Osage / south grand edu
umbrella mitigation bank site 1 -
eightmile creek
Cass County, Missouri
The first site established under the Osage / South Grand EDU Umbrella Mitigation Bank, Site 1 – Eightmile Creek is a 48.07-acre restoration and preservation site situated on the floodplain of Eightmile Creek just upstream of the South Grand River. This mitigation site will compensate for authorized impacts to wetlands throughout the upper portion of the Osage River watershed in Missouri, including the southern portion of the Kansas City metropolitan area.
The western portion of the site contains a mature, diverse, and high-functioning forested wetland as well as some adjacent upland floodplain forest, all of which will be preserved. However, the eastern portion of the site includes more than 10 acres that has been cleared and drained for row crop agriculture. Additionally, an oil and gas lease existed over the land until 2021, creating the potential for resource extraction on the site, including the destruction of the mature forests present.
The location of Site 1 is subject to frequent flooding from Eightmile Creek and most of the farm field consists of farmed wetlands. Swallowtail will restore forested wetlands to the farm field by reversing the agricultural drainage of the farm field, constructing a meander-scar pool like the one in the adjacent mature forested wetlands, and then planting a diverse mix of trees, shrubs, forbs, sedges, and grasses.
In addition to restoring almost 11 acres of forested wetlands, Swallowtail has or will improve and protect this site through the following activities:
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Preserving 29 acres of forested wetlands
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Enhancing and preserving more than 3 acres of emergent wetlands
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Preserving more than 5 acres of high-quality floodplain forest
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Extinguishing an oil and gas lease on the site
The results of the mitigation efforts will be compatible with adjacent rural land use and the water quality improvements will help address the needs of downstream bodies of water such as the South Grand River, Truman Lake, and Lake of the Ozarks. Site construction occurred in 2024.
