Tidmarsh Farms Cranberry Bog Wetlands
Plymouth, Massachusetts, United States
Carrying out the largest freshwater restoration in Massachusetts. In 2009, the owners of Tidmarsh Farms entered an agreement with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Wetlands Reserve Program to place nearly 80 hectares of cranberry bogs and degraded wetlands near the headwaters of Beaver Dam Brook into a conservation easement. The region had suffered from the effects of deforestation and draining since the seventeenth century, and cranberry farming practices had further impacted biodiversity, aquatic life, and local hydrology. The restoration process began by documenting the existing habitat and geomorphic conditions, then examining the possible wetland and stream restoration opportunities, and finally identifying the constraints and opportunities at the site. That analysis resulted in a concept design describing various restoration options for the bog complex, downstream channel, dam, and impoundment. In 2014, the project team decided on the final design: channel restoration, reestablishing hydrologic control, and native plant revegetation for the entire 80 hectares. Construction began in 2015 on 6000 meters of new stream channels, 100 hectares of fen and Atlantic white cedar bog restoration, sphagnum reintroduction, fish passage improvements, and the removal of the headwater dam. The final result is a thriving habitat, increased biodiversity, and a haven for birds, butterflies, and native wildflowers.
56
