The Joy McCann Foundation has awarded Stetson Law’s Institute for Biodiversity Law and Policy a $150,000 grant for a project to ensure effective long-term protection of aquatic restoration efforts in Florida and across the United States. 

Under the Clean Water Act, developers are required to mitigate damage to aquatic resources, primarily by restoring wetlands and streams. Stetson Law’s project will review the legal and financial mechanisms in place for the long-term protection of these restored sites.

The Joy McCann Foundation, based in Tampa, is a private family foundation made possible by the benevolence of Hugh F. Culverhouse Sr. and Joy McCann Culverhouse.

“This will be the first study that compares whether equivalent standards are being applied to all mitigation providers — mitigation banks, in-lieu fee programs and permittees,” said Professor Royal Gardner, director of the Institute for Biodiversity Law and Policy. 

David Urban, managing director of Ecosystem Investment Partners, applauded the new funding. 

“I am glad that an entity such as Stetson Law is going to independently review this very important issue of long-term sustainability,” commented Urban, whose organization is a private investment manager that delivers ecological restoration and conservation projects nationwide. 

The Institute for Biodiversity Law and Policy serves as an interdisciplinary focal point for education, research and service activities related to global, regional and local biodiversity issues.