"A project that survives conservative review is worth more than a fantasy on a spreadsheet," she said.
The conservation easement was recorded in April.
Warren signed it at Harlon's office.
His hand hovered over the line longer than anyone expected.
Casey stood behind him.
"You sure?" she asked.
Warren looked at the page. With one signature, he was agreeing that part of the farm would never return to ordinary row cropping. The idea would have been unthinkable the previous spring.
Then he remembered Gerald standing beside the flooded field telling him water had a way of making decisions for people.
Warren signed.
"Water didn't make this one," he said.
Restoration construction began in May, almost exactly one year after the flood.
It looked less dramatic than Warren expected. There were no enormous dams or theatrical earthmoving operations. Crews worked carefully, disabling selected drainage features, reshaping small areas, stabilizing channels, and creating conditions for water to spread in ways that fit the low ground rather than being forced through it. Native plantings followed in phases.
Warren watched from the edge with suspicion.
"They're making it wetter," he told Casey.
"That's the assignment."
"Spent my whole life paying people to do the opposite."
"Inflation."
He tried not to smile.
The first credit release did not happen when construction finished. Monitoring had to show that initial performance milestones were met. The project needed evidence of hydrology, vegetation establishment, and compliance with the approved plan. Claire's company carried most of the financial risk during that period.
Warren received the negotiated easement payment, which he used conservatively. He paid down debt, replaced a leaking roof section on the farmhouse, and put money aside for a combine repair everyone knew was coming eventually. He did not buy a new truck.
Gerald noticed that too.
The banker visited once after the settlement, not as part of any formal requirement but because Warren had requested documents concerning the restructured loan. Their conversation lasted ten minutes.
Before leaving, Gerald looked toward the restored acreage.
"So it worked out."
Warren considered him. "Not yet."
"Looks like it did."