Stream and Wetland Mitigation Program

What We Do

• Protect and restore streams, wetlands and associated upland habitat.  

• Apply conservation science and planning to create high-quality outcomes in priority areas.

• Exceed the ecological benefits of isolated or small-scale mitigation by pooling resources to implement larger restoration projects with more significant ecological benefits. 

• Monitor the ecological health of the restoration site to ensure long-term success for each project.

• Work with partners, businesses and local communities to find, design, implement and manage projects.

Program Overview

For three decades, the Stream and Wetland Mitigation Program (SWMP) has proven the power of investing in wetlands and streams to restore critical ecosystem services — including clean water, flood protection and recreation — through cost-effective, science-based projects.

Launched in 1995 as the Virginia Wetland Restoration Trust Fund, this pioneering program allows developers to offset unavoidable impacts to streams and wetlands by purchasing mitigation credits. Instead of enabling fragmented small-scale efforts on individual pieces of property, funds are pooled and used by The Nature Conservancy to carry out large-scale restoration and preservation projects in high-priority conservation areas. The program is co-administered with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers-Norfolk District and the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality.

To date, the program has protected and restored over 20,000 acres — nearly half of which is public land — and prevented many tons of sediment from entering Virginia’s waterways. This success has become a model for other states across the country.

Purchase Credits

To address unavoidable impacts to streams and wetlands, the Stream and Wetland Mitigation Program enables individuals and developers to purchase mitigation credits. Funds from these credit purchases are then used to support larger, more effective conservation projects to protect Virginia’s rare plants, animals and natural habitats.

Instead of completing small, isolated efforts, the program combines funds from multiple sources to take on larger projects with better ecological outcomes. All projects are carefully reviewed and approved by state and federal agencies before moving forward.

By focusing on areas that offer the most environmental benefit, the program helps restore and protect land and water where damage has occurred — often at a lower cost, thanks to donated or affordably purchased land.

Through this credit-based system, TNC carries out on-the-ground restoration and long-term protection in strategic locations. This approach helps improve water quality, support wildlife, and create healthier ecosystems for everyone.

More purchasing and approval information is available here.

We look for sites with high restoration potential, which often means eroding streams with little to no vegetation and drained/ditched leveled lands. For example, we can work with farmers to reconnect eroding stream banks, plant trees and install new cattle fencing; parklands to rebuild and replant lost wetlands and repair streams and culvert crossings; or private landowners who want to remove an non-functioning or non compliant dam. There are many ways to plan and implement a project!

To submit, please fill out this form, and we will typically respond within 7 days. 

Request for Proposals

Request for Site Qualifications (RFSQ)

TNC is seeking suitable non-tidal wetland and/or stream mitigation site(s) in Chesapeake Bay, Potomac River, and Middle and Upper James River. The primary objectives are to restore, enhance and/or preserve stream, tidal and nontidal wetland systems in the hydrologic unit basins where the impacts occurred. The Request for Site Qualifications (RFSQ) will remain open for submissions through November 30, 2025, with a rolling schedule of deadlines.

Download the Request for Site Qualifications (RFSQ).

Explore Projects

Check out our interactive map to see current Stream and Wetland Mitigation Program projects under construction and to learn more about past successes.

Contact Us

• Submit a Potential Project  – Contact Kelly Ridenhour  kelly.ridenhour@tnc.org

• Program Inquiries – Contact Karen Johnson (804-249-3416) or email karen_johnson@tnc.org