The Carolina Bison Mitigation Site, a project within the RES French Broad 05 Umbrella Mitigation Bank, is located in Buncombe County, North Carolina, approximately two miles northeast of Leicester. The Project is in the French Broad River Basin within Cataloging Unit 06010105, targeted local watershed (TLW) Newfound Creek Watershed (14-digit HUC 06010105090020). Livestock production and lack of riparian buffer were the major impacts on the project streams prior to stream restoration.

The Project’s total easement area is 10.92 acres within the overall drainage area of 457 acres. Outside the Project area is an active bison farm, where American Bison are raised for meat production alongside watusi, camels, elk, and white-tailed deer. Before stream restoration, grazing livestock had access to all stream reaches within the Project.