Developers

View a List of Programs and Tools which may Apply to Land Developers

flood detention pond near apartment complex

©John Jacob, TCWP

 For the purpose of this website, Developers will include:

  • Private landowner with an interest in land development AND interest in maintaining ecologic habitat on their property
  • Developers who will be required to impact waters of the US or an endangered species for a project

People want to live, work and shop near beautiful natural landscapes. They are also showing interesting in supporting green businesses with sustainable practices. Many companies are interested in providing their employees with a beautiful and healthy landscape to enjoy at work.

At times, a developer will not be able to avoid impacting a natural resource, but wants to work with a natural resource agency to mitigation their impact in a responsible way. Other times, a conservation or mitigation plan is required for a legal permit.

Programs and Tools which may Apply to Land Developers

Click on a program below to learn more

  • Sunset over the prairie AgriLife Extension Program - Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service The AgriLife Extension Program, a part of Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service, is an education agency with a statewide network of professional educators and volunteers. AgriLife presents research-based education programs on a wide variety of topics from 4-H Youth Development to Disaster Management. Courses of interest to wetland owners may include restoration and conservation of wildlife habitat, wildlife and fisheries management, water use efficiency, watershed health and protection, and wetland restoration. The AgriLife Extension Program website offers online courses and job training, access... Read More →
  • Candidate Conservation Agreement with Assurances (CCAA) - US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) Candidate Conservation Agreements with Assurances are a tool for non-Federal private landowners who voluntarily take measures to stabilize and restore populations of rare or candidate species before they are listed under the Endangered Species Act. Landowners participate in identifying threats to these species, by taking part in conservation activities specific to the species, and by improving and maintaining critical habitat. This formal agreement between the landowner and US Fish and Wildlife Service guarantees that if the CCAA if fulfilled, the landowner will... Read More →
  • Celebrate Urban Birds Mini-Grant Program - Cornell University Lab of Ornithology Celebrate Urban Birds (CUB) reaches out to underserved urban and rural communities to promote interest in birds, science, the arts, neighborhood greening, and habitat creation. Developed by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, CUB has worked with over 9,000 community organizations around the country since 2007. CUB administers a mini-grant program to help fund CUB project and event costs. The average award for a mini-grant is between $100 and $750 dollars. Each CUB project will incorporate community involvement, the arts, greening, birds, and citizen... Read More →
  • White birds in river Clean Water State Revolving Fund Loan Program: Texas Loan Program - Texas Water Development Board (TWDB) The Clean Water State Revolving Fund (CWSRF), which is authorized by the Clean Water Act and funded by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), provides below-market interest rate loans to applicants wishing to implement projects for estuary management, nonpoint source pollution management, or wastewater management. Applicants can be cities, counties, districts, river authorities, and private owners. Funding can be used for planning, design, and construction of projects. CWSRF can be used for wetland projects. According to the EPA, wetland projects are usually categorized... Read More →
  • Conservation Technical Assistance Program (CTA) - USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) The Conservation Technical Assistance (CTA) program is a voluntary program administered by the National Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) to provide land users with the technical assistance needed to maintain and restore healthy productive landscapes. CTA assistance can help address a broad range of conservation topics including enhancement of fish and wildlife habitat, soil loss from erosion, agricultural waste and nutrient management, and long term sustainability of production lands. Land users such as agricultural and silvicultural producers, local governments, citizen groups, Tribal governments,... Read More →
  • Two volunteers hauling a bucket during a wetland restoration project Five Star and Urban Waters Restoration Grant Program - National Fish and Wildlife Foundation The Five Star and Urban Waters Restoration Grant Program, administered by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF), develops community stewardship of natural resources by preserving ecologic services and enhancing wildlife habitat. Five Star Grant projects often concern water quality issues in target watersheds, stormwater runoff, and degraded shorelines in coastal, riparian, and wetland habitats. Five Star grants range from $20,000 to $50,000, and average $25,000 per project. Projects can occur on public land (such as a park) or private land (such as... Read More →
  • Habitat Conservation Plan (HCP) and Incidental Take Permits - US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) Incidental Take Federally listed and threatened endangered species often rely on critical habitat found on private land. The population and habitat needs of one of these species may be juxtaposed with economic development and other legal activities on a landowner’s property. In these situations, “incidental take” of a protected species can occur.  Incidental take without an approved permit from USFWS is subject to penalty under the Endangered Species Act. The Endangered Species Act provides a mechanism by which landowners can minimize and... Read More →
  • white moth on grass Landowner Incentive Program - Texas Parks and Wildlife Department Landowner Incentive Program (LIP) The Landowner Incentive Program (LIP) is a voluntary conservation program administrated by Texas Parks and Wildlife Department and funded through the US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program, National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, and others. LIP provides financial assistance to landowners who wish to implement conservation practices, particularly for activities benefiting rare or at-risk species and valuable riparian areas and watersheds. LIP is a reimbursement program. Landowners will receive payment upon completion of the... Read More →
  • Mitigation Bank Credit: Landowners/Developers and Aggregators - Various Private and Nonprofit Entities Creating a Mitigation Bank Basic process for developing your own mitigation bank: Planning Pre-prospectus meeting with the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Submission of draft prospectus for review by USACE. If USACE finds the prospectus feasible, it will be sent out on public notice for comment. Review by federal, state, and local agencies and general public Mitigation Bank Review Team assessment Mitigation bank instrument development – legal document for the bank Mitigation bank instrument is sent out for public notice Bank approval... Read More →
  • National Fish Passage Program - US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) Dams in Texas According to the US Army Corps of Engineer’s National Inventory of Dams, Texas has over 7,000 dams, more than any other state. Most dams in Texas are privately owned, low-hazard earthen dams built between 1950 and 1989. The amount of damming along Texas waterways has led to freshwater stream habitat fragmentation. Aquatic species which migrate along the streams for spawning and other life cycle events are impeded by the obstructions. Today, many of the dams are obsolete and only... Read More →
  • wading white bird Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Act (NMBCA) Grants - US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) About the Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Act Grants The Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Act’s (NMBCA) mission is to foster long-term conservation of neotropical migratory birds and their habitat in North America and the Caribbean.  The upper Texas coast is a critical stopover point for migratory birds traveling along the Central and Mississippi Flyways, and is even used by birds traveling the Pacific and Atlantic Flyways.  NMBCA, administered by the US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) Division of Bird Habitat Conservation, provides cost-share... Read More →
  • North American Wetlands Conservation Act (NAWCA) Grants - US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) The North American Wetlands Conservation Act (NAWCA) mission is to preserve and enhance wetlands associated with migratory birds and other wildlife. NAWCA, administered by the US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) Division of Bird Habitat Conservation, provides cost-share grants to organizations and individuals who have developed partnerships to implement wetland conservation projects in the US, Canada, and Mexico.  Seventy NAWCA projects in Texas have conserved almost 190,000 acres of wildlife habitat! NAWCA grants are competitive and require at least a 1 to... Read More →
  • Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program - US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) About the Partners Program The Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program’s (Partners Program) mission is to achieve voluntary habitat restoration on private lands for the benefit of Federal Trust Species.  A Partners Program partnership is a voluntary agreement between a private landowner (any non-State or non-Federally owned land) and the US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) and its partners for financial and technical assistance toward achievement of an agreed upon restoration project. A cooperative agreement with a minimum 10 year term is... Read More →
  • Private Lands Assistance via Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) - Texas Parks and Wildlife Department TPWD provides technical assistance, free of charge to land managers who wish to incorporate  wildlife management practices into present and future land use decisions. Upon request, a TPWD wildlife biologist will meet with the landowner to perform an ecological assessment of the property and discuss the landowner’s management goals. The wildlife biologist will: provide the landowner with tailored recommendations in the form of a written management plan and demonstrate proper record keeping for wildlife management progress detail and demonstrate wildlife population survey techniques... Read More →
  • Sunflowers in front of fence Purchase of Conservation Easements - Various Land Trust and Government Agencies Conservation easements often involve the donation of development rights of land. This donation is often used to obtain a tax deduction. However, in some cases, the development rights of land can be purchased by a willing land trust or government program for a one-time cash payment. Purchased conservation easements are also known as the purchase of development rights (PDRs). If there is funding available for the PDRs, the purchase price is often less than the value of the full value of the... Read More →
  • Safe Harbor Agreements (SHA) - US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) Texas is home to many endangered federally listed species which are legally protected by the Endangered Species Act (ESA). Over one-third of the 564 plant and animal species listed as threatened or endangered in the United States use wetland habitats, according to the Texas General Land Office.  Many of these species rely on habitat found on privately owned land. A Safe Harbor Agreement (SHA) are a tool for private landowner whom would like to aid in the recovery of a listed or... Read More →
  • swamp Texas Coastal Program - US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) The Coastal Program assists with funding for coastal habitat projects. The Coastal Program partners with Federal programs, State agencies, Tribal and local governments, non-profit organizations, businesses, industry, land trusts, and private landowners who wish to fulfill habitat conservation goals on their land.  The Coastal Program is a reimbursement program. The landowner is not reimbursed for the cost-share portion of the project cost until after the project is completed. Cooperative partnerships are emphasized by the Coastal Program.  Coastal Program partners, known as cooperators,... Read More →
  • Texas Prairie Wetlands Project - Ducks Unlimited The Texas Prairie Wetlands Project (TPWP) is a partnership between Ducks Unlimited, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The TPWP mission is to create overwintering habitat for waterfowl and improve health and survival rates before migration in the spring. TPWP works with private landowners in 28 counties on the Texas Gulf Coast to restore and enhance existing wetlands and to create new wetlands. TPWP provides technical assistance for surveying, engineering, and designing a wetland project and... Read More →
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