Courtesy of The Daily Sentinel,
Scottsboro, Alabama with permission
May 26, 2002
By CHASITY BROWN
Sentinel staff
One of Jackson County's newest economic opportunities could be wetlands mitigation.
The Ed Hembree Wildlife Management Area, Alabama Wetlands Compensatory Mitigation Site, located on County Road 33 just four miles from Hollywood, was created through a partnership between Hembree and the Alabama Waterfowl Association.
The 330-acre site offers mitigation credits for industries or other entities
that may have impacted a wetlands, according to Jerry Davis, CEO of Alabama Waterfowl Association. Davis said the Clean Water Act and No Net Loss
of Wetlands Initiative state that any impact on a wetlands must be mitigated or replaced either near the site or at a compensatory mitigation site.
Davis said it is not always the best option to mitigate near the original wetlands site. "You get a more diverse and monitored site if you mitigate in a compartment," Davis said.
The Jackson County mitigation site was chosen with the guidance of the United States Army Corps of Engineers. Davis said the site is a biodiverse area and is near a wildlife area. The mitigation site is also near an 80,000 acre greenway. Plants in the wetlands help filter the water and improve the water quality, according to Davis.
The site also benefits wildlife. Many species of animal life, including several species of moist soil dependent birds, call the wetlands area home or use the area as a stop over on their travels to and from their winter homes.
Davis said the site offers cost effective mitigation credits to companies that need to replace impacted wetlands either in Jackson County or in other locations.
Davis said the wetlands mitigation site is available for schools and colleges to do field studies.
The mitigation site can provide economic opportunities for Jackson County through business and tourism, Davis said.