The Dover Farm Wetland Mitigation Bank is a 966-acre ecological restoration project located along the west side of the Dismal Swamp Canal in Chesapeake, Virginia. Established in 2008, the site sits adjacent to the Great Dismal Swamp National Wildlife Refuge. Located within a connected corridor of protected conservation lands, Dover Farm reflects RES' long-term commitment to high-quality restoration, monitoring, and stewardship.
A recently approved MBI modification has expanded the service area to include the Lower James (HUC 02080208). The approved service area now includes primary HUCs 03010205, 03010203, and 02080208, with secondary coverage in 03010202, 03010201, and 03010204, providing project teams with greater flexibility across the watershed.
The bank breaks down into roughly 243 acres of wetland preservation, 686 acres of wetland restoration, and 33 acres of upland. Before restoration began, the property had been farmed for years, right up until 2009. The work included filling in old internal ditches using material from a leftover on-site airfield, building a water control structure in the northeast corner, and planting around 200,000 trees to reestablish native vegetation.
Dover Farm is designed to offset unavoidable wetland impacts in the Chesapeake Bay watershed. By restoring and protecting these wetlands, the project improves water quality and supports a mix of habitats, including bottomland hardwood forests, marshes, riparian zones, and wetlands, providing a healthy environment for wildlife such as the canebrake rattlesnake.
In 2019, the bank reached its Year 10 monitoring milestone, an assessment of long-term ecological success and environmental compliance. A decade in, and now with an expanded reach, Dover Farm stands as a strong example of what large-scale wetland restoration can do for the Chesapeake Bay region.
_2_1.jpg)
