Featured Projects
In this project, we share information about raising AWC trees from seed with the goal of providing this species to wetland restoration projects in Southeastern Ma. Updates include best practice for stratifying, germinating, and transplanting, as well as updates about survival and growth rates of young trees once they have been planted.
The Town of Kingston, MA, acquired a 46-acre former agricultural parcel containing forested uplands, a 4-acre cranberry production bed, and 8 acres of impounded natural wetlands as a reservoir. The ecological restoration project spanned from fall 2024 through spring 2025 and involved removing water control structures, redirecting stream flow, installing log jams to enhance water retention, and introducing microtopography to restore wetland functions in the reservoir and the former production bed. Researchers with Living Observatory are assisting with post-restoration monitoring to assess changes in hydrology, vegetation, soils, and aquatic habitat.
This project quantifies the species composition and cover of plants before and after active restoration of cranberry bogs. We measure vegetation in fixed 3 x 3 meter plots located on the former bog surfaces and return to these plots year after year. We classify plant life history, origin (native, non-native) and wetland statuses to evaluate the success of restoration in promoting native and wetland-dependent plant species.
The headwaters of the Marstons Mills River contain approximately 150 acres of cranberry bogs. The groundwater upwelling across these low-lying farmed areas comprises the headwaters of the Marstons Mills River. Today, these farmlands are surrounded by residential developments.
The Barnstable Clean Water Coalition (BCWC) has been studying the watershed for a number of years and their water quality data show that more than 8,000 kgs of nitrogen or 40% of the watershed’s excess nitrogen load flows out from the farmed areas into the Three Bays Watershed each year. Identified as “ponds and wetlands” on old maps, these cranberry bogs, many of which are retired, could play a vital role in reducing this same nitrogen load in the watershed.
BCWC recently purchased and is working to restore 55 acres of cranberry bogs to natural freshwater wetlands. This restoration is a priority project with the MA. Division of Ecological Restoration. The restoration would entail filling drainage ditches, grading the bog surface, removing water control structures, reconstructing stream channels, loosening the sand layer, and moving sediment.
The goals of this restoration project include:
Attenuate nitrogen and reduce the nitrogen flow downriver
Improve water quality in the Three Bays Estuary
Habitat restoration
Public recreation and education opportunities
All Projects
An Environmental and Economic Systems Analysis of Land Use Decisions in the Massachusetts Cranberry Industry
This project uses a systems approach to explore environmental and economic trade-offs and synergies connected to land use decisions in the Massachusetts cranberry industry. Building upon ongoing research on the science of cranberry bog restoration, this work integrates socioeconomic data with environmental impact modeling, and presents the results in a web-based decision-support tool that allows stakeholders to interact with and explore the impacts of different land use scenarios.
Bird Monitoring at Select Cranberry Bog Restoration Sites in Southeastern Massachusetts
This project involves using area search and audio broadcast survey techniques to document bird populations at cranberry bog restoration sites in SE Massachusetts. Initial surveys began in May 2022, with priority sites including Indian Brook Cranberry Bogs, Tidmarsh Wildlife Sanctuary, Foothills Preserve, South Meadow, and Pinnacle Watercourse.
Century Bog
Century Bog is a 100+ year-old, 70-acre retired cranberry farm that spans the headwaters reach of Red Brook. This bog is a priority project of the Massachusetts Division of Ecological Restoration under their Cranberry Bog Restoration Program.
Childs River Restoration Project
The Childs River restoration transformed over a mile of degraded cranberry bog and impoundment into a free-flowing, coldwater stream with healthy floodplains and wetlands. Removal of barriers, stream reconstruction, and habitat enhancements have revived Brook Trout populations, boosted native biodiversity, and sets a model for holistic river restoration on Cape Cod.
Cold Brook Eco Restoration
The Harwich Conservation Trust (HCT) in partnership with the Town of Harwich, Massachusetts Division of Ecological Restoration, and U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service are restoring Cold Brook and bordering wetlands at the Robert F. Smith Cold Brook Preserve in Harwich Port.
Coonamessett River Restoration Project
The Coonamessett River is a 3 mile long, spring-fed stream that flows into Vineyard Sound. Once home to one of the largest river herring runs in New England, a history of mill construction and cranberry cultivation led to a degradation of aquatic habitat and decline of fish populations. Since the early 2000's, a group of concerned citizens and the Town of Falmouth worked to develop a plan and partnerships to restore the downstream end of the river system (lower, middle, and upper bogs), and develop a publicly accessible trail system. The wetland restoration was completed in 2018 and 2020. Partners included NOAA, USDA, MA Fish and Wildlife’s Division of Ecological Restoration, and many others.
COSMOS: Landscape-Scale Soil Moisture
This project explores the use of a COSMOS sensor to measure landscape-scale soil moisture. COSMOS measures the cosmic rays that penetrate and bounce off the top 15-cm of the land surface in a radius of 500-meters. The signal is changed by the presence of water: standing water, soil water, and plant water – and returns an integrated signal of all water in the root zone, both above and below the shallow surface. As the landscape surface is transformed into a wetland, we hope the COSMOS data will document the increasing moisture at and near the land surface needed for the survival of wetland plants.
Distributed Temperature Sensing in the Hydrologic Understory
This project explores groundwater flowpaths, surface water mixing, underground thermal regimes and soil moisture monitoring. We use distributed temperature sensing (DTS) along fiber optic cables at multiple depths beneath the ground to map out the interconnected web of hydrology and ecology beneath the surface.
Ecological Restoration Masterclass: Engaging, Educating, and Connecting Diverse Stakeholders
This project involves research and development of a web-based education program designed to help stakeholders learn about wetland restoration in a way that is relevant to them. The primary goal of the restoration masterclass is to blend findings from the latest research with voices from a variety of perspectives and expertise to help people from a range of backgrounds learn what ecological restoration is, how and why we do it, and what we can expect after a site is restored. The program will include specific guidance to help landowners evaluate their options after farm retirement, including an action plan and connections for pursuing ecological restoration. In short, the restoration masterclass will weave voices together with current research findings on the science, practice, economics, and policy of cranberry farm restoration, to create a curriculum that is widely accessible, engaging, and useful.
Eel River Headwaters Restoration Project
The Eel River Headwaters Restoration Project was the first ecological restoration of cranberry farmland in Massachusetts. Led by the Town of Plymouth, the project involved 60 acres of conservation land, including 40 acres of former cranberry bogs and another 20 acres of conservation land. The project rebuilt 8,000 feet of stream channel, removed several berms and dams including a 15-foot historic stone dam (the Saw Mill Dam,) replaced one undersized culvert, and placed over 1,000 large wood pieces in the stream channel and across the growing surface to provide fish and wildlife habitat. 17,000 three-to-four-year old Atlantic white cedars were planted in the headwaters area.
Fear to Hope Atlantic White Cedar Research
Ms. Conroy's AP Biology class at Plymouth South HS is participating in a reciprocal citizen science study to understand how temperature regime of seed source locations may affect growth of AWC seedings. The project designed by Rob Atkinson, faculty at Christopher Newport College, the project seeks to replace fear of climate change with hope through meaningful engagement in research. In 2023, Ms. Conroy's class planted and is measuring 10 AWC seedlings grown in Virginia and 10 AWC seedlings grown at Living Observatory's Native Plant Nursery. Monitoring will continue in 2024 and beyond.
Growing Atlantic White Cedars for Wetland Restoration Sites
In this project, we share information about raising AWC trees from seed with the goal of providing this species to wetland restoration projects in Southeastern Ma. Updates include best practice for stratifying, germinating, and transplanting, as well as updates about survival and growth rates of young trees once they have been planted.
Hinckleys Pond Herring River Headwaters Eco-Restoration
The Hinckleys Pond – Herring River Headwaters Eco-Restoration Project restored retired cranberry bogs at Jenkins and Warner Bogs into native freshwater wetland habitat at the headwaters of the Herring River estuary. Sand removal, wetland microtopography, native plant establishment, and improved public access helped rewild the former bog landscape, while pre- and post-restoration monitoring documented changes in vegetation, water levels, and site conditions over time.
Living Observatory Field Guides
A living collection of place-based activities and materials for students, parents, educators to teach and learn ecology, earth science and history in Southeastern Massachusetts.
Living Observatory Sensor Network
The Living Observatory Sensor Network explores how low-power wireless sensor networks can be used to learn from, share, and improve the process of wetland restoration.
Living Observatory Summits
LO organizes periodic Summits and Mini-Summits. Summits are meetings at which researchers, practitioners, and partners share perspectives around a topic of interest in order to advance interpretation and inform action. Links to meeting materials and proceedings are provided.
Long-Term Development and Ecosystem Functions of Restored Cranberry Bogs
This group of research projects investigates how key soil features and ecosystem functions change over time in sites that are developing under different management scenarios. Specifically, we compare the development of soil properties and functions associated with nitrogen cycling and greenhouse gas flux across sites that fall along a restoration trajectory across active cranberry farms, young retired farms, old retired farms, flooded former farms, ecologically restored former farms, and natural reference wetlands with no history of cranberry farming. Results of this work inform not only our understanding of how ecosystems develop and function over time under different hydrologic and management scenarios, but also informs the practice of restoration.
Making Meaning at Tidmarsh
Seven years post restoration, 51 people from 21 organizations assembled at Tidmarsh to explore and learn how the site has responded to the restoration intervention. The event was co-hosted by Mass Audubon and Living Observatory.
Making Space: Restoring Cranberry Bogs for Marsh Migration
Coastal ecosystems and communities are under direct threat from climate
change and sea level rise. Meanwhile, low-lying cranberry farmland with no viable economic future
presents an opportunity to create more resilient and adaptable coastlines. Massachusetts has the means to leverage this opportunity, with rich expertise and experience in ecological restoration for these unique
sites, and a thriving network of partners to protect and manage public open space. The first goal of this project is to protect and restore coastal wetland habitats within the grant period - and invite future inland marsh migration on retired low-lying cranberry farmland. This project also will provide valuable co-benefits less common in habitat restoration projects.
Marks Cove Wetland Restoration Project
Ecological restoration of approximately 20-acres of abandoned cranberry farmland, adjacent uplands, and downstream tidal creek and salt marsh. The project is a pilot for low-lying cranberry bogs, marsh migration, and community engagement for the 2023 NOAA award to Mass Audubon and partners entitled “Making Space: The Southeastern Massachusetts Marsh Migration Initiative.”
Marstons Mills Cranberry Bog Eco-Restoration Project
The headwaters of the Marstons Mills River contain approximately 150 acres of cranberry bogs. The groundwater upwelling across these low-lying farmed areas comprises the headwaters of the Marstons Mills River. Today, these farmlands are surrounded by residential developments.
The Barnstable Clean Water Coalition (BCWC) has been studying the watershed for a number of years and their water quality data show that more than 8,000 kgs of nitrogen or 40% of the watershed’s excess nitrogen load flows out from the farmed areas into the Three Bays Watershed each year. Identified as “ponds and wetlands” on old maps, these cranberry bogs, many of which are retired, could play a vital role in reducing this same nitrogen load in the watershed.
BCWC recently purchased and is working to restore 55 acres of cranberry bogs to natural freshwater wetlands. This restoration is a priority project with the MA. Division of Ecological Restoration. The restoration would entail filling drainage ditches, grading the bog surface, removing water control structures, reconstructing stream channels, loosening the sand layer, and moving sediment.
The goals of this restoration project include:
Attenuate nitrogen and reduce the nitrogen flow downriver
Improve water quality in the Three Bays Estuary
Habitat restoration
Public recreation and education opportunities
Mattapoisett Bogs Wetland Restoration
This project has restored approximately 43 acres of freshwater wetlands, benefitting natural vegetation and habitats, improving fish and wildlife passage along Tripps Mill Brook (a tributary of the Mattapoisett River), improving turtle nesting habitat, and restoring floodplain connectivity with the Mattapoisett River.
Member Survey
Like a pebble in a stream or a steak in the ground your input can help shape the future course of our organization.
Monitoring Biological Responses to restoration: temporal and spatial shifts in the community structure of amphibians and reptiles in restored and retired cranberry bogs.
This project seeks to understand how amphibian and reptile communities respond to ecological restoration. We conduct a comprehensive survey on herpetofauna (amphibians and reptiles) at restored and retired former cranberry bogs using a combination of passive and active sampling techniques. We survey both wetland and upland habitats to document and ultimately, understand (1) how different amphibian and reptile species colonize restored wetland complexes; (2) how the community structure of amphibians and reptiles change before and after restoration; and (3) how the habitat structure and community composition change with time after the active restoration intervention.