Back Mountain
In September 2021, Lyme closed on the acquisition of 172 acres in the Middle James River watershed to establish a stream and wetland mitigation bank. The property features over 55 acres of wetland, pine and hardwood forests, and 92 acres of open pasture, and it borders the Willis River. Family-owned, it has been managed primarily for hay production and cattle grazing over the past several decades. Ditches and channelized streams in the river’s floodplain create opportunity for ecological uplift. Our restoration plan includes ceasing agricultural activities and restoring, enhancing forested and emergent wetland systems with improved hydrology, planting native vegetation, and stream and stream buffer restoration. Located in rural central Virginia, a mitigation bank will serve public and private development in Richmond, Charlottesville, and Lynchburg where there is significant population and business growth.
