Ducks Unlimited Establishing Long Island In-Lieu Fee Program

Ducks Unlimited (DU) is working with regulatory partners to establish the Long Island In Lieu Fee (ILF) program to further expand mitigation offerings in New York State. DU operates the New York In Lieu Fee program in upstate New York, where it has established a successful track record of implementing high-quality mitigation projects.

ILFs are designed to provide a third-party compensatory mitigation option for unavoidable impacts to regulated aquatic resources. Few mitigation options exist on Long Island. In the absence of credit options such as ILF, project proponents face higher offset costs, the burden of identifying custom mitigation solutions, and generally poorer outcomes than larger off-site mitigation projects. 

ILF programs consolidate impacts from several projects and offset them at larger sites to advance regional aquatic resource recovery objectives. Permittees with eligible projects for ILF offsets can transfer their legal obligations to DU through a simple credit-purchase process. This approach allows DU to advance its mission and vision of protecting and restoring wetland habitats, while providing an economical service for industry.  

 The Long Island ILF program will support landscape-level projects addressing threats such as coastal erosion, sediment balance, invasive species and ongoing development pressure.  

"Our goal is to contribute to the recovery of Long Island’s aquatic resources,” said Patrick Raney, DU’s director of conservation programs. “The Long Island ILF program will allow DU to restore habitat on a larger scale than is currently being achieved through individual permit offsets. It provides an excellent opportunity to restore and repair historically altered wetlands, augment protected areas and improve the resilience of aquatic resources.”  

DU delivers turn-key compensatory mitigation projects nationwide, collaborating with regulatory agencies, permittees, partners, landowners and land managers to deliver high-quality projects across wetland, stream, riparian buffers, and upland habitats in freshwater and tidal settings.  

DU has permitted 10 ILF projects in the Buffalo and New York Army Corps of Engineers Districts, making DU New York’s largest provider of mitigation credits. Including voluntary conservation activities, DU and its partners have conserved or managed nearly 60,000 acres of habitat statewide. The Long Island ILF program will be operational sometime in 2027 or 2028.