Recently, the Healey-Driscoll administration awarded grants that will fund two conservation projects, one in Boston and the other on Cape Cod.
Canterbury Brook Restoration in Mattapan
A $400,000 climate resilience grant was awarded to the City of Boston to develop preliminary restoration plans for Mass Audubon’s Boston Nature Center (BNC) wetland and a portion of the state-owned Canterbury Brook flowing through BNC and an adjacent parcel.
Restoring a healthy stream-wetland complex would create additional stormwater storage capacity, helping lessen flood risk within the watershed, while boosting local biodiversity and improving water quality Mass Audubon, along with Charles River Watershed Association, the Boston Water and Sewer Commission, and the Massachusetts Division of Capital Asset Management and Maintenance, will partner with the state on the project. Read more about the project
Salt Marsh Restoration in Eastham
Boat Meadow Marsh in Eastham is a large salt marsh that includes an abandoned cranberry farm. Over a century of agricultural impacts including ditches and embankments have degraded the marsh. Restoring this land offers a unique opportunity to demonstrate restoration actions on an old cranberry farm that has started to experience inland marsh migration and is severely degraded, as well as repair the surrounding salt marsh to increase resiliency to sea level rise.
As part of the Salt Marsh Restoration and Monitoring grants, administered by the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP), Mass Audubon received $308,346 to assess baseline conditions and design the restoration plan. Project partners include the Town of Eastham, Eastham Conservation Trust, and The Nature Conservancy, with more to come. Read more about Mass Audubon’s salt marsh restoration projects
About Mass Audubon’s Ecological Restoration Work
Mass Audubon uses ecological restoration as a major tool to support healthy wildlife habitats, biological diversity, and human well-being. Our near-term focus is on projects and initiatives with the biggest opportunity for positive impact, including salt marshes, urban wetlands, cranberry farms, and dam removals.
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