Webinar Series: Compensatory Mitigation

Compensatory mitigation helps conserve aquatic resources and at-risk species by offsetting permitted impacts under the Clean Water Act, Endangered Species Act, and other federal laws. Mitigation can take the form of credits from a bank, in-lieu fee programs, or permittee-responsible projects. This free, eight-part webinar series — led by top experts — will cover key topics including federal regulations, mitigation types, and the roles of agencies and review teams.

This series is for anyone seeking a deeper understanding of compensatory mitigation. It fosters collaboration among regulators, mitigation sponsors, and credit buyers while covering core policies, program implementation, in-lieu fee programs, and credit trading systems. Attending all eight sessions provides a comprehensive view of how these topics connect.

How to Register & Participate

This free series requires registration for each session — just click the “REGISTER NOW” button below each listing. We encourage you to attend all eight for the fullest understanding of compensatory mitigation. You’ll need Zoom access, high-speed internet, and computer or phone audio to participate.

Webinar 1: Compensatory Mitigation Overview and Regulatory Drivers

September 4, 2025
12 PM – 3 PM Eastern/9 AM – 12 PM Pacific

This webinar will provide an overview of compensatory mitigation. Presenters will discuss the history, authorities, regulations and policies that have helped shape compensatory mitigation in the United States. This webinar will lay the foundation for all the other webinars in the series. It is recommended that participants attend or watch the recording of Webinar 1 prior to attending or watching the recording of other webinars in the series. 

Presenters:

• Michelle Mattson, Institute for Water Resources, US Army Corps of Engineers
• Shauna Everett, US Fish & Wildlife Service
• Palmer Hough, US Environmental Protection Agency
• Jeff Phillips, US Fish and Wildlife Service
• Susan-Marie Stedman, Retired NOAA National Marine Fisheries Service
• Amanda Hardy, Bureau of Land Management 

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Webinar 2: Setting the Stage for Success: Strategic Site Selection and Mitigation/Conservation Bank Instrument Development

September 17, 2025
12 PM – 3 PM Eastern/9 AM – 12 PM Pacific

 

This webinar will provide an overview of regulatory guidance and best practices for selecting sites suitable for meeting mitigation requirements. Presenters will also review requirements for the content of mitigation and conservation bank instruments as well as review processes for these documents. This webinar will also investigate the roles and responsibilities of the various entities involved in the establishment and implementation of compensatory mitigation projects and the agencies’ roles as members of an Interagency Review Team or Mitigation Review Team. 

It is recommended that participants attend or watch the recording of Webinar 1 prior to attending this webinar. 

Presenters:

• Michelle Mattson, Institute of Water Resources, US Army Corps of Engineers 
• Tyler Bell, Westervelt Ecological Services 
• Dana Herman, US Fish & Wildlife Service 
• Toby McBride, US Fish &Wildlife Service 

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Webinar 3: Setting the Stage for Success – Continued: Service Area Determination and Durable Site Protection Mechanisms

October 22, 2025
12 PM – 3 PM Eastern/9 AM – 12 PM Pacific 

 

This webinar will review the process and approaches for defining and managing the service area of a conservation bank, mitigation bank, or in-lieu fee program site. Instructors will also discuss requirements for site protection under different scenarios and the legal documents and mechanisms that can provide long-term protection of a conservation bank, mitigation bank, or other compensatory mitigation site.  

It is recommended that participants attend or watch the recording of Webinar 1 prior to attending this webinar. 

Presenters:

• Palmer Hough, US Environmental Protection Agency 
• John Wigginton, Westervelt Ecological Services 
• Veronica Rowan, Former Solicitor Department of Interior
• Amanda Hardy, Bureau of Land Management 
• Susan-Marie Stedman, Retired NOAA National Marine Fisheries Service 

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Webinar 4: Successful Project Management: Credit Determination, Performance Standards, Monitoring, and Credit Release

October 29, 2025
12 PM – 3 PM Eastern/9 AM – 12 PM Pacific 

This webinar will review how the type and number of credits are determined for a bank and describe the role the ecological performance standards play in creating a successful compensatory mitigation project. Instructors will also describe credit release schedules and how they are related to administrative and performance standard requirements. For each topic, case studies ranging from the straight-forward to the complicated will be shared, along with lessons-learned and emerging trends from the field. Striking the balance between ecological and economic needs will be discussed from diverse perspectives. 

It is recommended that participants attend or watch the recording of Webinar 1 prior to attending this webinar. 

Presenters:

• Jeff Phillips, US Fish & Wildlife Service 
• John Wigginton, Westervelt Ecological Services 
• Michelle Mattson, Institute for Water Resources, US Army Corps of Engineers
• Charlotte Kucera, Federal Highways Administration
• Matt Gause, Westervelt Ecological Services  

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Webinar 5: Short-Term Financial Assurances and Tracking Mitigation Banks and In-Lieu Fee Programs

December 2, 2025
2 PM – 4 PM Eastern/11 AM – 1 PM Pacific 

 

This webinar will discuss the options, regulatory requirements, and processes by which mitigation providers establish financial assurances for short-term risk reduction when implementing a compensatory mitigation project. There will also be an overview of RIBITS, the tool used to track mitigation and conservation banks, and in-lieu fee programs. 

It is recommended that participants attend or watch the recording of Webinar 1 prior to attending this webinar. 

Presenters:  

• Valerie Layne, Institute for Water Resources, US Army Corps of Engineers
• Veronica Rowan, Former Solicitor, Department of Interior  

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Webinar 6: The Business of Compensatory Mitigation and Environmental Markets

December 10, 2025
12 PM – 2:30 PM Eastern/9 AM – 12:30 PM Pacific

This webinar will provide an overview of the business of compensatory mitigation. Presenters will also discuss environmental markets and describe the differences between regulated and voluntary markets. 

It is recommended that participants attend or watch the recording of Webinar 1 prior to attending this webinar. 

Presenters:

• Greg DeYoung, Westervelt Ecological Services
• Chris Hartley, USDA Office of Environmental Markets  

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Webinar 7: Long-Term Management, Stewardship and Compliance

Date TBD
Time TBD 

This webinar will discuss the roles and responsibilities of the parties involved in developing and implementing management plans and the stewardship funding mechanisms needed to ensure continued mitigation compliance. Topics will include cost analysis of long-term management practices, adaptive management, and key needs of the third-party land steward to adequately fund management activities in perpetuity.  

It is recommended that participants attend or watch the recording of Webinar 1 prior to attending this webinar. 

Presenters: 

• Charlotte Kucera, Federal Highway Administration 
• Matt Gause, Westervelt Ecological Services 
• Ginny Moore, The Conservation Fund 
• Stephanie Tom Coupe, National Fish and Wildlife Foundation 
• Veronica Rowan, Former Solicitor Department of Interior 

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Webinar 8: In-Lieu Fee & Additional Methods of Compensatory Mitigation

Date TBD
Time TBD 

This webinar will include an in-depth look at in-lieu fee mitigation programs and discuss how they are similar to and differ from mitigation and conservation banks. The session will look at examples of in-lieu fee programs from across the country and discuss key lessons learned. Instructors will also touch on other mitigation methods to address impacts to species and their habitats such as recovery crediting systems, habitat credit exchanges, pre-listing mitigation programs, and programmatic consultation approaches. 

It is recommended that participants attend or watch the recording of Webinar 1 prior to attending this webinar. 

Presenters:

• Palmer Hough, US Environmental Protection Agency 
• Holly Neill, The Conservation Fund 
• Shauna Everett, US Fish & Wildlife Service 
• Michelle Mattson, Institute for Water Resources, US Army Corps of Engineers

 

Additional Information

For more details including directions to register, go to the Webinar Series Information page. All webinars will be recorded and uploaded to this website. Check back often for updates to session content, presenter bios, and accompanying session resources for download! For more information about this webinar program, please contact Greg Good (ggood@conservationfund.org). 

This webinar series is complementary to the annual National Compensatory Mitigation Training Course tentatively scheduled for July 6-10, 2026, at the National Conservation Training Center in Shepherdstown, WV. Save the date and look for updates in January on the Upcoming Trainings page! 

Thank You to our Partners

This webinar series is sponsored by the US Department of Agriculture and Environmental Protection Agency with supporting partnership from the US Fish & Wildlife Service,  Bureau of Land Management, US Army Corps of Engineers, Federal Highway Administration, and NOAA National Marine Fisheries Service.