Beautiful, clear water is once again beginning to flow in some of the tributaries throughout this historically degraded and de-forested property in southern Virginia. As the Tye Mitigation Bank continues work restoring these vital headwaters, improving water quality and wildlife habitats on a watershed scale, the results are visible and increasingly… clear.
Since receiving formal regulatory approvals, the Tye River Mitigation Bank has constructed more than 20 miles of new livestock exclusion fences, built more than 40 off-stream water-stations, planted more than 50,000 new trees and shrubs, and invested many hundreds of hours into managing invasive species. All this work intended to restore ecological function to this previously-damaged landscape.
The 10-year project is focused on the property’s more than 10 miles of streams and more than 400 acres of associated riparian area in the headwaters of Virginia’s Tye River. It follows after vital land reclamation activities on the uplands were completed. The now stable, vegetated hillsides are currently serving as functional pastureland on the family’s 800-acre homestead. All of this land and water have recently been protected in perpetuity for conservation by the owners at Tillman Conservation.
“It has taken an enormous amount of effort, but in the end we can rest easy, knowing we have protected our watershed. The new abundance of wildlife, the presence of fish in our streams, and the sight of hawks in our skies, are all evidence to our success,” said Shannon Tillman, President.
This fall, owners expect the last work to be completed on the most incised and unstable stream areas, and with spring of 2023, tens of thousands of additional plantings will go to ground.
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