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Damonte Ranch Wetland and Stream Restoration Plan & Wetland Mitigation Bank

Diloreto Construction, Reno, Nevada

Integrating every aspect of the 7Q10 multi-disciplinary team approach to projects, Damonte Ranch is a 1,743 acre mixed use development success story. Featuring 174 acres of WOUS/wetlands, with preserved, restored and created seasonal palustrine emergent wetlands, open water and riparian habitats, Damonte Ranch continues to set a standard of excellence.

Directly responsible for the WOUS/wetlands delineations, all federal state and local permitting with respect to the approximately 174 acres of WOUS/wetlands, including one mile of stream habitat, 7Q10 was also the primary change agent for the design of all federal, state and local mitigation plans, construction implementation and mitigation monitoring for WOUS/wetlands and the mile long stream habitat.

Featuring a project scope including approximately 1,047 acres of residential, 37 acres of town center, 193 acres of office/industrial, 80 acres of public/semi-public facilities, 110 acres of parks and recreation and 276 acres of open space and wetlands, Damonte Ranch also boasts a popular public trail system throughout the entire development.

7Q10 is also responsible for multiple aspects of the project including:

1. Wetland parks and cultural resource Visitor’s centers.
2. Environmental education and interpretive trails and open space.
3. Management of Open Space in perpetuity.
4. Parcel Assessment Records (PAR) Analysis
5. Wildlife monitoring.
6. Erosion control monitoring.
7. Vector/Mosquito control plans.
8. Design, construction implementation, and monitoring of a wetland mitigation bank.
9. A Cultural Resources Management Plan.
10. Invasive wee and vegetative species removal plans.
11. Hydrologic and geomorphological studies related to watershed restoration.
12. Threatened and endangered species evaluation and compliance;and complance reporting with respect to Sections 401, 402 and 404 of the Clean Water Act, Section 7 of the Endangered Species Act, Section 106 of Historic Preservation Act, and other state and local permitting.

Overall, an adaptive restoration management approach has been incorporated into the Damonte Ranch WOUS/wetlands Mitigation Plan. To see how we integrated Natural Drainage into Flood Control at Damonte Ranch, visit our powerpoint presentation of the 2006 Homeowner Meeting slideshow.

Collected data for hydrology, soils, vegetation, sensitive species, invasive weed species and wildlife are being compared against wetland target success criteria to determine success criteria and contingency measures. Seasonal wetland hydrology is also meeting success criteria despite drought conditions. 7Q10 has established a coordinated research program related to soil characteristics, vegetation identification, abundance and diversity, avian identification, abundance and avian diversity surveys.

7Q10 created and implemented an avian monitoring program in the spring of 2004. Designed to determine avian use and long term changes in avian population density and diversity within the preserved, restored and created wetlands at Damonte Ranch, the program has demonstrated that avian groups are, indeed, using the preserved, restored and created wetlands in abundant numbers.

Currently, shorebirds, waterfowl and songbirds are now primarily residents of the wetlands, and have been observed using the wetlands for feeding, breeding, nesting and raising young. Aerial insectivores, wading birds and raptors are occasional visitors which have been observed using the wetlands primarily for feeding and hunting purposes.

Development and implementation of a non-native invasive plant removal/control program has also been an important component of the 7Q10 strategy and vision for Damonte Ranch. The non-native invasive plant removal/control program focuses on the removal and control of four non-native and numerous highly invasive vegetation species. The four non-native species are: Purple loosestrife ( Lythrum salicaria), Tall whitetop/perennial pepperweed ( Lepidium latifolium), Tamarix spp., and Canada thistle (Cirsium arvense). The ultimate purpose of the non-native invasive plant/removal control program is to control non-native invasive species to less than 10% in the WOUS/wetland areas.

For more information on Damonte Ranch, click on the following link www.damonteranch.com.