Meadow River Mitigation Bank

The Meadow River Mitigation Bank, located near Crawley in Greenbrier County, West Virginia, was established in 2008 to generate wetland and stream mitigation credits supporting RES’ West Virginia Statewide Umbrella Mitigation Bank and the Greenbrier Valley Airport expansion. The 81-acre site lies within the Gauley River watershed (HUC 05050005), which ultimately drains into the Kanawha River. The bank was designed to restore and replace the wetland functions and values lost through permitted impacts within the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Huntington District.

Prior to restoration, decades of livestock grazing and agricultural activity had degraded the site’s natural hydrology and vegetation. Land clearing, soil compaction, ditching, and nutrient loading had reduced wetland function and altered natural drainage patterns.

To reverse these impacts, RES implemented a comprehensive restoration plan across three project areas: wetland restoration, forested wetland enhancement, and buffer preservation. Hydrology was restored using clay plugs to block ditches and deep soil ripping to improve infiltration. The site was planted with native wetland species to reestablish vegetation and habitat diversity. In addition, RES completed the Greenbrier Valley Airport Stream Mitigation Site, a stream restoration project within the wetland restoration area that reconstructed 2,485 linear feet of an unnamed tributary using natural channel design techniques. Permanent conservation easements were established to protect the surrounding upland and riparian buffers.

All mitigation success criteria have been achieved, and the project has been released by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Following completion, RES donated the property to the West Virginia Department of Natural Resources, where it now forms part of the Meadow River Wildlife Management Area, providing long-term ecological benefits and public conservation value.