The MCMB is located approximately eight miles southwest of the town of Tatum, Texas, in Rusk County, and is on family-owned property held by The Hemby Family Trust.  T. G. “Buster” Hemby ranched and hunted on the property for many years. Both Buster and Mary V. Hemby were proud of this land, and their stewardship of the land lives on through the Martin Creek Mitigation Bank.

MCMB Characteristics

The MCMB is composed of 183.4 acres within a 295-acre property tract. A large portion of the acreage is wet meadow habitat occurring between forested riparian hardwood wetlands adjacent to Martin Creek. The balance of the property is upland forest with a mix of pine and hardwood timber. Hydrology is maintained by direct precipitation, runoff, percolation from the upstream Martin Creek Lake, and seasonal water releases from the lake. Wetlands include communities of willow-buttonbush, smartweed-rush, open water depressions, forested wetland and wetland meadows.

Mitigation Plan

One objective of the MCMB is to enhance, restore, protect and maintain the area; and restore approximately 145 acres to forested wetlands. The result will be “environmental lift” of wetland functional values such as wildlife nesting, foraging and stopover habitat, temporary flood water storage, nutrient cycling, groundwater recharge, sediment retention, filtration of water runoff, and carbon export/sequestration.

MCMB Credits and Debits

One mitigation credit for each acre (183.4) in the bank will be awarded for the bank's use. These credits can be debited from the bank in the following manner:

For temporary adverse impacts to waters of the United States (i.e., most oil/gas production and related activities lasting 30 years or less), credits will be debited 4.3 credits per acre of high quality wetland or other waters of the United States adversely impacted, 3.2 credits per acre of medium quality wetland or other waters of the United States adversely impacted, and 2.1 credits for each acre of low quality wetland or other waters of the United States adversely impacted.

For permanent adverse impacts to waters of the United States (those activities determined not to be temporary as above), credits will be debited 5.6 credits per acre of high quality wetland or other waters of the United States adversely impacted, 4.2 credits per acre of medium quality wetland or other waters of the United States adversely impacted, and 2.7 credits for each acre of low quality wetland or other waters of the United States adversely impacted.

Credit ratios shall be multiplied by a minimum of 1.5 when the MCMB is used to mitigate for adverse impacts in the secondary service area. In exceptional cases, the USACE may allow use of the MCMB outside of these service areas on a case-by-case basis.