ORAL PRESENTER CO-AUTHOR: Nathan Dhuey, WDNR TITLE: Wisconsin USDA agricultural mitigation banking ABSTRACT: The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (WDNR) and the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) are developing Wisconsin’s first agricultural wetland mitigation bank. Wetland banking is the restoration, creation, or enhancement of wetlands for the purpose of compensating for unavoidable impacts to wetlands within a similar geographic area. This program provides a mechanism by which a landowner/producer may purchase offsetting wetland “credits” from other landowners or organizations that have previously restored a wetland. The credits represent acres of wetlands that have been previously approved for wetland replacement, subsequently restored, and deposited in the bank. The mitigation banking process allows farmers to meet their wetland compliance responsibilities and maintain eligibility for USDA programs. We will discuss the program and the current status of mitigation site locations and provide other updates. BIO: Derrick Klimesh is the Assistant State Conservationist for Compliance for the United States Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service (USDA-NRCS) in Wisconsin. Derrick has a bachelor’s degree in conservation management from Upper Iowa University and a master’s degree in watershed ecology from Louisiana State University. Derrick manages the wetland conservation and highly erodible land determinations NRCS makes for agricultural participants in USDA programs.