Our Little Patuxent River Mitigation Project in Howard County, Maryland, is an integrated stream restoration, wetland creation, riparian buffer enhancement, land conservation, and tree planting project all in one. In addition to multiple ecological benefits such as improved water quality and habitat enhancement, this initiative provides mitigation for unavoidable impacts to low resource value streams and wetlands related to safety improvements at Tipton Airport within the Little Patuxent Watershed.
Onsite materials were beneficially reused for construction, providing a nature-based approach while reducing the project’s carbon footprint. This fully integrated headwater stream and wetland restoration project was designed to maximize ecological uplift and function. In addition, the stream area is permanently fenced to prevent cattle from entering the channel, arresting further degradation and facilitating regeneration of form and function. The landowner worked with GreenVest and the Howard County Soil Conservation District (SCD) to replace lost cattle water sources by installing new wells and watering stations to avoid impacts to the active cattle operations on the farm.
The landowner for the Little Patuxent River Mitigation Project is the Marriner Family, owners of Maryland’s largest farm brewery: Manor Hill Brewing. The Marriner Family was named 2023 Cooperator of the Year by the SCD for their commitment to limiting sediment and nutrient loading/pollution in the area. In addition to a plaque from the SCD, the award included recognition from the Howard County Council, the Maryland Department of Agriculture, the United States Department of Agriculture, and the United States House of Representatives. GreenVest’s initiatives on the farm played a big part in helping the family meet their commitments and represent a valued partnership between several entities.
The Manor Hill Farm hosted the Annual Cooperators Dinner where the Marriner Family was commended for their efforts, and Graham Boardman, one of our Senior Project Managers, attended to support this achievement. Invitees were given a hayride tour of the farm. Graham was able to explain to attendees the positive role that the stream and wetland restoration work has on the farm operations during the hay ride and via several presentation boards which provided additional details on the project.
This recognition is a testament to GreenVest’s commitment to working with landowners to provide ecological uplift while prioritizing their goals and mission. We would like to congratulate the Marriner Family and thank the SCD for their support. We would also like to thank our project partners AMT Engineering and Meadville Land Service for their support in designing and constructing this project.
