Imperiled Ecosystems in a Shifting Climate
2016 Atlantic White Cedar Symposium
May 24-26, 2016

Hotel 1620, 180 Water St., Plymouth, MA

EEL RIVER RESTORATION: A REVIEW OF DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION METHODS USED IN A NEW ENGLAND CRANBERRY BOG RESTORATION

Marty Melchior (Inter-Fluve)

The Eel River restoration project in Plymouth, MA included restoration of 40 acres of Atlantic white cedar swamp and minerotrophic fen habitat, sphagnum moss restoration, fish and wildlife passage culvert replacements, removal of small dams, raptor perch habitat construction, 8,000 feet of new stream channel construction, over 1,000 pieces of large woody habitat, and stormwater detention and infiltration ponds. Habitat for salter Brook Trout, Bridle Shiner and Eastern Box Turtle, Massachusetts special concern species, were constructed. The Eel River restoration project represents an attempt to partially recreate pre-settlement mineral poor fen and Atlantic white cedar swamp conditions. Although true restoration is not possible, the sand dominated watershed tempers the effect of landuse on Eel River hydrology and allowed the project partners to develop a restoration plan that we believe could eventually closely mimic pre-settlement conditions. Design of the Eel River project started in 2006 and broke new ground in the field of cranberry bog restoration, and developed many techniques that are shaping the practice. Design included analysis and review of water and soil chemistry, groundwater elevations, spring sources and streamflow, topographic and bathymetric surveying, peat depth and coring, macrofossil identification, hydraulic and fluvial geomorphic analysis. Atlantic white cedar swamp experts from Woods Hole and the Mid-Atlantic states were consulted, as were cutover peatland restoration experts. Concept and final plans were developed, and the project was constructed in 2009. This talk will present an overview of the design and construction approaches used, and the challenges faced in both design and construction.

Contact Information: Martin Melchior, Inter-Fluve, 301 South Livingston Street, Madison, WI 53703 USA, Phone 608-354-8260, Email: mmelchior@interfluve.com