Wildlands has completed a 9-element watershed plan for Riverlink

In partnership with Blue Earth and other local firms, Wildlands recently completed a 9-element watershed study for the Central Asheville Watershed Restoration Plan for Riverlink. Wildlands provided a comprehensive and easily accessible ArcGIS online watershed plan application. The application is an interactive map designed to be active and adaptable to real-time, ongoing changes within the watershed.

Check out the interactive ArcGIS map below or visit: https://bit.ly/3i141jS

Read more about Asheville’s plan to restore the urban streams and community in this article by Citizen-Times, Asheville: https://bit.ly/365AMtF

Wildlands completes stream restoration project under Maryland State Highway Association’s first full-delivery contract

Under Maryland State Highway Association’s first full-delivery contract for stream restoration services, Wildlands completed construction on the Marylea Farm Stream Restoration project in Harford County, MD in May 2020. The project restored 9,470 linear feet of stream on Thomas Run and three unnamed tributaries in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed. Thomas Run and its tributaries are classified as “recreational trout waters,” so the design of Thomas Run and the lower gradient tributary reaches consisted of riffles and pools that incorporate large woody debris, boulders, brush, and lunker structures to enhance aquatic habitat. The steeper tributary reaches incorporate boulder steps and cascades with deep pools to provide additional aquatic habitat.

The 32-acre conservation easement preserves four archaeological sites containing Native American artifacts as well as existing wetlands, some of which provide potential habitat for the northern bog turtle. The riparian buffer was planted along the stream channels with early successional native vegetation comprised of trees, shrubs, and herbaceous species. Small areas around the planting perimeter were seeded with native wildflowers to provide habitat for the monarch butterflies, which were prevalent at the site preconstruction. By closeout, the project will provide 9,885 credits towards the State Highway Administration’s program to comply with the Chesapeake Bay TMDL and their MS4 permit.

Wildlands’ 2020 environmental restoration efforts going strong

Our 2020 environmental restoration efforts have been in full force. Thus far this year, the Wildlands team has restored a total of 48,000 linear feet of stream across seven different project sites, all up along the east coast.