Living Observatory Projects

Glorianna and volunteers planting AWC in block 1 (Cell A). Ponded areas, which were avoided, indicate low spots created by excavation of micro-topography.

It’s been a busy few months for the Marks Cove Restoration Project!

At Tidmarsh we're always keep an eye out for our neighbors, who can be a little odd at times. Here are a few highlights from 2025. You can find more video highlights on our Vimeo page. You can also monitor live footage and audio for the central stream and marsh cameras.

Some fish have arrived! So far, five river herring have been seen at Bridge #2. Right now, that was the only sighting, but there's still the whole month to go as well. The lowest year to date (2018) had 16 herring sighted by May 2nd and a total of 38 by May 31st, so hopefully this year can exceed that and perhaps rival previous, higher years. It is exciting that there are river herring traveling through the system - keep collecting that data so we can have a valid population estimate at the end of the season. Happy May!

That time of year is here again! Herring count trainings are scheduled for our new and returning volunteers!

The Nantucket Conservation Foundation (NCF) is very excited to report that the contractor for the Windswept Bog Wetland Restoration Project, SumCo Eco-Engineering, is finished with all earth-moving construction work. We plan to re-open the property at the end of March, once the trails have had a chance to dry out after a long, icy winter. This milestone completes two phases of construction which were preceded by four years of planning, permitting and fundraising. Construction activities for this project took place only during the winter dormant seasons (from November to mid-March) to avoid impacting rare plants, nesting birds and breeding wildlife on the property. Phase 1 construction began in January 2024 and was completed in March 2024, with ~14.0 acres of former cranberry bog cells restored to hydrologically connected wetlands. Restoration of the remaining bog cells (~26.2 acres) began in November 2024 and was completed in mid-March 2025.

A River Renaissance: Restoring the Coonamessett 

Despite the chilly weather, Emily and Andrea had a great day of fieldwork at Marks Cove on February 18th! We began the pre- and post-restoration photo monitoring, which will be conducted seasonally (winter, spring, summer, and fall) at 14 designated points across the site. At each monitoring point, we are capturing photos from four different perspectives (North, South, East, and West). These photographs serve to:

Weather for January 21, 2025 promised to be cold so the kick off event was moved into the Falmouth Library. Following her opening remarks, Betsy Gladfelter handed the mic over to Beth Lambert of the Division of Ecological Restoration. Beth pointed out that the first phase of the Coonamessett River Restoration was only the third cranberry bog restoration in Massachusetts, that these projects provide a visceral reminder that taking action can lead to positive change, and that, in addition to ecological benefits, river and wetland restorations of this kind bring economic, public safety, recreation and many other benefits to the community. Congressman Bill Keating, representing Massachusetts' 9th district in the US House of Representatives, expanded on this theme, reminding us of the efficiencies that collaborations between local, regional, state, and federal agencies bring to these large projects. Both State Senator Dylan Fernandes (Plymouth and Barnstable District) and Representative David Vieira (3rd Barnstable District) grew up on the river, a fortuitous happenstance. Dylan Fernandes highlighted the role the project plays in coastal resilience. David Vieira shared some marvelous memories about river culture, and acknowledged both Betsy and Beth for their accomplishments in bringing this project to fruition. The program also included: Representative Thomas Moakley (Barnstable and Nantucket District), Doug Brown (Falmouth Select Board), Jim Turek (NOAA Habitat Conservation/Restoration Center), Jamie Masterson (US Fish and Wildlife), Sara Grady (Mass Audubon), and Travis Sumner (SumCo Eco). As the program concluded, Betsy encouraged those who wanted to visit the site to do so,

On January 14, SumCo excavators were at work on the site. Later that week, Mark  Mark Kasprzyk, Falmouth Conservation"s land manager captured a group photo of some members of the team - left to right, Betsy Gladfelter (Project guru), Steve Fuller (SumcoEco), Manny de Costa (Interfluve), Annie Spangenberger (Interfluve), Dylan MaCarthy (Falmouth DPW), Jarrod Martellucci (SumcoEco), Sara Grady (Mass Audubon).