Current Update

The turning of autumn leaves and frosty demise of annual plants signal the end of the growing season in Massachusetts. As WRP and its partners wrap up another successful field season, we look forward to the winter months when a new crop of restoration projects will be planned and prepared for 2006. Below, we look back at highlights from this past summer's restoration progress and forward to some of next year's exciting opportunities.

A partnership between state, federal, and corporate entities recently completed a

15-acre salt marsh restoration project at the Neponset River Reservation. The reservation is owned by the state Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR), the lead partner in this multi-phase restoration effort. Major funding for construction was provided by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. The Massachusetts Corporate Wetlands Restoration Partnership (CWRP) also provided substantial donations of funds and services to help complete phase I of the project.

Future project phases are planned over the next several years, with the potential to restore up to 40 additional acres of salt marsh. At the August 25th project event, Environmental Secretary Stephen Pritchard praised the collaborative effort: "This project is a great example of the power of partnerships. It shows that together we can take proactive steps to restore and preserve our unique urban natural resources." Click here to view the detailed CWRP press release that describes the project and the many partners who helped make it happen.

CZM's Wetlands Restoration Program was among the many partners celebrating

completion of the Locke Street Salt Marsh Restoration Project in Chelsea on October 7th. This small urban estuary restoration removed 1,200 cubic yards of accumulated sediment from the marsh surface to achieve three primary restoration goals: control invasive Phragmites vegetation, increase daily tidal flow onto the marsh, and drain freshwater from the marsh surface. The project received generous donations of technical and construction services from the following CWRP Partners: Charter Environmental Inc., Waste Management Inc., ERM Inc., The BSC Group, and Alpha Analytical, Inc. CZM was pleased to provide support to the project's sponsor, Chelsea Greenspace and Recreation Committee, along with its other partners.

Good news for river herring – the Quivett Creek Salt Marsh and Fish Run

Restoration Project was completed in early October. The restoration installed a larger box culvert to replace a failed set of culverts that had restricted tidal flow to 10 acres of upstream salt marsh. The old pipes also blocked a once-thriving herring run. Tidal exchange and fish passage are now both restored, and an attractive cedar plank bridge now spans the new culvert. Engineering design work was donated through CWRP by The Louis Berger Group. The project received additional funding from the NOAA Restoration Center, the FishAmerica Foundation, the Gulf of Maine/ NOAA Habitat Restoration Grant Program, the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, and the Conservation Law Foundation / Restore America's Estuaries partnership. CZM's Wetlands Restoration Program is proud to have assisted with technical services and project management.

The Herring River project offers an unprecedented opportunity to restore tidal

flushing to over 1,000 acres of coastal wetland habitats. A dike built across the mouth of the river in 1908 severely restricts tidal flow to the entire upstream system. In September, the Wellfleet Board of Selectmen voted to enter into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Cape Cod National Seashore to work cooperatively on the Herring River Restoration Project. The MOU establishes two Selectmen-appointed committees. A technical committee, including two CZM staff, will study existing information pertaining to the proposed restoration project and make recommendations to the Selectmen. A stakeholders committee, comprised of local landowners, concerned citizens, and representatives from several local, state, and federal agencies, will coordinate with the technical committee to ensure that local concerns and issues are factored into the town's decision-making process.

Construction at the former State Game Farm in East Sandwich is slated to begin

in late October. The project will partially remove an earthen causeway and dilapidated water control structure, and establish a new channel section to convey tidal flow from Scorton Creek to 8 acres of upstream salt marshes. The marshes have been cut off from normal tidal flushing since the dike was built in the 1920s. The project is sponsored by the Thornton Burgess Society, with funding and support provided by CZM's Wetlands Restoration Program, Ducks Unlimited, NOAA, Conservation Law Foundation, Restore America's Estuaries, Natural Resources Conservation Service, MA Corporate Wetlands Restoration Program, and Horsely Witten, Inc.

Bass Creek, Yarmouth

The Bass Creek restoration project in Yarmouth has entered the

design phase this month after completion of hydrologic modeling of the site. A recent tidal survey documented a one-foot tidal restriction caused by an undersized culvert on the tidal creek. Erosion around the culvert and the foot path it supports will also be addressed by the project. The hydrologic report recommends removing the 4-foot culvert and building a 35-foot wooden span walkway across Bass Creek. The new span would restore tidal flow to over 30 acres of degraded salt marsh by removing the restriction caused by the foot path. WRP is currently assisting the Town of Yarmouth in obtaining funding for construction.

A WRP consultant recently completed rapid technical assessments for over 20 of the most promising sites identified for the Great Marsh Coastal Wetlands Restoration Plan. These sites were chosen with input from local, state, and federal restoration partners as well as feedback from several community meetings held during the spring and early summer. The rapid assessments provide important baseline information -- including tide range surveys, habitat evaluations, and conceptual restoration options -- that will be used to gauge restoration potential and guide project development actions. The assessment data will be combined with information on over 100 potential salt marsh restoration sites to produce a draft restoration plan that will be released in late 2005.

While phase I of the Great Marsh planning work (salt marsh restoration sites) nears completion, WRP and CZM are starting work on phase II of the Plan: identification of eelgrass restoration opportunities. Historically, the Great Marsh region hosted extensive eelgrass beds that provided important near-shore habitat for a range of marine species. In the 1900s, most of the eelgrass died off due to widespread "wasting disease" and poor water quality conditions. Recent efforts to restore eelgrass beds along the Atlantic coast have met with some success, and state restoration programs are now pursuing restoration in Massachusetts waters.

CZM will work with a consulting firm this spring to collect the field data needed to run a habitat suitability model that will identify areas of potential eelgrass habitat within the Great Marsh region. The model relies on various data inputs -- such as depth of light penetration, water quality, and substrate type -- to identify and prioritize areas that may be suitable for eelgrass restoration. Potentially suitable areas will then be studied in greater detail with additional field work and test plantings. The goal is to identify several areas that exhibit high suitability for eelgrass restoration, and then complete pilot plantings followed by monitoring to document results.

Stay tuned for the release of the Draft Restoration Plan and for more info on phase II eelgrass developments.

WRP has accepted ten project nominations as designated priority projects through the FY 2006 priority project RFR. These projects are now program priorities and are eligible to receive WRP technical assistance, either internally through staff or externally through pre-qualified technical services firms. See the Priority Projects page for more information including a location map and aerial images of each site.

WRP has issued an RFR seeking proposals for wetland restoration grants for designated priority projects. The RFR solicitation closes at 3:00pm on December 8, 2005. Activities that are eligible to receive grants include actual construction and related activities, and post-construction monitoring. Approximately $200,000 in funding is anticipated to be available for the FY 2006 grant round. The RFR number is "ENV 06 CZM 08" and the title is "Wetland Restoration Grants for Priority Projects". To view the RFR, visit the Comm-PASS web site at http://www.comm-pass.com/ and search using the RFR number.

MA Riverways Publishes Stream Crossing Handbook

The Massachusetts Riverways Program just completed an excellent handbook that

provides clear and concise information about stream crossing problems and guidelines for proper design of culverts, bridges, and other structures for fish and wildlife passage. The handbook and accompanying wall poster are loaded with graphics and real-world examples that help explain key concepts. Digital copies of the handbook and poster can be downloaded from the Riverways handbook web page .

The Handbook is a product of the Riverways River Continuity Program that "works to reduce impediments to movement of fish, wildlife, and other aquatic life that require instream passage. The River Continuity Partnership is a collaborative effort with the Riverways Program, the University of Massachusetts Extension, The Nature Conservancy, and other nonprofit and agency partners." Visit the River Continuity Program web site for more information. Also see the UMass Continuity Project web site.

In October, Beth Suedmeyer joined CZM as the new Aquatic Invasive Species Specialist. Beth will help implement action items from the Massachusetts Aquatic Invasive Species Management Plan, including development of a marine invasive species monitoring program and management of the Marine Invader Database. A substantial part of her time will also be spent working with WRP and others to manage the purple loosestrife biological control program for Massachusetts. More information will be provided in future updates as Beth works to develop the purple loosestrife program.

Integrated Restoration Conference November 15-16

The Association of State Wetland Managers and the Institute for Wetland Science and Public Policy are hosting a conference in Amherst, MA on Integrated Restoration of Riverine Wetlands, Streams, Riparian Areas, and Floodplains in Watershed Contexts. The principal workshop goal is to build integrated federal, state, tribal, and local government stream, riverine wetland, riparian area, and floodplain protection and restoration capabilities. More specific goals include: