Aug 1, 2018
With approval from the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, Burns & McDonnell opened a first-of-its-kind conservation bank in Northern Missouri. The 1,300-acre Chariton Hills Conservation Bank is the first conservation bank in Missouri and the first nationwide to protect the Indiana bat and northern long-eared bat, both federally listed under the Endangered Species Act. The bats inhabit caves and forests in the eastern and midwestern U.S.
Conservation banks are areas of land set aside to permanently protect threatened or endangered species and their habitats. Developers who need environmental solutions for their projects can use credits from the bank to compensate for expected adverse impacts to similar, nearby ecosystems. Learn more about Chariton Hills and credits to offset habitat impacts throughout the state of Missouri.
“The concentration of Indiana and northern long-eared bats in this tri-state area presents significant opportunities to benefit the species,” says Kevin Roper, executive director for the Missouri Conservation Heritage Foundation. “We are proud to work with Burns & McDonnell to develop this conservation resource in Missouri. By working with a locally based strategic partner, we know this habitat will be responsibly managed and protected in perpetuity.”
The Chariton Hills Conservation Bank will be protected in perpetuity by a Conservation Easement held by the Missouri Conservation Heritage Foundation.