The former Lee Paper Mill is being redeveloped into an enterprise-level commercial development designed to honor its heritage as an economic engine to the town of Vicksburg. The 120-acre campus will be home to a mixed-use business model centered on beer, events and music. As the environmental consultant for the project, ECT provides wetland and floodplain permitting as well as stream restoration. This work is reflected in the Mill’s Pillars of Sustainability – the project’s ongoing mission to have “a people and planet-first approach” to everything related to the project.

While conducting biological surveys of Portage Creek’s fish and macroinvertebrates ECT discovered the federally endangered freshwater snuffbox mussel thriving in the stream. This prompted further investigation and conservation efforts as part of the stream restoration planning and design. This was a significant discovery since the species was listed as endangered since 2012 and was found thriving in such an unlikely degraded aquatic system. The findings provide clues about the habitat conditions that allow the snuffbox mussel to thrive and reproduce.

Enthused about the mussel discovery, the developers hope to create a snuffbox mussel stout at the brewery!