A small pond and stream between cedar trees on a clear winter day.

Porterhouse Valley | Conservation Easement

Total Acres

22.6

Project Year

2023

 
Located in Monroe County TN

The Porterhouse Valley Mitigation Bank is a 22.6-acre stream restoration project designed to offset impacts to streams in the Hiwassee River watershed. Led by KCI Technologies and protected in perpetuity under a conservation easement held by Unique Places to Save, the project restores more than 6,800 linear feet of degraded headwater streams.

These streams, including Chicken House Branch and Wilson Branch, have been impacted by years of agricultural use, channelization, erosion, and cattle access. Restoration efforts focus on rebuilding natural stream channels, reconnecting floodplains, stabilizing banks, and replanting native riparian vegetation.

As conservation easement holder, Unique Places to Save ensures the site’s long-term protection and ecological integrity through dedicated stewardship and monitoring. This effort contributes to regional watershed health by restoring natural hydrology, improving water quality, and enhancing habitat for aquatic life in a vital and vulnerable part of Tennessee.

Mitigation Partner

KCI logo

 

Our Role

Conservation Easement Grantee

Mitigation Type

Stream & Wetland
Restoration & Conservation

About the AuthorMichael Scisco

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

We are a trusted non-profit partner for mitigation banks seeking high-quality conservation projects

 

Learn More
Mandi Taylor smiling beside a tree in bare winter woods, wearing a cap and a daypack, with pine needles covering the slope behind her.

Mandi Taylor, September 2026

What Does a Land Steward Actually Do?

When people think of 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 effort...

A shallow rocky river running through summer woodland.

Sam Warnock, August 2026

The River That Built a Town: Ramseur’s Past Shapes Future Conservation (Part Two)

This is the second installment in a two-part series on the Deep River restoration project in Ramseur, North Carolina. For this series, I sat down with Mayor Hampton Spivey and Town Clerk Carol Akers to hear how growing up alongside the Deep...

A calm river reflecting overhanging trees, seen from a leaf covered bank.

Sam Warnock, August 2026

The River That Built a Town: Ramseur’s Past Shapes Future Conservation (Part One)

Conservation is often framed as a series of technical challenges: hydrology, engineering, biology, and even real estate. But if you strip away the wetland mapping, the habitat surveys and the land transactions, you'll find that conservation...

A view over layered blue mountain ridges, with a lake in the valley below.

Sam Warnock, August 2026

Why Invest in Natural Capital (Part Two)

In "Why Invest in Natural Capital", the first post in this series, we made the case that natural capital functions like nature's balance sheet, and that healthy ecosystems quietly generate the clean water, flood protection, and climate stab...