Excellence in Wetlands, Water Quality, and Ecosystems
Louie-Beach Advanced Wetland Compensation Site

The site will be home for a variety of wildlife

Pennsylvania Department of Transportation
Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission
Pennsylvania Game Commission
New Enterprise Stone and Lime Company
The EADS Group

This partnership effort between environmental resource agencies, conservation groups, and transportation agencies resulted in a project that truly enhances the natural environment. The advanced wetland compensation site is named after the two principal equipment operators who performed the earthwork and added the final landscape features to this site. This concept of advanced wetland compensation involves constructing wetland mitigation sites in anticipation of future transportation projects that may have unavoidable wetland impacts. This process permits the new wetland sites to be located away from the highway and placed in more suitable, and cost effective locations. The Louie-Beach wetlands were designed to maximize the total area available and to provide a wide variety of habitat for fish and wildlife species. Coordination among government agencies, private landowners, and conservation groups was a key part of the planning and design of this project and continues to play a role in the future plans for the site. The wetlands site is providing a new home for a variety of fish and wildlife species, along with promoting environmental educational opportunities, and improving the water quality in the Kimberly Run and Casselman watershed.

11,000 seedlings were planted by volunteers on wetland planting day in the spring of 2001.

Project Contributors Pennsylvania Department of Transportation       Louis Orris       Ron Beachy       Bill Savage       J. Dain Davis Pennsylvania Game Commission       Cliff Guindon Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission       Dave Willis The EADS Group       Ken Smith New Enterprise Stone and Lime Company       Gene Barron