Eco-Logical Webinar: Implementing Eco-Logical Panel
Funding Opportunities for the Eco-Logical Approach

Monday, March 4, 2013
2:00 - 3:00 PM Eastern

Panelists:

Moderator: Haley Peckett, Volpe Center

PDF Version [1.6 MB]

Table of Contents

Implementing Eco-Logical Background

Brief Project Overviews:

• Stephen Williams, Thomas Jefferson Planning District Commission
• Katie Benour, Caltrans
• Greg Akers, West Virginia DOT

Implementing Eco-Logical Background

Slide 1: Eco-Logical Webinar Series | Implementing Eco-Logical Panel: Funding Opportunities for the Eco-Logical Approach

Panelists

Moderator: Haley Peckett, Volpe Center

Volpe | The National Transportation Center | Advancing transportation for the public good
U.S. Department of Transportation | Federal Highway Administration
U.S. Department of Transportation | Research and Innovation Technology Administration | John A. Volpe National Transportation Systems Center

Image: Collage of images from the cover of the Eco-Logical: An Ecosystem Approach to Developing Infrastructure Projects report: a bridge, a deer, a fish, and a road flanked by lush vegetation

Slide 2: Implementing Eco-Logical – Background

• Builds on FHWA's Eco-Logical: An Ecosystem Approach to Developing Infrastructure Projects (2006)
• Fills a gap by addressing challenges in planning for ecosystems and infrastructure
  • Duplication of efforts
  • Uncertainty and lack of predictability
  • Results: piecemeal mitigation

Image: Cover of the Eco-Logical: An Ecosystem Approach to Developing Infrastructure Projects report

Image: Logos from the following United States agencies: Bureau of Land Management, Environmental Protection Agency, Department of Transportation, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Park Service, Army Corp of Engineers, Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, and Fish and Wildlife Service

Slide 3: Eco-Logical Overview

• 9-step process to identify ecological priorities in a region
• Includes tools for:
  • Cumulative effects and alternatives analysis
  • Regulatory assurances
  • Ecosystems crediting

Image: Graphic of three blue circles of different shades overlapping each other: Ecosystems Conservation, Planning, and Environmental Permitting

Slide 4: Implementing Eco-Logical – Financial Assistance

• No proof of concept pilots
  • 15 previous Eco-Logical grant projects and 4 SHRP2 pilots
• Up to 6 Lead Adopter Incentives $200,000 - $250,000 each
• Up to 20 User Incentives ~ $25,000 each
• State DOTs and MPOs eligible

Slide 5: Implementation Assistance

https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/goshrp2/

Image: Screenshot from the home page of the SHRP2 Solutions website

Slide 6: Application

Image: Screenshot from the SHRP2 Solutions website showing the on-line application form for Lead Adopter Incentive Only

Slide 7: Application Do's and Don'ts

Slide 8: Implementation Timeline

• Solicitation closes: March 22
• First awards: Mid-April

Image: Photograph of moderate traffic on a divided highway

Slide 9: Questions?

Email: goSHRP2@dot.gov

Application: https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/goshrp2/

Eco-Logical: www.environment.fhwa.dot.gov/env_initiatives/eco-logical.aspx

Gary Jensen
Office of Human Environment
202-366-2048
gary.jensen@dot.gov

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Brief Project Overview: Stephen Williams, Thomas Jefferson Planning District Commission

Slide 10: Thomas Jefferson Planning District Commission | Stephen Williams, Executive Director

Raster Coverage Shows Relative Ecosystem Value

Image: Map that shows the counties of the Thomas Jefferson Planning District Commission around Charlottesville, Virginia. Areas to the west of the map and near rivers are a darker green, indicating a higher concentration of resources. Areas near cities and far from resources are yellow, indicating a lower concentration.

Slide 11: Project Purposes

Use FHWA Eco-Logical Model to develop reproducible model for small MPOs/regional governments to:

• Develop simple, transparent, collaborative approach to analyzing ecosystem value
• Integrate ecosystem value into MPO transportation project prioritization
• Use ecosystem value to identify lowest ecosystem impact road alignment
• Use Regional Ecosystem Framework and collaborative partnerships to prioritize mitigation

Slide 12: Other Opportunities for Integrated Planning

• Integrate REF into local Comprehensive Plans
  • Let REF inform land use decisions, conservation planning
• Meeting Chesapeake Bay Total Maximum Daily Load requirements
  • Restoration focuses on impaired streams
  • Take credit for transportation mitigation projects at no cost to the locality
• Nutrient Trading – identify potential stormwater impact mitigation sites

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Brief Project Overview: Katie Benour, Caltrans

Slide 13: California Pilot Test of the Ecological Approaches to Environmental Protection Developed in Capacity Research Projects C06A and C06B

California Pilot Test of the Ecological Approaches to Environmental Protection Developed in Capacity Research Projects C06A and C06B

State Route 37 Stewardship Study: Integrating Environment and Community in Transportation Planning

Presented by
Katie Benouar
Division of Transportation Planning
Caltrans

Image: Photograph of a road passing through an agricultural area in Central California. Power lines and mountains are in the background.

Slide 14: California Pilot Team

The Team:

• Road Ecology Center, University of California, Davis
  Fraser Shilling, Project Lead
• Caltrans
• Sonoma Ecology Center
• Sonoma Land Trust
• Napa County Resource Conservation District
• Southern Sonoma County Resource Conservation District
• Ecole Nationale des Travaux Publics de l'Etat, Lyon, France

More Information:

• https://hwy37.ucdavis.edu/

Slide 15: Highway 37 Corridor

Image: Color-coded map of the Highway 37 Corridor around San Pablo Bay, showing New Acquisitions Cullinan & Skaggs, Coastal Salt Marsh/Brackish Marsh, Freshwater Emergent Wetland, Freshwater Forested/Shrub Wetland, Regularly Flooded (e.g., Mudflats), State Highways, Major Roads, Railroads, Ponds & Lakes, and Agriculture

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Brief Project Overview: Greg Akers, West Virginia DOT

Slide 16: West Virginia SHRP2 C21 Pilot Project

Greg Akers
West Virginia DOT - Division of Highways Program Planning and Administration Division

SHRP2 C21 Pilot Project:
WVDOT and West Virginia University Research Collaborative – Testing the Eco-Logical Approach on Coalfields Expressway and King Coal Highway

Image: Photograph of a highway near mountains, with a large campus of newly-constructed buildings adjacent to the highway on the top of a mountain.

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