Monitoring Plan for the DER Cranberry Bog Restoration Program

Visit to Upper Bass River with Kate, Jason. and team - May 23

Kate, Jason, two Hannahs, Laurel, and Olivia completed a whirlwind tour and sampled all DER Cranberry Bog Program Properties. I caught up with the team on Monday, May 23 when they were sampling Upper Bass River bogs. On arrival the team split in two. I followed Kate and Olivia who collected 5 samples in an area that was quite wet, full of mature red maple, high bush blueberry, Clethra, sphagnum, and other wetland plant species. Jason with two Hannahs and the Gasmet unit for measuring greenhouse gases headed off to the second sampling area. This area, as it turned out, was very dry and full of greenbrier.

The team takes a core and a handful of soil from 5 locations in each of two areas on each property the visit. Here the growing surface was fairly wet. Jason and other members of the team who sampled second area wer greeted by a very dry growing surface full of green briar. We estimate that this property has been out of production for at least 50 years.

These soil samples are stored in a cooler until the team returns to Tidmarsh where the samples are transferred to a refrigerator. At the end of the week they are transported to Mount Holyoke to be ready for the coming weeks lab work.

By Glorianna Davenport
May 30, 2022