Current Update

"Shovels in the ground" is a saying often heard within the restoration community describing the end point of restoration projects that cap off many hours (and dollars) spent in preparation. I'm pleased to report that this spring saw an intense flurry of shovels in the ground, with three restoration projects totaling 115 acres going to construction. One of these projects, Sesuit Creek in Dennis, is the largest salt marsh restoration completed to date in Massachusetts.

These concrete achievements (literally) are a direct result of the energy, dedication, and financial investment put forth by many partners working together to pursue a common goal -- the restoration of degraded coastal wetland habitats. We at CZM-WRP are proud of the role that the Commonwealth plays in helping others achieve these results, and we congratulate everyone who contributed to making these projects happen. Well done!

-Hunt Durey, CZM-WRP Manager

Restoration Project Completions

-- Sesuit Creek Restoration, Dennis

-- Bass Creek, Yarmouth

-- South Cape Beach, Mashpee

Restoration in the News

Projects Receive Funding from NRCS

Selected Project Updates

-- Town Creek, Salisbury

-- Green Harbor River, Marshfield Tide Station Installed

-- Herring River, Wellfleet

-- Purple Loosestrife Biocontrol Project Updates

Highlights of Recent Corporate Wetlands Restoration Partnership Activities

Announcements, Publications, and Upcoming Events

Sesuit Creek Watershed Restoration, Dennis

Congressman Delahunt, EEA Secretary Bowles, and CZM Director McGee Highlight Dennis Restoration Event

On June 13, over 100 project partners and supporters came together to celebrate the Sesuit Creek Restoration Project in Dennis—the largest salt marsh restoration completed to date in Massachusetts. For more than 80 years the Bridge Street crossing of Sesuit Creek had choked off upstream wetlands from natural tidal flows, causing severe degradation of the marsh and obstructing fish passage. The project replaced a failing two-foot diameter pipe beneath the road with two 10-foot by 12-foot concrete culverts, which increased flow capacity by 60 times and restored natural tidal conditions to the 65-acre marsh. Combined with the recent enlargement of other road culverts along the creek by the Massachusetts Highway Department, this project also restored fish passage to important spawning habitat in upstream Scargo Lake.

Secretary Ian Bowles, Director Leslie-Ann McGee, and Congressman William Delahunt spoke at the event, praising the town and project partners for this inspiring accomplishment. "As the state's largest coastal wetland restoration project to date, Sesuit Creek is an important and impressive achievement that will pay environmental dividends for generations to come," Secretary Bowles said. "I commend officials and residents of the town of Dennis for their strong stewardship of ecosystems such as this, which make the Cape an unparalleled place to live, work, and play." Led by the town of Dennis and its citizens, the project was supported by the following partners: CZM, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) National Marine Fisheries Service, the Natural Resources Conservation Service, and the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. Significant funding was also provided by the Massachusetts Legislature through the efforts of Senator Robert O'Leary and Representative Cleon Turner.

Bass Creek, Yarmouth

At the Bass Creek restoration site on the Cape Cod Bay side of town, a four-foot corrugated metal culvert beneath an old earthen dike was replaced with a 35-foot-long walking bridge over an open channel. The project, located in Yarmouth's Callery-Darling Conservation Area, has dramatically improved tidal exchange to a degraded 35-acre marsh upstream of the earthen dike. Project partners include the town of Yarmouth, CZM-WRP, the Gulf of Maine/NOAA partnership, FishAmerica Foundation, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service / Coastal America Foundation Partnership, the Corporate Wetlands Restoration Partnership, the Natural Resources Conservation Service, and the Association to Preserve Cape Cod. Construction was completed in mid-April.

South Cape Beach, Mashpee

The South Cape Beach site is located on land owned by the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) and managed by the Waquoit Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve and the town of Mashpee. The restoration project replaced two undersized culverts beneath roads that cross tidal creeks and restricted tidal flow to upstream salt marshes. The first crossing was changed to a 28-foot span footbridge above an open channel, and the second crossing was replaced with a 10-foot by 10-foot open bottom culvert. The project will improve

degraded conditions within 15 acres of salt marsh and restore a natural channel bottom throughout the system. Project partners include CZM-WRP, DCR, the town of Mashpee, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the Corporate Wetlands Restoration Partnership, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service / National Fish and Wildlife Foundation partnership. Construction was completed in early May.

After nearly three years and many important contributions working with the Wetlands Restoration Program, Beth Suedmeyer will be leaving us in mid-August to join the Department of Conservation and Recreation's Areas of Critical Environmental Concern Program as their Inland ACEC Coordinator. While working with CZM-WRP as the Restoration Planner, Beth contributed to several key projects, including the Aquatic Habitat Restoration Task Force Report, Great Marsh Coastal Wetlands Restoration Plan, and effective management or our Purple Loosestrife Biocontrol Project. We will miss her greatly and wish her well in her new role with the ACEC Program.

We are very happy to have our long-time colleague and fellow Project Manager, Georgeann Keer, again working with us full-time after she had temporarily shifted to a part-time schedule to focus on her family and young children. Georgeann will be managing the Purple Loosestrife Biocontrol Project after Beth leaves and will be taking on several new coastal wetland restoration projects as well.

Click on the links below to read articles about recently completed projects and other restoration efforts:

Boston Globe North 4/27/2008 – State grants aimed at boosting marshlands

The Boston Globe, 4/27/2008 – Fighting one exotic species with another: Purple loosestrife is target of beetles

Cape Cod Times 5/5/2008 - Marsh restorations undo years of harm

Wicked Local, Yarmouth 6/4/2008 – In the flow

Wicked Local, Cape Cod 6/13/2008 – Dennis celebrates completion of Sesuit Creek watershed restoration project

The Salem News, 6/17/2008 – My view: Students work to save Great Marsh

MetroWest Daily News, 7/6/2008 – 21st century beetlemania

Andover Townsman, 7/24/2008 – Targeting a 'menace': Scientist sics her beetles on invasive plant

Wicked Local, Canton 7/24/2008 – Meet the beetles

Aquatic Habitat Restoration Task Force Report Released

In April, Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs (EEA) Secretary Ian Bowles released the Aquatic Habitat Restoration Task Force's final report and recommendations. Entitled Charting the Course: A Blueprint for the Future of Aquatic Habitat Restoration in Massachusetts, the report includes six recommendations to guide the efforts of EEA and its partners to achieve greater restoration results for the next several years and into the next decade. In May 2007, Secretary Bowles launched the Task Force, which included broad and balanced membership and equal representation from government and non-government entities. For more information, see the Aquatic Habitat Restoration Task Force web page, which includes links to the Task Force final report and a fact sheet providing an overview of the report and the work of the Task Force.

CZM-WRP Awards FY 2008 Wetland Restoration Grants

In May, CZM-WRP selected nine proposals to receive grant awards totaling $200,000 under its FY 2008 Wetland Restoration Grants for Priority Projects RFR. Grant funds will be used by recipients through the end of 2008 to support construction-related activities and monitoring at designated Priority Project sites.

The awardees for construction-related grants are:

• Gulf River Estuary / Town of Cohasset - $12,000

• Green Harbor River / Town of Marshfield - $21,400

• Eel River Headwaters Conservation Area / Town of Plymouth - $50,000

• Thissell Marsh, Beverly / Salem Sound Coastwatch - $21,000

The awardees for monitoring grants are:

• Association to Preserve Cape Cod (Barnstable) - $18,518

• Cohasset Center for Student Coastal Research (Cohasset) - $26,610

• Lloyd Center for the Environment (Dartmouth) - $21,856

• Mass Audubon (Wenham) – $7,116

• Nantucket Conservation Foundation (Nantucket) - $9,100

• Salem Sound Coastwatch (Salem) – $12,400

“The grants announced today will help coastal communities protect and restore the health of salt marshes and other important coastal wetlands,” EEA Secretary Bowles said. “By leveraging significant federal funds for project construction and engaging volunteers and students in the restoration of local wetland habitats, these grants will produce a significant return on investment for people and the environment.” For more information, including summary descriptions of each grant award, see the EEA press release.

Projects Receive Funding from NRCS

NRCS Wildlife Habitat Incentives Program

The Wildlife Habitat Incentives Program (WHIP) is a voluntary program offered by the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) to improve wildlife habitat primarily on private land. Through WHIP, the NRCS provides both technical assistance and up to 75 percent cost-share assistance to establish and improve fish and wildlife habitat. Several CZM-WRP project partners received WHIP awards this spring.

Medouie Creek, Nantucket – The Medouie Creek salt marsh restoration project will improve tidal influence to an approximately 18-acre degraded salt marsh by alleviating a tidal restriction between the marsh and Polpis Harbor in Nantucket, Massachusetts. The restriction is caused by a dike road that was built at the marsh perimeter long ago.

To help improve tidal exchange and restore salt marsh habitat, the project will create a new tidal connection along the dike road by lowering the grade of the road to create a broad ford with a 3-foot by 3-foot concrete box culvert below the low point. The culvert will allow continuous water transfer between the marsh and harbor under normal tide conditions, and the broad ford in the road will allow for enhanced tidal exchange during higher high tide events. Project implementation is being supported by a $20,000 NRCS WHIP award, combined with other funds supplied by CZM-WRP, a NOAA-Fish America Partnership Grant, the US Fish and Wildlife Service Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program, MA Fish and Game's Private Landowner Incentive Program, and the Nantucket Conservation Foundation.

Thissell Marsh, Beverly – Thissell Marsh is a 5-acre site located on the grounds of Endicott College in Beverly behind a small barrier beach on the north side of Salem Sound. Prior to human alteration, the site contained approximately 4-5 acres of tidal wetlands, open water mud flats, and a meandering tidal creek flowing through the marsh and barrier dune to the ocean. Over the past three centuries, the site has been degraded by numerous activities, including placement of fill within 2 acres of marsh to

create tennis courts, confinement of the entire tidal creek into a channel, and replacement of the natural channel through the dune with an undersized culvert. In partnership with CZM-WRP, Salem Sound Coastwatch has worked closely with Endicott College, abutters, and other partners to advance the restoration project, and was recently awarded ~$147,500 by NRCS for construction. This award will be used to replace the failing culvert through the dune with a larger structure designed to restore full tidal flows to the marsh. Funding from the college, property owners, and other sources will be used to restore filled marsh, re-establish a natural tidal creek, and complete other improvements.

Fowl Meadow, Boston/Milton/Canton – The recent NRCS WHIP award of ~$90,000 to this project will support biological control of purple loosestrife through the release of beetles over a 5 year period on the 200-acre Fowl Meadow site. The site is an Area of Critical Environmental Concern and owned by the Department of Conservation and Recreation. The project is being coordinated by the Neponset River Watershed Association (NEPRWA) Restoration Program in collaboration with CZM-WRP and other partners. Click here to view the NEPRWA web page for this project.

Town Creek, Salisbury – CZM-WRP has recently completed a feasibility study evaluating options to install a second culvert and adjustable tide gate under an abandoned railroad embankment in Salisbury along Town Creek. Construction in the 19th century of a railroad across Town Creek blocked the flow of tidal water to approximately 350 acres of upstream marsh that is now severely degraded by poor water quality, lack of tidal flushing, and invasive species. The restoration study is being coordinated with efforts by MA Highway and the Town of Salisbury to transform the embankment into a bike path and address chronic flooding problems. The study will demonstrate how an additional culvert and adjustable tidal control device beneath the embankment will increase the drainage capacity of the Town Creek flood plain and provide greater flood control, while also increasing the overall tidal influence in the marsh and gaining a host of ecological improvements. CZM-WRP, Salisbury officials, and other project partners are currently reviewing preliminary study results with the goal of installing new drainage structures during bike path construction in 2009.

Green Harbor River, Marshfield Tide Station Installed – With support from the MA

Corporate Wetlands Restoration Partnership, the ERM Foundation, the UMASS-Boston Coastal Environmental Sensing Network, MA Audubon, and the Town of Marshfield, CZM-WRP has installed a semi-permanent tide monitoring station along the Green Harbor River in Marshfield. The solar-powered, high-tech station continuously reads tide height, water temperature, and salinity. Every 30 minutes, a telemetric control box dials a cell phone number and data is uploaded to the system, where it can be viewed on the world-wide web in near real-time. The tide station will allow town officials, local landowners, and other project partners to keep a close eye on the Green Harbor River tidal patterns, which are expected to change gradually after the town installs a new, adjustable tide gate within the Green Harbor Dike along Route 139.

Herring River, Wellfleet – On June 20, Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs (EEA) Secretary Ian Bowles established a Special Review Procedure for the 1,100-acre Herring River restoration project in Wellfleet. As requested by the Herring River Restoration Committee, the Special Review Procedure formally establishes a coordinated, joint review process, under the regulations of the National Environmental Policy Act, the MA Environmental Policy Act, and the Cape Cod Regional Development Plan. This consolidation will allow the public to provide both written and oral comments under all three regulatory processes within a single timeframe. The Special Review Procedure was noticed in the July 9 Environmental Monitor. Public scoping sessions will be held at the Wellfleet Senior Center and are schedule for August 14 at 2 p.m. and September 24 at 7 p.m. Extensive information about the Herring River Restoration Project can be located on the Town of Wellfleet's website.

Purple Loosestrife Biocontrol Project Updates –

“Lessoning” Loosestrife Curriculum Published by Mass Audubon

Mass Audubon, in collaboration with CZM-WRP and other partners, developed the Lessoning Loosestrife curriculum to share activities and exercises that classroom teachers and non-formal educators can use to introduce the purple loosestrife biocontrol project to students in grades 1-12. The curriculum development was facilitated by a 5-Star Restoration Grant awarded by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to Mass Audubon and partners in 2007. The project is an extension of Mass Audubon's Salt Marsh Science Project, a curriculum that has been implemented on Massachusetts' North Shore for over 10 years and involves middle and high school students in meaningful scientific monitoring experiences. The new curriculum “Lessoning Loosestrife” has adapted many of the salt marsh lessons that are tried and true, and is geared toward monitoring wetlands infested with invasive, purple loosestrife. It includes activities that introduce basic concepts of invasive species, ecosystems, and biodiversity, as well as monitoring methods and data analysis. To visit the web-site and download the curriculum, go to the website.

Purple Loosestrife Biocontrol Project Teacher receives Secretary's Excellence Awards
Paula Fenyman of Curtis Middle School in Sudbury, MA was recognized with an Award for Excellence in Energy and Environmental Education on May 12 at the State House. At the awards presentation, EEA Secretary Ian Bowles said, “These schools and teachers are going above and beyond curriculum requirements, acting locally to make a difference in protecting our planet while fostering the next generation of environmental stewards.” For the last two years Paula and her students have raised Galerucella beetles at their school and released them to control purple loosestrife within a town-owned wetland in the Hayes Meadow Conservation Area. See the press release for more information.

Highlights of Recent Corporate Wetlands Restoration Partnership Activities

In 1999, EPA Region 1, the Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs, and The Gillette Company jointly launched the Massachusetts Corporate Wetlands Restoration Partnership, the first CWRP chapter in the nation. Since then private companies and foundations have supported restoration projects through cash contributions and in kind services such as field surveys, hydrologic modeling, engineering, and construction activities. Recent CWRP donations for wetland restoration include:

Dominion Energy Foundation donated $15,000 for the Somerset Marsh restoration project, specifically to help the town relocate skating facilities that were previously located in a salt marsh. To facilitate skating in the past, the town closed a tide gate on the tidal creek leading to the marsh and let it flood with fresh water. The CWRP donation will allow the restoration project to proceed with tide gate and culvert replacement while helping the town provide alternative skating options that don't impact the marsh. The gift is intended to leverage construction funds from EEA's Outdoor Recreation Grant Program.

An ERM Foundation grant through CWRP has enabled the Town of Marshfield to purchase instrumentation to monitor the Green Harbor River potential restoration site. Currently, a series of tide gates on the river severely restrict tidal flow to a large wetland system upstream. An electronic sensor mounted near the gates will monitor water elevations, and a wireless telemetry unit will transmit the data to a website that provides access to project partners. The data collected by this equipment will help partners determine the optimal operating parameters for the tidegate to significantly increase tidal range and flushing within the system while preventing flooding of low-lying structures and property in the floodplain.

Horsley Witten Group assisted the Town of Plymouth with technical and permitting tasks associated with the Eel River Headwaters Restoration. This project will restore 40 acres of freshwater riparian wetlands and a natural, meandering coldwater stream that were converted to cranberry bogs over 100 years ago. Through their donation, the firm reviewed a sediment sampling plan and prepared an expanded Environmental Notification Form filed under the Massachusetts Environmental Policy Act.

The Gillette Company and Ducks Unlimited contributed $20,000 through CWRP to the Department of Conservation and Recreation's (DCR) Partnerships Matching Funds Program to provide construction funding for the South Cape Beach salt marsh restoration in Mashpee. DCR's program matched the CWRP donation with $40,000 for the project.

Normandeau Associates , ERM New England, and The Gillette Company donated a total of $1,500 for the control of invasive purple loosestrife in the Fowl Meadow ACEC. DCR matched the donation with a grant of $3,000. The funding will assist DCR and the Neponset River Watershed Association in purchasing and propagating beetles for biocontrol purposes.

Woods Hole Group contributed field monitoring services associated with feasibility studies for the restoration of the Stony Brook Marsh in Brewster. Services included refined stream survey and analysis of stream flow data collected by the town of Brewster with the help of the Massachusetts Riverways Program. The stream flow data was used to fine tune the hydrologic and salinity models Woods Hole Group is building to assess restoration potential of the marsh. The Stony Brook valley features one of the most productive herring runs on Cape Cod, and attracts thousands of tourists each year during the migration season.

RFR for Priority Project Nominations Coming Soon

In August, CZM-WRP expects to issue a Request for Responses soliciting nominations for new Priority Coastal Wetland Restoration Projects. If accepted by the Program, designated Priority Projects become eligible to receive grants and technical services supported by the Commonwealth. We will send out a notification to our email list when the RFR is posted.

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Release of Sustainable Watersheds Paper

Numerous conservation organizations in Massachusetts have recently developed a position paper that sets forth a common vision for achieving sustainability in protection and management of the Commonwealth's water resources and wetlands. Titled Sustainable Watershed Management: Priorities for Action , the four-page paper identifies three priority problem areas and proposes solutions with specific recommendations for action. The paper can be accessed on the Mass Audubon website.

The Economic and Market Value of Coasts and Estuaries Report
A recent report produced by Restore America's Estuaries is entitled “The Economic and Market Value of Coasts and Estuaries: What's At Stake?” This is a comprehensive and professional assessment funded by NOAA and others that establishes credible economic valuations associated with coastal resources, uses, services, etc. The report can be found at the RAE website.

Wetlands 2008 Conference

Wetlands 2008: Wetlands and Global Climate Change will be held on September 16-18, 2008 with field trips on September 15th and workshops on September 19th . The overall goal of this conference is to help wetland professionals in the public and private sectors 1) gain a better understanding of the challenges created by climate change and 2) identify discrete activities and actions to take to reduce and mitigate impacts on wetlands and water resources as well as communities. The conference will also address ongoing changes and challenges in wetlands and water resources management. For more information click here or contact Laura at laura@aswm.org .

Restore America's Estuaries 2008 Rhode Island Conference Registration Open

Restore America's Estuaries' 4th National Conference on Coastal and Estuarine Habitat Restoration is the only national conference focused on the goals and practices of coastal and estuarine habitat restoration. The five-day Conference will explore the state-of-the-art in all aspects and scales of restoration, and will be comprised of field sessions, plenary sessions, expert presentations, special evening events, workshops, a poster hall, and a Restoration Exposition. The 4th National Conference will be held in New England, October 11-15, 2008 at the Rhode Island Convention Center in Providence, RI. For more information or to register see the conference website. (Early bird rates available until August 15th!)