---
title: Cox Pond | Conservation Easement | Unique Places to Save
description: The Cox Pond conservation easement transformed former agricultural land to protect water quality and restore habitats in North Carolina's Neuse River Basin
image: https://uniqueplacestosave.org/hubfs/photo%20of%20cox%20pond%20conservation%20easement.jpg
---
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# Cox Pond | Conservation Easement
Michael Scisco - March 2025
### Total Acres
24.3
### Project Year
2022
##### Located in Wayne County North Carolina[](https://uniqueplacestosave.org/our-values#badge)
The Cox Pond Conservation Easement is a 24-acre mitigation project by [Wildlands Engineering Inc](https://www.wildlandseng.com/) in Wayne County, North Carolina, designed to restore riparian buffers and improve water quality in the Neuse River Basin. The project, developed under the Cox Pond Mitigation Bank, is focused on nutrient offset and riparian buffer mitigation, ensuring long-term conservation and environmental restoration. The site, previously used for agricultural purposes, included crop fields and areas subject to animal waste application.
By converting these areas into protected riparian buffers, the project aims to reduce nutrient and sediment runoff, enhance terrestrial and aquatic habitats, and improve stream stability.
The easement establishes a 200-foot-wide buffer along four tributaries and three ditches, filtering pollutants before they reach downstream water bodies, such as Brooks Swamp, Thoroughfare Swamp, and the Neuse River. One of the primary benefits of this project is its ability to generate buffer and nutrient offset credits. Developers and municipalities seeking to offset environmental impacts can purchase these credits to comply with state and federal water quality regulations. The project aligns with North Carolina’s Nutrient Sensitive Waters (NSW) management strategies, ensuring that conservation and development can coexist sustainably.
By securing the Cox Pond site under a permanent conservation easement, this project protects critical riparian areas, supports native vegetation restoration, and promotes long-term environmental resilience. This initiative represents a significant step toward balancing land use with water quality protection and ecosystem restoration in the Neuse River Basin.
The easement covers 24.3 acres and has been in place since 2022. Unique Places to Save is the conservation easement grantee, which is the role that carries the monitoring and enforcement responsibility for the 200-foot buffer described above.
##### Mitigation Partner
[](https://www.wildlandseng.com/)
Our Role
### Conservation Easement Grantee
Mitigation Type
### Nutrient Offset & Buffer
- 
- 
- 
- 
About the Author
Michael brings nearly 20 years of experience to his role as Trusted Conservation Advisor at Unique Places to Save. He has worked to conserve over 200,000 acres across the U.S. while securing over $200M in funding and transacting $500M in land and other real estate.
[Learn More](https://uniqueplacestosave.org/news/michael-scisco-conservation-expert)
#### We are a trusted non-profit partner for mitigation banks seeking high-quality conservation projects
[Learn More](https://uniqueplacestosave.org/conservation-mitigation)
[Mitigation Banking](https://uniqueplacestosave.org/news/tag/mitigation-banking), [North Carolina](https://uniqueplacestosave.org/news/tag/north-carolina), [Projects](https://uniqueplacestosave.org/news/tag/projects)
Michael Scisco, October 2026
### [Poe's Landing | Conservation Mitigation Easement](https://uniqueplacestosave.org/news/poes-landing-conservation-mitigation-easement)
Total Acres 321 Project Year 2026 Located in York County, South Carolina Covering approximately 320.69 acres within the Upper Broad River Basin, the easement safeguards critical aquatic corridors including Bullock Creek, Bells Creek, 11 unn...
[Mitigation Banking](https://uniqueplacestosave.org/news/tag/mitigation-banking), [North Carolina](https://uniqueplacestosave.org/news/tag/north-carolina), [Projects](https://uniqueplacestosave.org/news/tag/projects)
Michael Scisco, September 2026
### [What Happens After a Mitigation Bank is Complete?](https://uniqueplacestosave.org/news/mitigation-bank-long-term-management)
Regulatory closeout is a major milestone for a mitigation bank. It confirms that the required restoration or enhancement work has been completed, performance standards have been met, and the formal monitoring and maintenance period can end....
[Mitigation Banking](https://uniqueplacestosave.org/news/tag/mitigation-banking), [North Carolina](https://uniqueplacestosave.org/news/tag/north-carolina), [Projects](https://uniqueplacestosave.org/news/tag/projects)
Mandi Taylor, September 2026
### [The Impossibility of Capturing Nature in a PDF](https://uniqueplacestosave.org/news/baseline-documentation-report)
Every profession has the gap between what the job looks like on paper and what actually happens on the ground. In land conservation, that divide can be neatly summarized by one specific, legal document: the Baseline Documentation Report (BD...
[Mitigation Banking](https://uniqueplacestosave.org/news/tag/mitigation-banking), [North Carolina](https://uniqueplacestosave.org/news/tag/north-carolina), [Projects](https://uniqueplacestosave.org/news/tag/projects)
Mandi Taylor, September 2026
### [Behind the Scenes of Land Stewardship](https://uniqueplacestosave.org/news/what-does-a-land-steward-do)
When people think of land conservation wins, they usually picture all the work and coordination required to place land with rich ecological, historical, or cultural value into a conservation easement. And they are right to celebrate those e...
[](https://app.candid.org/profile/9341350/unique-places-to-save-46-2076094/?pkId=e9b6f29d-825a-42e5-88cd-e7520d3fe801)
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