An upland cow pasture that was destined for commercial development was transformed into a diverse stream/wetland/upland habitat, as mitigation for construction of a new roadway interchange adjacent to the site. The design called for excavation and reuse of over 50,000 cubic yards of soil, as on-site topsoil and to construct the roadway. Cleared trees and stumps were salvaged and reused in the wetland complex to provide structure, habitat and re-introduce local beneficial soil mycorrhizae, and over 5,000 native tree, shrub and herbaceous plants were installed. Site specific native wetland and upland meadow mixes were successful in revegetating the site and creating a self-sustaining herbaceous cover.
The site continues to function as a high performing, diverse, inter-connected ecosystem with sustainable meadows, large ponds and perennial stream, surrounded by a large emergent/shrub wetland protected by an emerging upland forest buffer that continues to provide ecological benefits.
Client:
Maine Turnpike Authority
Collaborators:
- HNTB
- Gendron Construction