Letter from the Director
Friends and colleagues,
DER has been ramping up its work over the last four years to help communities meet the challenge of climate change. You’ll see evidence of that growth in this Ebb & Flow.
We’ve added twelve new restoration projects to our Priority Projects Program and will work with partners in the coming years to bring these projects to fruition. In Pepperell, construction recently wrapped up on a dam removal and culvert upgrade on Sucker Brook, a coldwater tributary to the Nissitissit River. As I write this, the Town of Truro is upgrading an undersized culvert at Eagle Neck Creek, benefiting road safety and a critical salt marsh habitat. Meanwhile, the Town of Norwood and DER are about to begin demolition of an obsolete dam on Traphole Brook, another coldwater stream.
These projects all help people and nature build resilience to climate change and are just a sampling of the immense amount of work that is currently underway.
Keep your eyes peeled for DER’s annual report coming soon, which highlights our restoration work over the past year.
I’ll see you on the river,
Beth Lambert, Director
Farewell & Thank You to Cindy Delpapa
After more than 25 years of service to the people of Massachusetts, DER’s Cindy Delpapa retired in late 2021. Cindy brought wide and deep expertise in water quality, stream ecology, estuarine ecology, regulatory policy, and grass-roots action to the Riverways Program and DER. She focused on urban river revitalization, streamflow restoration, and water quality restoration, however she was truly interdisciplinary, always asking herself what the rivers need and adapting her work accordingly. In addition to her subject matter expertise, Cindy brought exceptional compassion to her work.
Always modest, Cindy would be surprised to know that she was perceived as a role model and mentor by many at DER. Countless rivers and wetlands benefited from her restoration expertise. We miss her wisdom and knowledge daily and wish her the best in her new adventures.
DER Designates 12 New Priority Ecological Restoration Projects
In December 2021, DER announced that twelve new ecological restoration projects have been designated as Priority Projects by DER’s Priority Projects Program.
DER’s Priority Projects Program selects high quality restoration projects through a competitive process that bring significant benefits to the Commonwealth. Selections are based upon consideration of the project's cost, size, practicality, feasibility, opportunity for public benefits, and direct benefits to aquatic resources, as well as available DER resources and partner support.
Once a project is selected to the Priority Projects Program, DER works with the project owner and partners to plan, design, permit, and implement the project. Priority Projects are eligible for project management assistance, technical services from engineering firms, and funding from DER.
Nine projects in Ashburnham, Billerica, Chatham, Dennis, Great Barrington, Monson, Newbury, and Yarmouth received full Priority status. In addition, three projects in Barnstable, West Boylston, and Weymouth received “Provisional” status, which means they will be reevaluated after a year to determine their long-term readiness for implementation. Seven of these projects will remove dams to restore waterways and wildlife passage, three projects will restore wetland and stream habitat on former cranberry farmland, and two projects will restore estuarine and salt marsh habitats.
For more details about these new projects, take a look at the recent press release. In the release, Governor Baker commented, “As the impacts associated with climate change are felt throughout the Commonwealth, our Administration continues to support projects in communities across the state that increase Massachusetts’ climate resilience. This ecological restoration work directly aligns with our goals, which will have long lasting benefits within the many regions of the state.”
DER Awards New Funding to Nine Restoration Projects
In December 2021, DER awarded $708,500 in grants to nine restoration projects in Bridgewater, Chicopee, Chilmark, Hardwick, Ipswich, Mattapoisett, Norwood, Southampton, and Worcester. These projects restore rivers and wetlands while also helping to prevent storm damage, address aging infrastructure, and increase opportunities for outdoor recreation. Lieutenant Governor Karyn Polito emphasized the benefits of these projects and commented that “Ecological restoration not only helps communities respond to climate change, but also benefits the environment, wildlife and the people of Massachusetts, who can continue to enjoy and experience our outdoor spaces. We’re proud to support this work and will continue to work with cities and towns in all corners of the Commonwealth.”
For more information about these projects and the funding they received, take a look at the recent press release.
DER Supports Three Partnerships Through New Program
DER is excited to announce three new Partnerships through DER’s new Regional Restoration Partnerships Program. Partnerships are a hallmark of DER’s work and this new program helps non-profit organizations and Regional Planning Agencies increase their capacity to lead and support ecological restoration within their regions through financial and technical assistance. Pairing partner strengths with the state's investments will empower networks of partners to restore rivers and wetlands and help people and nature adapt to climate change.
The three new Partnerships supported through this program are located in the Buzzard’s Bay region, in the Merrimack watershed, and the Hoosic, Housatonic, and Farmington River watersheds. These Partnerships will be supported for at least three years pending available DER funding through the Partnerships Program as they plan and carry out ecological restoration actions, and will build local and regional capacity for planning and implementing restoration projects.
For more information about these newly-formed Partnerships, see the recent press release.
Monitoring Demonstrates Restoration Success in Newbury
The site of the Kent’s Island Salt Marsh Restoration project is located in Newbury, within the William Forward Wildlife Management Area. This project was completed in 2019 and included the replacement of a small, severely dilapidated bridge over tidal Kent’s Island Creek. With material from the bridge and banks filling in the creek, this structure had created a severe tidal restriction, preventing natural tidal flow. The restriction of tidal flow directly impacted the 47-acre saltmarsh located upstream of the bridge.
Working with MassWildlife and with additional funding from the US Fish and Wildlife Service’s North American Wetlands Conservation Act Grant Program, DER was able to replace this old and crumbling bridge with a new, larger-span structure that allows for natural tidal flow. By restoring the flow to this system, this project reduced flow velocity and associated scour and erosion, improved access for wildlife passage, and through the reconstruction of the bridge, allowed for safe access to the 70 acres of upland grassland and shrubland habitat managed by MassWildlife.
Following the completion of this project, DER staff continue to monitor the site. By collecting data on characteristics such as water level, salinity, and vegetation, DER can gather valuable information about exactly how this work benefits the ecosystem, both to help inform future restoration efforts in other locations as well as to make sure the Kent’s Island site is responding as anticipated.
The tidal monitoring conducted in summer 2021 confirmed that removal of the tidal restriction did restore upstream tidal flow to the salt marsh. For more information about the monitoring data that has been collected and the conclusions it supports, visit this webpage.
Project Highlight: Sucker Brook Restoration
The Sucker Brook Restoration Project has seen a lot of action lately. After many years of work by DER, the Pepperell Conservation Commission, Squan-a-Tissit Chapter of Trout Unlimited, Natural Heritage Endangered Species Program, and many other partners, major progress has been made and this project recently completed construction.
The Sucker Brook Restoration Project was designated as a DER Priority Project in 2018 and has worked to connect a fragmented section of Sucker Brook to the Nissitissit River by removing a dam and replacing an undersized culvert with one that meets the Massachusetts Stream Crossing Standards. Removing the dam and replacing the culvert provides passage for wildlife like Eastern brook trout, restores sediment transport downstream of the dam, and eliminates an impoundment that resulted in increased water temperatures that impact the naturally coldwater environment.
In October, the Sucker Brook Dam was removed. Almost instantly, partners watched as a meandering stream channel formed where the impoundment had been. Then in early November, crews replaced the undersized culvert, completing the construction element of this project. Now that the dam is removed and culvert replaced, this Coldwater Fishery Resource provides a connected coldwater habitat for critical wildlife. DER is proud to work with such passionate partners to achieve these restoration goals.
You can visit Sucker Brook and check out the natural beauty of this coldwater resource at the Keyes Parker Conservation Area in the Town of Pepperell.