Dirty Boots II | Conservation Mitigation Easement

Located in Chatham County North Carolina

The Dirty Boots Phase II Mitigation Site is permanently conserved through a recorded conservation easement held by Unique Places to Save, securing long-term protection for streams, wetlands, and associated riparian corridors within the Cape Fear River Basin. This perpetual protection ensures that restored aquatic resources are shielded from future development, agricultural conversion, and other incompatible land uses.

The easement encompasses restored, enhanced, and preserved reaches of Dirty Boots Creek and an unnamed tributary, locking in channel stability, floodplain access, and instream habitat improvements achieved through mitigation activities. By maintaining these conditions in perpetuity, the project supports sustained reductions in erosion and pollutant loading while preserving functional connections between streams and their surrounding landscapes.

Floodplain wetlands within the protected area are permanently conserved and restored to support natural hydrologic regimes and native plant communities. Long-term exclusion of livestock, control of invasive species, and reforestation of riparian areas allow wetland systems to function as resilient features for water storage, nutrient processing, and wildlife habitat.

Through permanent conservation under a conservation easement held by Unique Places to Save, the Dirty Boots Phase II Mitigation Site provides enduring ecological value and watershed-scale benefits, ensuring that the investments in stream and wetland restoration continue to serve the Cape Fear River Basin well into the future.

Mitigation Partner