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Update on Massachuetts Wetlands Restoration
December 2003
The past year has been a busy one for wetlands restoration in Massachusetts, with many developments both internally in the Wetlands Restoration Program (WRP) and across the state with restoration accomplishments. We are pleased to provide you with this update that includes new contact information, highlights of selected recent projects, and news of upcoming restoration activities. In the future, news and project updates will be hosted on a new WRP website which is currently under construction. Email notifications will be sent out to the WRP email list when the website is complete and thereafter when significant updates are posted. To be added or removed from our email list, send an email to wetlands.restoration@state.ma.us with your request.
On the Move
In July 2003, the Wetlands Restoration Program was transferred to the Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management (CZM) from its former host, the Department of Environmental Protection. The purpose of the relocation was to enhance coordination with inter-related programs and initiatives and to reduce administrative costs. The Executive Office of Environmental Affairs continues its strong support of WRP with capital funds to maintain two wetland scientists / project managers, a restoration planner, technical services contracts, and coordination services with public-private partnerships. Now integrated within CZM, the program is focusing its efforts on wetlands restoration in coastal watersheds, with an emphasis on the holistic restoration of tidal or formerly tidal wetlands.
To learn about CZM's monthly email newsletter "CZ-Mail" and annual magazine "Coastlines", including information on how to subscribe, click here.
WRP moved offices in early December and has the following new address and contact info:
Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management
Wetlands Restoration Program
251 Causeway St., Suite 800
Boston, MA 02114-2136
Bruce Carlisle, Coordinator: 617-626-1205 / bruce.carlisle@state.ma.us
Hunt Durey, Restoration Planner: 617-626-1245 (new phone) / hunt.durey@state.ma.us
Georgeann Keer, Wetland Scientist: 617-626-1246 (new phone) / georgeann.keer@state.ma.us
Tim Smith, Wetland Scientist: 617-626-1247 (new phone) / tim.smith@state.ma.us
PLEASE NOTE: old email addresses for WRP staff (Hunt, Georgeann, and Tim) may no longer work if they were copied to an address book from emails generated before our move (due to coding issues we won't bore you with). The best way to ensure future emails get to us is to copy the addresses above and paste them into your contact address book to replace the old ones.
Recent Progress
Seventeen Acres of Wetlands Restored in Fall/Winter 2003
In the fourth quarter of 2003, CZM's Wetlands Restoration Program -- working closely with project partners -- helped to complete restoration work on the following four projects: Mary Chase Marsh in Eastham, Eastern Point Marsh in Gloucester, Seaview Street Marsh in Rockport, and Oak Island Marsh in Revere. Through these efforts, approximately 17 acres of degraded wetlands have been restored at three of the sites, while preparations were made at the fourth to restore an additional 25 acres in 2004.
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| Oak Island, Revere, November 2003 - addition of new 6-foot diameter culvert beneath MBTA railroad tracks in preparation for Phase II of the project that will restore 25 acres of salt marsh in 2004. |
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Eastern Point, Gloucester, November 2003 - installation of new 24-inch box culvert to restore tidal flow to 6 acres of degraded salt marsh at MA Audubon Eastern Point Wildlife Sanctuary. |
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| Seaview Street, Rockport, November 2003 - project partners stand atop a new box culvert that restored tidal flow to one acre of salt marsh upstream. |
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Mary Chase Marsh, Eastham, October 2003 - contractors work to remove rocks from an old stone dike to restore 10 acres of degraded marsh. |
Bridge Creek: Phase I Complete; Phase II Receives ~$382,000 in Restoration Grants
Phase II of the Bridge Creek restoration project in Barnstable just moved a whole lot closer toward construction following recent announcements of funding awards: Nature Conservancy - $25,325 and U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Coastal Wetland Conservation Grant Program - ~$357,000. The project will replace two undersized culverts beneath Route 6A and an adjacent railroad bed that cross Bridge Creek. For many decades, these crossings have restricted the flow of tides within the creek and have degraded upstream marshes. The new larger culverts will restore more natural tidal flows to the marsh system. Phase I of the project (replacement of the railroad culvert) was completed in May 2003. The recent awards, along with WRP support and many other partner contributions, will provide the resources needed to complete Phase II of the project, restoring a combined total of 40 acres of salt marsh for both phases.
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| March 2003 aerial photo of Phase I railroad culvert work and Phase II culvert under Rt. 6A. |
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Phase II Rt. 6A culvert to be replaced Fall 2004 to restore 16 acres of salt marsh. |
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| Phase I old railroad culvert replaced by... |
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new railroad culvert -- 24 acres restored, May 2003. |
WRP Completes New Wetlands Restoration Plans
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Working in partnership with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers New England District, WRP produced the Mount Hope Bay Tidal Restriction Atlas in April 2003. The atlas is an interactive digital document on CD that uses maps, photos, and descriptions to identify and characterize 25 tidal restrictions within the study area. The study area includes the Massachusetts portion of Mount Hope Bay and the tidal stretches of its tributaries, including the Runnins, Palmer, Cole, Lee, Taunton, and Assonet rivers in the towns of Berkley, Dighton, Fall River, Freetown, Rehoboth, Seekonk, Somerset, and Swansea. A donation made through the MA Corporate Wetlands Restoration Partnership, matched by money from the Corps Section 22 Planning Assistance to States program, provided the funding to complete the atlas.
In June 2003, WRP completed a joint project with the Worcester County Conservation District to produce the Upper Blackstone River Watershed Wetlands Restoration Plan . The digital plan (on CD) presents maps and summary descriptions of 71 potential wetland restoration sites found within the Upper Blackstone River watershed, including all or portions of the following 13 municipalities: Auburn, Boylston, Grafton, Holden, Leicester, Millbury, Northbridge, Oxford, Paxton, Shrewsbury, Sutton, West Boylston, and Worcester. The overall goal of the Restoration Plan is to help municipalities, state and federal agencies, and other organizations and individuals to identify, prioritize, and initiate wetland restoration projects that will improve the health of the watershed's aquatic systems. The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection provided funding for this project through a Section 604(b) Water Quality Management Planning Grant.
Copies of these plans on CD are available by contacting Hunt Durey (617) 626-1245 / hunt.durey@state.ma.us.
Sites Advance from New Bedford Harbor Wetlands Restoration Plan
The NOAA Restoration Center, New Bedford Harbor Trustee Council, and Harbor communities are working together to advance several of the priority restoration sites identified in the New Bedford Harbor Environment Wetlands Restoration Plan prepared by WRP in 2002. The sites include important opportunities to restore historically filled and tidally restricted salt marshes and freshwater wetlands in the New Bedford Harbor region. Using natural resource damages funds generated from settlement of past pollution cases, the Trustees are supporting a range of restoration activities from feasibility studies through project construction. For more information, contact Steve Block of the NOAA Restoration Center: (978) 281-9127 / steve.block@noaa.gov.
In the Works
WRP continues to work with many partners on important restoration projects. Recent program forecasts suggest that over the next 2-3 years, opportunities in various stages of development have the potential to restore well over 1,000 acres of degraded tidal habitats. Over 10 projects are currently preparing for construction and are slated for completion in 2004. The new WRP website (when complete) will provide more detailed descriptions of restoration projects and activities, and will be updated frequently.
In 2004, WRP will work closely with upper North Shore coastal communities, from Amesbury to Rockport, and in partnership with government agencies and area environmental groups to produce a coastal aquatic habitat restoration plan for the Great Marsh region. Habitats covered by the plan will include filled and restricted tidal wetlands, and may be expanded to also include sources of water quality impairment, degraded habitat buffers, channelized and buried coastal streams, and impediments to anadromous fish passage. The plan will help people locate and prioritize restoration opportunities and set the stage for design, permitting, and project implementation.
WRP Releases Call for Priority Project Nominations
On December 3, 2003, WRP posted a Request for Responses (RFR) on the state Comm-PASS procurement system soliciting nominations of restoration projects for consideration as priority projects. Projects that are accepted by WRP as priority projects will be eligible to receive technical services funded by WRP during the state fiscal year 2004 (ending June 30, 2004). The purpose of the RFR is to provide an open public process for selection of priority projects that are eligible to receive state-funded technical services. Additional RFRs will be posted in fiscal year 2005 to announce future rounds for project nominations. Click here to view the RFR posting on the state's Comm-PASS website.
Update: WRP has selected a group of priority projects. Click here for details.
Please contact the staff listed above with any questions you may have about the program and its work to restore Massachusetts wetlands.
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