Eel River: In 2009 and 2010, the headwaters of Eel River were restored from 40 acres of cranberry bog and 20 acres of impoundment to native river and wetland ecosystem. The restoration included the creation of 8,000 feet of stream channel, installation of 1,400 pieces of large wood, planting of over 17,000 Atlantic white cedar trees, installed two fish and wildlife passage road culverts, and removed the Sawmill Dam. In 2011 the project won the National Coastal America Partnership Award from the Department of the Interior. The area is known as the Eel River Preserve and is managed by the Town of Plymouth for public use and benefit. Project partners included the Town of Plymouth, MA Department of Environmental Protection, American Rivers, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Corporate Wetlands Restoration Partnership, USDA NRCS, The Nature Conservancy, and MA Division of Ecological Restoration.
Tidmarsh Farms: This project aims to permanently protect and enhance over 250 acres of the Beaver Dam Brook Watershed that is currently made up of cranberry bogs. Designs are completed and construction will begin in October, 2015. The project aims to restore natural wetlands and streams, improve water quality, enhance biological diversity and create a mosaic of habitat types within this former commercial cranberry bog complex. Approximately 3.5 miles of stream will be constructed, 7000 Atlantic white cedar trees will be planted, tens of thousands of other plants will be planted (many of them grown in an on-site nursery), more than 3,000 pieces of large wood will be installed, and one dam and multiple flow control structures will be removed. The project partners are too numerous to list, but the lead sponsors are The Living Observatory, MA Division of Ecological Restoration, USDA NRCS, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and Tidmarsh Farms, Inc.
This urban wetland forest is a 250-acre gem of open space near the center of the town of Sharon, Massachusetts. The Great Cedar Swamp (GCS), an inland Atlantic white cedar community feeding two important regional watersheds, is an important recharge area for Sharon’s six municipal supply wells. The groundwater reservoir protected beneath the wetland also feeds Lake Massapoag year-round, providing a wealth of recreation for its residents and excellent habitat for its fish. In 2010, an ambitious study project was initiated by the town’s Conservation Commission, aiming to restore the GCS while protecting adjacent residential areas. Tour participants will see first-hand the work in progress, results of work done so far, as well as the restoration needs of diverse areas still marked by dying cedars trees and the loss of biodiversity.
