment of woody vegetation for replacement of ecological functions in created forested wetlands of the piedmont province of Virginia
      (.pdf 2.2MB)
Herman W. Hudson III, Mellony Seidel, Robert B. Atkinson, James E. Perry
2013 Annual Report submitted to Piedmont Wetlands Research Program

Assessment of woody vegetation for replacement of ecological functions in created forested wetlands of the piedmont province of Virginia
      (.pdf 2.43MB)
Herman W. Hudson III, James E. Perry, Jackie Roquemore, and Robert B. Atkinson, VIMS
2012 Annual Report submitted to Piedmont Wetlands Research Program

Assessment of woody vegetation for replacement of ecological functions in created forested wetlands of the piedmont province of Virginia
      (.pdf 2.43MB)
Herman W. Hudson III, James E. Perry, Jackie Roquemore, and Robert B. Atkinson, VIMS
2011 Annual Report submitted to Piedmont Wetlands Research Program

Development of wetland structure, functions and services through tree planting: A large scale field experiment in Virginia, USA (.pdf 2.6MB)
Wes Hudson, VIMS
2013 Spring Biological Science Seminar, VIMS

Two year survival and growth of seven wetland tree species in three hydrologically distinct habitats (.pdf 3.5MB)
Wes Hudson, VIMS
9th Annual INTECOL/SWS International Wetlands Conference - June 2012

Survival and growth of seven tree species from three stocktypes planted in created wetlands in Loudoun County, Virginia (.pdf 911KB)
Mellony Seidel, Jacqueline D. Roquemore, and Robert B. Atkinson, Christopher Newport University

Tree survival and growth in created wetland mitigation sites in Virginia: A field validation study (.pdf 9.7MB)
Wurst, S.J., J.D. Roquemore, J.M. Campo and R.B. Atkinson, Christopher Newport University
H.W. Hudson, III, VIMS

RFP #4: Not authorized

RFP #5: Not authorized

RFP #6: Not authorized

RFP #7: Small Grant Program  

For more information on the Wetland Research Initiative, please contact:

Jennifer Van Houten - Mitigation Banking Program Manager, Wetland Studies and Solutions, Inc.
Mike Rolband - Vice President of Operations, Wetland Studies and Solutions, Inc.