| Christine Pickens, December 2024
The Mid-Reaches: Part Two on River Ecology & Conservation
Welcome back to our series on river ecology and conservation. This is a follow-up article to one published recently about headwater river ecology & conservation. If you haven’t read that yet, hop over there first! Otherwise, keep swimming d...
| Sam Warnock, December 2024
Building Natural Capital Through Conservation Easements: A Lasting Legacy
At Unique Places to Save, we work with landowners and communities to conserve land and aquatic resources with ecological, cultural, and economic value. One of the primary tools we use to achieve this is the conservation easement. A conserva...
| Christine Pickens, November 2024
At The Headwaters: Part One on River Ecology & Conservation
This blog post is the first of a three part series on River Ecology & Conservation by Christine Pickens, PhD. At Unique Places to Save, we put a special emphasis on protecting aquatic resources. One of the most prominent aquatic resource fe...
| Michael Scisco, November 2024
Upper Rocky Mitigation Bank
Total Acres 44 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. ...
| Mandi Taylor, November 2024
Nurtured by Nature: Why Outdoor Recreation Matters
While the benefits of being outdoors–such as soaking up vitamin D, boosting your mood, and getting more exercise–has always been emphasized, the COVID-19 pandemic further highlighted the need for recreational activities and social interacti...
| Michael Scisco, November 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...
| Sam Warnock, October 2024
Recent Examples of Sustainable Conservation in Real Estate Development
Today, environmental stewardship is increasingly regarded as a social responsibility. In response, many land developers are recognizing the importance of balancing economic growth with the preservation of natural ecosystems and are embracin...
| 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 ...
| Sam Warnock, October 2024
Natural Capital and Its Value to the Economy
When you think of capital, you probably think of money or investments. But at its core, capital is anything that: Stores or confers value Generates benefits Grows in value over time We’re all familiar with financial capital—the money and re...
| 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...
| Mandi Taylor, September 2024
First Days at Unique Places to Save
My first day in the field as a Conservation Specialist took me to Jigsaw, a 21.54-acre conservation easement property immediately adjacent to a working farm. This property is a mix of mature forested stream buffer and restored in-stream hab...
| 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...
| Mandi Taylor, September 2024
Mandi Taylor | Conservation Specialist
Hi everyone! My name is Mandi and I am thrilled to be part of the Unique Places to Save team, and continue to help advance our ongoing conservation and restoration efforts. I bring experience in public health, project management, and commun...
| Natalie Davis, August 2024
Building Confidence in Conservation: Natalie Davis's Journey with Unique Places to Save
When I graduated from University of North Carolina in December of 2020, I did what most fresh college graduates do and I started looking for a job in the environmental science field rather aimlessly. When I saw the job listing from Unique P...
| 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...
| Christine Pickens, August 2024
Why Do Wetlands Smell Bad?
The wetland superpower behind the stink and why you’ll be saying, “Oh no, my feet smell cheesy!” Experiencing nature can become enlightening when we use our five senses. In the case of wetlands, using your sense of smell can also help you u...
| 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...
| Sam Warnock, August 2024
How to Value Ecosystem Services
Economics is all about determining how to best use our limited resources, and assigning a value to these can help us understand how scarce these resources are. When we value ecosystem services and biodiversity, we show what we're willing to...
| Michael Scisco, August 2024
Hatch's Hill | Conservation Mitigation Easement
Total Acres 56.2 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...
| Nathan Phillips, July 2024
New Leadership, Same Mission!
Two years ago, Clark Harris stepped up from our Board of Directors to lead Unique Places to Save through a planned two-year transition period. His work focused on leadership development and visioning for the organization and we are a much s...
| Michael Scisco, July 2024
Smiley | Conservation Mitigation Easement
Total Acres 18 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 of...
| Sam Warnock, June 2024
What are Ecosystem Services
Ecosystem services (ES) is a buzzword that often appears when discussing ways to protect the environment. Although the term has been around since the 1980s, there’s a lot of confusion behind what it conveys. We’ll discuss ES’s meaning and h...