Restoration of The Bogs in Mattapoisett will improve property for water, wildlife, and people

If you love spending time outdoors in the Buzzards Bay region, then you’ve probably been to The Bogs – the Coalition’s 200-acre property in Mattapoisett where walking trails criss-cross retired cranberry bogs, snake through the forest, and run past rich freshwater streams and wetlands. Those streams and wetlands will soon provide better habitat for wildlife and more natural links to the Mattapoisett River as part of a Coalition-led restoration project beginning later this year.

The planned Bogs restoration will repair the property’s streams and wetlands and return a more natural water flow to Tripps Mill Brook. These changes will improve habitat for fish and wildlife, including species like box turtles, American eels, pollinators, and a variety of birds.

The Bogs is a natural oasis of forests, streams, and wetlands in the heart of the Mattapoisett River Valley. The property lies adjacent to a public drinking water well that provides clean water to thousands of local residents in Fairhaven and Mattapoisett. Protecting this land was part of the Coalition’s ongoing work to conserve the lands that protect clean drinking water in the Mattapoisett River Valley.

The Coalition acquired The Bogs in 2011 from the Decas Cranberry Company, which grew and harvested cranberries on the property’s 50-plus acres of bogs. To grow cranberries here in the past, water had to be diverted to the bogs from Tripps Mill Brook, a tributary of the Mattapoisett River that flows along the property’s northern edge. Old, unused infrastructure including an irrigation canal, pumps and water control structures, and a reservoir are still visible at The Bogs today.

When the Coalition acquired the property, we took on Decas’ commitment to retire these cranberry bogs from commercial production and restore the property’s streams and wetlands through an agreement with the USDA’s Wetlands Reserve Program. The planned Bogs restoration will repair the property’s streams and wetlands and return a more natural water flow to Tripps Mill Brook. These changes will improve habitat for fish and wildlife, including species like box turtles, American eels, pollinators, and a variety of birds.

This winter, The Bogs was designated a priority project by the Massachusetts Division of Ecological Restoration. This designation will help fund the engineering needed to find the best solution to restore the property’s streams and wetlands. A separate $1.6 million USDA grant will cover the restoration costs.

An additional $50,000 state grant from the Massachusetts Environmental Trust will fund engineering and well installation to monitor how water levels change there over the course of the year, which will help inform the detailed restoration design.

Since the Coalition took ownership of the property, we opened up The Bogs to public access. It has become one of our most popular conservation areas and is now part of a network of more than 5 miles of trails through the Mattapoisett River Reserve. The restored property will still allow people to use The Bogs for outdoor activities like walking, mountain biking, fishing, and hunting. An $88,000 state Recreational Trails Program grant will fund improvements to The Bogs’ trails in coordination with the restoration – features like pedestrian bridges, a boardwalk, bog boards, and signage to provide better linkages throughout the reserve’s multi-town trail network.

The Coalition is beginning to work with engineers to develop conceptual designs and drawings for the restoration this spring.

Category: On the Land

Swim the Bay, Save the Bay

Buzzards Bay Swim

Celebrate clean water at the Coalition's 27th annual Buzzards Bay Swim on Saturday, June 27, 2020! Join more than 400 others who make a difference to protect clean water in Buzzards Bay. You can swim, volunteer, or cheer on swimmers as they cross outer New Bedford Harbor.

Learn More ›

Related Stories

Buzzards Bay Coalition begins construction of Mattapoisett Bogs wetland restoration, trails to temporarily close

Construction to restore natural habitats at the retired cranberry bogs will begin on October 16 at Buzzards Bay Coalition’s Mattapoisett Bogs property at 141 Acushnet Road. Trails will be closed during this time.

Full Story ›
Bay Adventures are back with a full summer schedule

The Coalition is launching a full schedule of free outdoor activities for the summer, resuming its Bay Adventure program, which aims to connect people to outdoor fun on Buzzards Bay and its watershed lands.

Full Story ›
41 places to enjoy fall foliage in southeastern Massachusetts

Pull on a sweater and get outside to enjoy the best of fall's colors at the these 41 beautiful places around your Bay.

Full Story ›

Working to Save Buzzards Bay

The Buzzards Bay Coalition is a membership-supported organization dedicated to improving the health of the Buzzards Bay ecosystem for all through education, conservation, research, and advocacy.

We work to protect clean water on the Bay and on the land: