Kennedy Space Center is not a place that comes to mind when talking about environmental conservation. Often the center has been the target of angry environmentalists fighting NASA plans to construct more launchpads at the expense of the unique habitat that surrounds America’s preeminent spaceport.
But the NASA center has recently identified three swathes of land, totaling 134 acres, that it plans to set aside to make up for the wetlands it needs to fill in or destroy in the coming years so that the agency can continue its mission to dominate space, according to News 6 partner Florida Today.
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Setting aside land to offset habitat destruction because of pending development is known as mitigation banking, and the move marks KSC’s first foray into the practice.
Mitigation banking works by restoring or preserving swathes of land to offset the loss of critical habitats to construction of homes, businesses, roads and other developments. When the land is restored or preserved, the mitigation bank then sells or issues “credits” to the developing entity to enable them to develop other areas so there is a zero-sum gain to impacting the environment.
Mitigation banks are a tradeoff the federal government has allowed since the 1980s to ensure “no-net-loss” of wetlands when new construction happens. However, some environmentalists say the system has been gamed for decades by developers because the wetlands restored in the mitigation banks often are not of equal quality and diversity of wetlands destroyed.
NASA, however, says KSC’s mitigation bank will improve fish and wildlife habitat within the land it shares with the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge and in the Indian River Lagoon watershed.
Wetland mitigation banks are established by creating, restoring or improving wetlands. The landowner — in this case the federal government — maintains limited, low-impact uses of the property, but conservation easements guard the wetland or other important habitats from harmful activities such as building and paving.
The size and scope of the wetland restoration, creation or improvements determines the quantity of credits available for sale. Developers and others buy credits from wetlands mitigation banks — usually the closest as possible within the same region — to compensate for the impact of lost wetlands from their building activities.
KSC expects significant future development to support growth of private business and its vision for a multi-user spaceport. KSC estimates future development could result in more than 500 acres of wetland impacts, according to a draft prospectus for the mitigation bank. Because the scope of the development could exceed available credits, NASA says KSC needs its own mitigation bank.
Currently, Kennedy’s federal mitigation bank would only be available for NASA use, not developers, KSC officials said. The Merritt Island Nation Wildlife Refuge would manage the three mitigation bank sites, which would not be open to the public for recreation.
To restore tidal marsh in old mosquito impoundments within the mitigation bank, NASA envisions removing dredge spoil, exotic vegetation, dikes and levees, according to a draft prospectus for the bank.
The federal agency issues permits for mitigation banks and signs off on how many credits entities that run the banks can sell, based on the quality, size and scope of the habitat within the bank area.
The entire process is overseen by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers but other federal and state wildlife and environmental agencies can weigh in, depending upon the type of mitigation bank.
“NASA Kennedy seeks to secure compensatory mitigation availability to support future NASA projects,” Jeff Collins, NASA environmental protection specialist, wrote in response to FLORIDA TODAY’s questions about KSC’s reasons for the mitigation bank. “Ultimately, NASA’s goal is to provide certainty to mitigation availability and the environmental resource permit process, with the end goal of securing NASA’s access to space.
“Tenants at NASA Kennedy are responsible for finding and providing their own compensatory mitigation for wetland impacts resulting from their projects,” he added.
KSC’s bank would start once the Corps permits it, as well as the St. Johns River Water Management District, which would permit the site as a Regional Offsite Mitigation Area. That water management application had yet to be submitted as of Dec. 13. Permitting can take several months.
The proposed “umbrella mitigation bank” includes three separate sites, including 75-acres on Static Test Road, 33 acres of abandoned citrus grove west of Kennedy Parkway South and west of Florida Power & Light’s solar farm; and 27 acres of abandoned citrus grove east of Kennedy Parkway South on East Crisafulli Road.
KSC’s mitigation bank would be set up and operated by the space center as the sponsor with the help of the Jones Edmunds engineering firm.
According to the Corps permit public notice, the federal agency has determined the proposed project “may affect, but is not likely to adversely affect” the following species: piping plover; American crocodile; Eastern black rail; manatees; red knot; Eastern indigo snake; Florida scrub-jay; green sea turtle; Everglade snail kite; red-cockaded woodpecker; sea turtles; the Atlantic salt marsh snake; Southeastern beach mouse; wood storks; and Audubon’s crested caracara.
KSC, in partnership with the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, identified the potential sites for the mitigation bank throughout the 140,000 acres they share.
Collins said the three proposed sites are dominated by Brazilian pepper trees and other “exotic/nuisance vegetation.”
“NASA has no ability to sell mitigation credits to tenants and retain those dollars,” Collins said.
“NASA is not entering the compensatory mitigation business, nor is NASA competing with existing/future federal mitigation banks,” he said.
No net wetlands loss? Not in Brevard County
Despite the federal government’s decades-long wetlands mitigation policy goal of “no net loss,” birds find less natural wetlands space on the Space Coast than 20 years ago. According to data from National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration’s Coastal Change Analysis Program (C-CAP) Regional Land Cover Database:
- Between 1996 and 2016, almost 19 square miles of wetlands in Brevard disappeared to development, about a 3% loss, leaving about 542 square miles of wetlands.
- Meanwhile, open water grew by 11.5 square miles, or 2.2%, to a total of 535.4 square miles, as more artificial ponds in subdivisions replaced natural wetlands.