Massachusetts Division of Ecological Restoration

Are you interested in staying up to date on DER's funding opportunities and other timely announcements? DER is starting a new e-newsletter!? This e-newsletter is for those interested in more frequent updates and announcements from DER. This may include notices of grants and other funding opportunities to advance restoration, application deadline reminders, hiring opportunities, and other notices. These emails will be sent as needed, so frequency will vary. Sign up here ?? https://bit.ly/DERNotices

Did you know that nature is directly linked to our wellbeing? Spending time outdoors is directly linked to many positive mental health outcomes such as improved focus, lower stress, better mood, and many other benefits. We encourage you to get outside to enjoy the beautiful green and blue spaces around you. If you aren’t sure where to start, check out our project map for some of our completed restoration areas that provide open space for the public! Pictured is Nashawannuck Brook, a #DERPriorityProject in Northampton that has public trails. Check out our map here ??https://bit.ly/3z4v1NG ??: Division of Ecological Restoration

With nearly 30 staff members over two office locations, it can be hard to get all of DER in one physical location. But yesterday, we were lucky to assemble nearly everyone for an in-person gathering! Of course, it wouldn’t be a DER get-together without a site visit so we began our day highlighting DER’s Regional Restoration Partnerships Program by checking out some sites with the Merrimack Restoration Partnership. Thank you to our partners that joined us! After that, we settled down to learn and discuss each program’s priorities for the next year. As DER celebrates 15 years as a Division, we look forward to taking what was learned and applying it to the next 15 years and more.

Happy 15th birthday Massachusetts Division of Ecological Restoration! Here's to many more years of partnership! #RestorationWorks #NatureBasedSolutions #Leadership #Innovation #collaboration

It may look like this cranberry bog is getting ready for harvest, instead, it’s a retired bog in the process of being restored to natural wetlands! Over the years, some farmers have turned to alternatives for their land when it can no longer be farmed. One of those alternatives is restoring the bogs into healthy and self-sustaining wetlands. In Carver, DER is working with the landowner and the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service to restore 32 acres of retired commercial cranberry bogs into wetlands. With design and permitting wrapped up, construction will begin soon on this #DERPriorityProject! #CranberryBogRestoration #EcologicalRestoration #wetland

As New England’s largest remaining salt marsh, restoring Great Marsh is critical to our state’s nation-leading biodiversity and climate goals, coastal resilience, and blue economy. ?? ?? ?? Thank you to Governor Maura Healey & Lt. Governor Kim Driscoll for joining the many partners working to restore the Great Marsh to celebrate award-winning progress and discuss innovative solutions to ramp this work up statewide. The Trustees of Reservations, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), Massachusetts Division of Ecological Restoration, #MassWildlife, Mass Audubon, MassBays National Estuary Partnership, Ipswich River Watershed Association, Essex County Greenbelt Association, and many others.

Partnerships are crucial to DER’s work. Many ecological restoration projects take years to complete and require strong collaboration and project management. Having incredible partners that work towards the same goals as DER can be instrumental to a successful project. As we reflect on #15YearsOfRiverRestoration, we will share quotes from our partners. Many have worked with DER for over 15 years so we are grateful for the commitment and insight they bring. Thanks to John Catena from the NOAA Restoration Center, Julia Blatt from Massachusetts Rivers Alliance, Allison Bowden from The Nature Conservancy in Massachusetts, and Paula Terrasi from the Town of Pepperell for their kind words! Stay tuned for more highlights from our partners.

This #DERPriorityProject in Ashburnham is in final design and permitting to remove a hazardous dam and restore connectivity of the upper Whitman River Watershed. We are grateful for partners like this that lead public outreach and monitor water quality prior to restoration!

Dam Busters 101 made it into the field! Dam removal can be a long, complex process which is why for almost a year, Massachusetts Rivers Alliance, Charles River Watershed Association, and DER presented monthly, lunchtime webinars for free on different dam removal topics. Over a hundred people gathered online to hear from experts in the field talk about funding, indigenous approaches, scoping and managing consultants, permitting, sediment, and many more topics. To tie it all together, the first Dam Busters in-person site visit took place earlier this month at a #DERPriorityProject in Braintree. The Monatiquot River Restoration Project is wrapping up construction this year so it was a perfect spot to discuss how the different topics were applied in a real project. Thanks to everyone who joined! Learn more about Dam Busters - https://bit.ly/3LUoA2J

Did you know that we are wrapping up #NationalEstuariesWeek? Estuaries occur where freshwater meets saltwater and provide many benefits to us and the environment. They act as a sponge to protect upland areas from waves and storms, absorb extra water from floods, create recreational opportunities, provide important habitat to many species, and many other positives. The Herring River Estuary in Wellfleet and Truro is one of the largest tidally-restricted estuaries in the northeastern United States. DER is working with many partners on a project to restore this area, including up to 890 acres of tidal wetlands, and six miles of coastal waterways. This effort will provide many benefits including improving water quality and habitat, enhancing recreational opportunities, and building resilience to climate change. Learn more about this groundbreaking project ?? https://bit.ly/3Y0I8tf