The state of South Carolina has been proactively regulating impacts to wetland systems.  As a result, strong economic opportunities exist to provide wetland mitigation credits for unavoidable impacts.  Landowners typically maintain ownership and all rights of use such as hunting, fishing, recreation, maintenance, etc. in a mitigation area.  Wetland Mitigation Banking is a federally approved and state encouraged program that allows developers to fill wetlands on one site in exchange for credits associated with wetland improvement on another site.  Monetary return is substantial when considering the typical per acre price for tracts dominated by wetlands.

Congaree-Carton Mitigation Bank

The EARTHWORKS Group recently established the Congaree-Carton Wetland Mitigation Bank within the South Carolina Cooper River watershed in the headwaters of the Wando River.  The project site, located in Charleston County, includes approximately 543-acres adjacent to the Wando River and the Francis Marion National Forest. We are proud to be involved with a mitigation bank that will service approximately 822 square miles of primary service area and approximately 5,610 square miles of extended service areas.  Upon completion, this bank will provide approximately 1,292-1,615 restoration credits and 228-342 enhancement credits

For more information, check out our Marketing Brochure: Page 1 & Page 2 
The brochure has been split into 2 pages and slightly compressed to assist non-broadband connections.
These documents are viewable with Adobe Acrobat Reader which is available as a free download  from the Adobe website

The environmental asset of land can be substantial.  A four-step process can assist in providing economic return through environmental-based credit trading programs. 
 
1. Comprehensive definition of a property’s physical characteristics, including current use of the property must be ascertained.  A snapshot of the potential environmental assets based on current regulatory and market conditions is assessed.  Market drivers and demand must be taken into account to determine current, as well as potential future value.

2. Determining all potential assets, such as mitigation credits or water resource rights, which are applicable to the property and position in the landscape.  Property is viewed as a bundle of economic rights, each with its own intrinsic value.

3. An analysis of a broad range of evolving market drivers, such as incentives and development projects, which give value to the identified environmental assets.

4. Develop and implement a plan to fully realize the value of these assets and to integrate their use with other uses of the property.  Environmental Land value is inclusive of more than wetland mitigation sales.

EARTHWORKS' involvement with Wetland Mitigation Banking also includes outreach and public education. Check out the recently authored article for the South Carolina Waterfowl association website promoting the benefits of sustaining our valuable natural resources. Click HERE for more info.

Landowner Opportunities:
Tracts of land in the correct watershed are extremely valuable.  Often, opportunities abound for land owners including tax relief through conservation easements, land donations, and wetland reserve programs, among others.

Availability:
Parker Tract - The Parker Tract is located in Horry County on and within the Waccamaw Watershed.  The mitigation area is 368-acres in size.  The tract lies near Highways 90 and 905 in the Wampee Section of Horry County and is bounded by the Waccamaw River and Tilly Swamp.  Tilly Swamp and the Parker Tract are prime habitats and travel corridors for the Black Bear in the northern coastal zone of South Carolina.  Important natural resource acreage is available for difficult project solutions.
 
Fred Majors Isolated Wetland Mitigation - State guidance for non-federally jurisdictional wetlands requires in-kind mitigation.  We have acreage available for those in need of isolated wetland mitigation.

South Carolina Watersheds