The Carolina Heelsplitter Conservation Bank was the first aquatic species conservation bank in the Southeast. Due to the presence of a viable population, a low percentage of impervious surface, its location near a focus area for other conservation activities, and the potential to protect large portions of the watershed to have a positive impact, the Flat Creek watershed was chosen for the bank and conservation site. By preserving upland and riparian buffers, the Carolina Heelsplitter Conservation Bank ensures the protection of the endangered Carolina Heelsplitter Mussels’ habitat. The Carolina Heelsplitter Conservation Bank is certified to provide offsets as required under Lancaster County Zoning Ordinance #963 and is approved by the USFWS to offset direct and indirect impacts to the Carolina Heelsplitter Mussel in all of North and South Carolina.