In Search of A Reference - The Least Disturbed Condition In A Kentucky Landscape
Andrew J. Stump
Kentucky Dept. of Fish and Wildlife Resources
Wetland and Stream Fee In-Lieu-Of Mitigation Program (FILO)
Frankfort, Kentucky
The Wetland and Stream Fees In-Lieu-Of Mitigation Program (FILO) within the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources (KDFWR) was created in 2000 for the purpose of providing an additional mitigation option for Clean Water Act Section 404 permittees. Since that time, project scopes and objectives within compensatory mitigation have evolved. Thus, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) has requested that FILO conduct a review of relative program progress for approved and constructed mitigation sites through the lens of several fundamental elements. One of the most pivotal components of the review is determining whether restored systems appear to be on a trajectory toward a model reference, or “least disturbed” condition. With relatively few Kentucky landscapes being unaltered by anthropogenic disturbances, finding appropriate reference sites can be a significant hurdle. This discussion will focus on the methods, challenges, and constraints contained within our search of FILO’s mitigation service areas for Kentucky’s “Least Disturbed Conditions.”
About Andrew J. Stump
Andrew is an environmental scientist with the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources Wetland and Stream Fees In-Lieu-Of Mitigation Program (KDFWR FILO). He works as a field biologist and data analyst within the active monitoring, compliance, and long-term management phase of FILO’s program. He is also serving as the quality assurance manager for FILO’s After-Action Review (AAR); a program audit requested by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), intended to identify program successes, additional targets, and compile lessons learned from past mitigation projects. Andrew’s professional interests are primarily concerned with aquatic ecology, stream restoration, database design and data management, data analysis, and natural resource management. He also enjoys fishing, camping, hiking, kayaking, and hanging out with his wife and three crazy kids.
