connect / collect fragmented habitats
spike grass marsh aster sea lavender marsh orach black grass
snowy egret great blue heron tern glossy ibis bufflehead black duck plover
manipulating the ecotone
alewife ribbed mussel blueback herring soft-shell crab smelt razor crab bass
raccoon red fox muskrat meadow vole Core and critical habitats (depicted above) are separated by vast extends of urban development. This limits the capacity of these fragmented landscapes to support the diversity of species that they might if they were composed in a larger network. By manipulating the ecotone, or border regions, of these landscapes (core, critical, developed) it is possible to increase the interaction and migration of plant and animal species.
rumney marsh
ecotone 0
ecotone 1
ecotone 2
increased border exposure, greater species interaction
overlapping border exposure, habitat pockets allow species interaction
minimun border exposure, limited species interaction
habitat connectivity infrastructure Habitat (and its associated benefits to biodiversity, storm water management and recreational use) can be linked by large features such as river corridors, woodland and other substantial tracts of seminatural habitat. This planning is a large-scale view of landscape and urban infrastructure. These features should be connected to one another by preserving existing links or creating additional linkages in the landscape. Smaller features such as hedgerows, streams and treelines that are identified at the habitatscale can form additional linkages. In order to do this, landscape and ecological features should be taken into account within the regional framework of planning.
proposed site
Isolated cores can become linked networks. Infrastructure supported corridors can link isolated cores, support and wetland zones into large-scale systems for habitat, water management, and humanuse. These corridors can be designed to utilize existing natural and man-made features. Existing transportation infrastructure can link this network to the greater metro area in two key places OAK GROVE and WONDERLAND. These nodes can then become entry points for recreation and natural systems education.
T T
species supported exclusively by state core habitats & wetlands individual animal species individual plant species
distribution of fragmented e habitats
Massachusetts has 47 rare wetland-dependent species, such as the bald eagle, the Plymouth red-bellied turtle, and the piping plover. Of these rare species, 28 are animals and 19 are plants.
core habitat Habitat in the vicinity of urban development is characterized by fragmentation as opposed to connectivity. Core, support, and wetland habitats are confined to patches and corridors, frequently the remnants of the previous rural landscapes or new habitats that have been created or evolved within the urban matrix.
belle isle marsh
salt hay grass native reed glasswort cordgrass saltmeadow narrowleaf cattail
least tern plover snowy owl sandpiper goose
alewife ribbed mussel blueback herring soft-shell crab smelt razor crab bass
raccoon opssum field mouse coyote snake red-bellied turtle
ACECs
Coastal saltmarshes such as the Rumney Marshes (Revere, MA) and the Bell Isle Marsh (Winthrop, MA) support hundreds of flora and fauna species, dozens of which are endangered or protected. These isolated fragments of habitat are remnants of what at one time characterixes the entire Massachusetts Bay region. A new connecting infrastructure between these isolated landscapes could reestablish important links for the migration of plants, animals, and people.
boston logan
building stimulus: revere beach, ma
matthew schexnyder|05|14|2010