The Upper Coonamessett Wetlands
The Coonamessett River, the third largest groundwater fed stream on Cape Cod, flows approximately three miles from Coonamessett Pond to the Great Pond estuary and farther out into Vineyard Sound. One of the Spring Sapping valleys of Falmouth, the river formed ~15,000 years ago during the last glacial retreat. In colonial times, the hydrology and water chemistry of the valley changed due to a succession of grist and woolen mills, the construction of cranberry bogs, and most recently, residential development. The lower one mile of river was restored by 2020 (please see Coonamessett Lower River: Coonamessett River Restoration Project)
The Upper Coonamessett River Wetlands Complex is situated about 1 mile north of the earlier Coonamessett River Restorations. The project area includes 20 acres of former bogs (Baptiste Bogs) containing 0.5 mile of stream channel. The Baptiste Bogs were purchased by the Town of Falmouth in 1978, and as in the lower river, were initially used for cranberry agriculture. This property became a DER Priority Project in 2020 and is being restored by the Town with the support of DER, T3C (land trust), the Coonamessett River Trust, and the Wampanoag tribe.
