Featured Projects

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.

Monitoring of Wetland Restoration Properties

This project involves development of standardized monitoring protocols to measure physical and chemical change to former cranberry bog properties that have been restored to wetlands. The project web includes biological monitoring as well as supplemental monitoring. projects.

Tidmarsh Farms/Beaver Dam Brook wetland and river restoration project

Completed in 2016, the 225-acre Tidmarsh Farms/Beaver Dam Brook wetland and river restoration project in Plymouth, was the second wetland restoration of cranberry farmland in Massachusetts and, at the time, the largest wetland restoration in New England. At the time, Tidmarsh Farms was a 610 acre cranberry farm owned by the Schulman family and managed by Tidmarsh Farms Management. In 2010 placed a perpetual USDA Natural Resources Conservation Services (NRCS) conservation and wetland restoration easement on the eastern portion of the Farms and kickstarted the restoration process. Target conditions for the project included a mosaic of wetland habitat types, free movement of fish from ocean to headwaters, and restored connectivity with surrounding forests. The project became a Ma Fish and Wildlife Division of Ecological Restoration (DER) priority project in 2011. Funders of the project included American Rivers, the Massachusetts Environmental Trust (MET), DER, NOAA, Living Observatory (LO), and DOI/USFWS with the award of a National Coastal Wetlands Conservation Grant. The eastern portion of the Farms was purchased by Mass Audubon in 2017, the site is now part of the Tidmarsh Wildlife Sanctuary.

Windswept Bog, Nantucket Island MA: Watershed-scale Wetland Restoration and Research

Restoration of Windswept Bog, a retired cranberry Bog, to functional wetland status will provide large scale ecological benefits. This project provides opportunities for research, education, and deeper understanding of wetland and upland habitat restoration at former cranberry bog sites. Phase 1 of construction for this project took place in January-March 2024. Phase 2 (the final phase) began in November 2024 and will wrap up by the end of March 2025.

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.

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.

Fear to Hope Atlantic White Cedar Research at Plymouth South H.S.

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

Living Observatory Community Platform

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.

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.”

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.

Monitoring of Wetland Restoration Properties

Potential Nitrogen Removal by Restoring Wetlands on Retired Cranberry Bogs

This project seeks to better understand the sources and movement of nitrogen in wetlands. We are primarily interested in how much nitrogen is delivered to wetlands and how much nitrogen is potentially removed by ecological restoration of wetlands. We use a combination of field measurements and computer modeling to answer these questions.

Quantifying Nutrient Transport and Transformation in Stream Channels Associated with Active, Retired, and Restored Cranberry Farms

This project quantifies the impact of wetland restoration on water quality through evaluating nutrient uptake capacity of streams associated with active, retired, and restored cranberry farms. Effects of stream structure, water chemistry, sediment characteristics, and biota on nutrient removal and hydrology are explored.

Sampson's Brook Headwaters Restoration Project

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 began in fall of 2024 and involves 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.

Soil Moisture in the Wetland

This project explores the hydrology of the land surface that has been intensively farmed, and the implications of this hydrology on future plant and animal communities. Historical application of sand, ditching, berming, and channel deepening all affect how surface and groundwater move through these areas. Thoroughly understanding the hydrologic function is the first step toward returning this land surface to tis former wetland condition. Piezometer measurements of water level in the bog and stream channels as well as stream flow and rainfall monitoring all contribute to this understanding.

Soundscapes to Monitor Habitat Development on Restored Cranberry Farmland

This work aims to understand the relationship between the acoustic diversity of restored cranberry bog sites and habitat conditions measured through remote sensing.