| Michael Scisco, February 2025
Hickory Jack | Conservation Mitigation Easement
Total Acres 72.2 Project Year 2025 Located in Perry & Cape Girardeau Counties in MO The Hickory Jack Conservation Easement is located along Apple Creek in Cape Girardeau and Perry Counties. The project encompasses 72 acres of diverse landsc...
| Michael Scisco, February 2025
Unique Places to Save Completes First Conservation Easement in Missouri
Unique Places to Save has reached a significant milestone in its conservation efforts with the successful completion of its first conservation easement in the state of Missouri. Known as the Hickory Jack Conservation Easement, this project ...
| Michael Scisco, January 2025
Beaver Tail | Conservation Mitigation Easement
Total Acres 34.4 Project Year 2024 Located in Lincoln County NC Unique Places to Save’s conservation easement over the Beaver Tail mitigation bank helped to permanently protect a successfully restored tributary to Howard’s Creek and include...
| Michael Scisco, January 2025
Brooks Swamp | Conservation Mitigation Easement
Total Acres 11.1 Project Year 2024 Located in Wayne County NC The Brooks Swamp conservation easement project has preserved multiple mitigation goals of enhancing water quality and ecological health in streams through the restoration and exp...
| Michael Scisco, January 2025
High Hood | Conservation Mitigation Easement
Total Acres 31.1 Project Year 2024 Located in Cumberland County TN The High Hood conservation easement will help protect the restoration of streams and wetlands that help mitigate watershed stressors and provide numerous water quality and e...
| Michael Scisco, January 2025
Proctor Dairy | Conservation Mitigation Easement
Total Acres 22.9 Project Year 2024 Located in Catawba County NC The permanent conservation of Wildland’s Proctor Dairy stream and wetland mitigation project will protect the enhancement of ecological integrity and water quality within the L...
| Michael Scisco, January 2025
Bootstrap Wetland Mitigation Bank
Total Acres 40.6 Project Year 2024 Located in Bessemer City NC Bootstrap is a mitigation bank that has overall goals to improve stream and riparian wetland function through stream restoration and riparian buffer re-vegetation over approxima...
| Michael Scisco, January 2025
The Financial Basics of Conservation Easements
Conservation easements are voluntary agreements landowners can utilize to permanently protect their property from incompatible uses. They also have fairly significant financial incentives that can benefit landowners by providing tax deducti...
| Michael Scisco, December 2024
Conservation of Working Forests
It is estimated that 20% of the land base in the U.S. or 445 million acres are private forested lands. Fifteen million acres of private forested land is under some type of permanent or term conservation agreement. While this seems like a bi...
| Michael Scisco, November 2024
Upper Rocky Mitigation Bank
Total Acres 42.7 Project Year 2020 Located near Charlotte NC The Upper Rocky restoration project restored and enhanced over 16 acres of wetlands and 8,000 linear feet of stream in an area experiencing increased suburban development pressure...
| Michael Scisco, October 2024
Working Lands & Conservation
Working lands conservation is a practice aimed at conserving natural resources and biodiversity while also sustaining productive agricultural or forestry activities and operations. It involves integrating conservation easements into working...
| Michael Scisco, October 2024
Zunino Ranch Mitigation Bank
Total Acres 338 Project Year 2024 Located in Elko County Nevada Zunino Ranch Conservation Credit System Project is part of the Sagebrush Ecosystem Program (SEP) in Nevada. The SEP was legislatively established in 2013 and worked to develop ...
| Michael Scisco, October 2024
Working Lands & Mitigation
At first glance, mitigation and working lands may not seem compatible. People might believe that conducting stream and wetland mitigation work adjacent to working lands will reduce or limit agricultural production. If planned correctly, mit...
| Michael Scisco, September 2024
Gulf Coast Plains Wetland Mitigation Bank
Total Acres 464 Project Year 2024 Located in Chambers County Texas The goals of the Gulf Coast Plains Wetland Mitigation Bank are the following: To restore historically occurring, high quality, tidal and freshwater wetland and aquatic habit...
| Michael Scisco, September 2024
What is Mitigation Banking?
A mitigation bank is a site where wetlands, streams, or other natural habitats are restored, enhanced, or preserved to compensate for or offset negative impacts to similar ecosystems elsewhere within a defined geography. These negative impa...
| Michael Scisco, September 2024
An Introduction to Conservation Easements
A conservation easement can be a desirable tool in very specific instances where landowner, land management and fiscal goals meet. They are a unique solution for many landowners who wish to conserve and protect their investment in their lan...
| Michael Scisco, August 2024
Great Pee Dee Mitigation Bank
Total Acres 1,094 Project Year 2023 Located in Mason & Dillon Counties, SC The goal of the Great Pee Dee mitigation banking project is to preserve, enhance and restore streams and wetlands associated with the Great Pee Dee River, Mill Creek...
| Michael Scisco, August 2024
Pushmataha Bat Conservation Bank | Endangered Species
Total Acres 90 Project Year 2022 Located in Pushmataha County OK The purpose of this species mitigation bank is to help offset potential negative impacts on habitat for Indiana Bats (Endangered) and Northern Long-Eared Bats (Threatened) fro...
| Michael Scisco, August 2024
Hatch's Hill | Conservation Mitigation Easement
Total Acres 65.9 Project Year 2024 Located in Wayne County NC The Hatch’s Hill Conservation Easement is located on active farms used for cropland and pasture for goats, donkeys, and alpaca. The 56.2‐acre conservation easement includes multi...
| Michael Scisco, July 2024
Smiley | Conservation Mitigation Easement
Total Acres 15.6 Project Year 2024 Located in Knox County TN The Smiley Conservation Easement is a remarkable project and a great example of pairing ecological conservation with agricultural working lands. This easement protects 4,458 feet ...
| Michael Scisco, April 2024
Conservation Offers a Strong ROI for Land Planners
Conservation efforts have historically been viewed through a narrow lens, primarily focused on environmental stewardship. This perspective, while critical for the protection of our planet's natural habitats and biodiversity, only scratches ...
| Michael Scisco, April 2024
How Open Spaces Impact Property Values
Open spaces, such as parks, green belts, and protected natural areas, significantly influence the value of residential and commercial properties. Numerous studies and reports have highlighted the positive correlation between proximity to op...
| Michael Scisco, April 2024
Conservation in Every Listing: A Short Guide for Real Estate Agents
You may not know that real estate agents can incorporate conservation strategies when dealing with land plots as small as 10+ acres. However, these conservation initiatives enhance the property’s marketability and value. At the same time, t...
| Michael Scisco, February 2024
French Quarter Creek | Conservation Mitigation Easement
Total Acres 440.3 Project Year N/A Located in the Edisto River Basin of Berkeley SC The French Quarter Creek mitigation project provides restoration and enhancement of approximately 94.39 acres of bottomland hardwood, the enhancement of app...
| Michael Scisco, February 2024
Cash for Land: Types of Grant Funding for Land Planners & Managers
The realm of real estate development is rapidly evolving, with a growing emphasis on sustainability and community welfare. Grant funding is one of the most promising avenues for developers looking to create positive contributions to the com...