The Cypress Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation established in 2007. It was organized exclusively for the purpose of long-term land stewardship with an emphasis on stream and wetland restoration in the state of Kentucky. Since then The Foundation has expanded and currently holds conservation easements in Kentucky, Indiana, and Illinois. The Foundation is committed to ensuring that restored sites will be properly monitored, managed, and protected in perpetuity.
What We Do: Mitigation is the terms used to describe regulatory permit conditions that require an applicant to restore the ecological damage caused by their permitted activity. Our typical projects begin in this scenario. In the early years of a project we are involved with developing or approving plans for ecological restoration, the implementation of those plans, and then monitoring the success of the project. Thereafter, we focus primarily on protecting the lands from encroachment, and preventing the damage caused thereby. The agencies prefer for the applicant to protect the restored site with a conservation easement and then transfer the easement and/or the site to a 3rd party such as the Cypress Foundation. These transfers are accompanied by an endowment that funds the management & enforcement activities.
It takes many years for a degraded site to truly heal back to a natural condition. Although groundcovers and young trees may be established, the sensitive species more indicative of mature forest rely on complex fungi, soil invertebrate & similar relationships that take years to culture and manifest. The early years of a restoration project are the most sensitive. This period of time is generally considered to encompass the first generation of forest maturation. Restored sites are particularly susceptible during this period to invasion by exotic species. Young forests lack the full range of diversity that provides resilience against invasion, or the ability to recover rapidly in the wake of disturbance. As such, we manage newly restored sites as closed to non-essential activities. We maintain a protocol for the decontamination of all field gear in order to prevent the inadvertent introduction of undesirable elements.
Post-restoration the construction entrances or other non-essential access points are removed, permanent ingress points are gated, the perimeters are posted according to state law, and remote cameras are installed. These cameras send photos as they are taken so that we can become instantly aware of issues such as trespassing. The use of remote cameras also allows us to rapidly detect encroachment and prevent or reduce the damage caused thereby. It then provides photo documentation should the matter require legal remedy.
Please visit our gallery to see a handful of photos, taken at a few of our sites. If you would like to donate please contact us at info@cypressfoundation.org
Cypress Foundation Inc. 