The Cape Cod Conservation District (District) announced today that it has hired Martha Craig to lead its Cape Cod Waster Resources Restoration Project – a joint initiative of the District and the federal Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS).
Read moreNatural Resources Conservation Service Approves Cape Cod Conservation District Application for $42.5 Million to Restore Coastal Wetlands and Fisheries Habitat on Cape Cod.
The Cape Cod Conservation District (District) has received official word today from the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and the local Congressional delegation that its application for $42.5 million in funds - to restore shell-fishing areas, revitalize degraded salt marshes, and restore herring runs and fishways across Cape Cod - has been approved.
Read moreCAPE COD CONSERVATION DISTRICT ANNOUNCES STATE APPROVAL FOR BAYVIEW BOGS WETLANDS RESTORATION PROJECT
The Cape Cod Conservation District announced today that the Massachusetts Department of Ecological Restoration has approved its application for assistance to develop a comprehensive restoration plan for the Bayview Cranberry Bogs in West Yarmouth and to designate the bog restoration initiative as a “Priority Project.
Read moreCAPE COD CONSERVATION DISTRICT UPDATES CAPE COD WATER RESOURCES RESTORATION PROJECT MASTER PLAN
The Cape Cod Conservation District has prepared an update to the Cape Cod Water Resources Restoration Project Master Plan.
Read moreProtecting shellfish with porous pavement in Provincetown
If you’ve ever spent a sunny summer day in Provincetown, Massachusetts, you know that it’s a bustling tourist town at the very end of Cape Cod. The main thoroughfare – Commercial Street – is lined with restaurants, shops, homes and B&Bs, all of which have a lovely view of Provincetown Harbor.
Read moreCape Cod Conservation District Partners on Phase 2 of Coonamessett River Restoration
On Monday, October 28 the Town of Falmouth and federal, state, regional, and local partners broke ground on the second phase of an effort to restore the Coonamessett River. The restoration project is 1 of 16 individual projects being funded in part by the Cape Cod Conservation District’s Cape Cod Water Resources Restoration Project.
Read moreDistrict Mourns Passing of Lee Davis
Lee Calvin Davis died peacefully on Sunday, October 20th 2019, the Lord’s Day. He was predeceased by his wife Priscilla Knott Davis. Lee was born in Vanceboro Maine, the son of Mary Holbrook and Harry Davis. He is also predeceased by four sisters, Elisabeth, Kathryn, Ruth, and Harriet. He leaves behind children Elizabeth Davis Grade (Liz), Lee Calvin Davis Jr. (Chip), and his companion, Cindy Brackett. He is predeceased by his son-in-law, Richard Dean Grade (Dickie). He also leaves behind one grandson, Nathan Alexander Grade, and one great-grandson, Richard Dean Grade (Deano), one cousin, Raymond Pitcomb, many nieces and nephews, great friends, Don, Jerry, and Kelley, and special advocate and niece Margi.
Read moreCape Cod Water Resources Restoration Project to Receive $10 Million in Federal Funding
WEST YARMOUTH, MA – The Cape Cod Conservation District’s (CCCD) application for federal funds to undertake priority coastal restoration projects on Cape Cod was approved today by the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS).
The $10 million in FY17 funds will be used for Phase II of the Cape Cod Water Resources Restoration Project (CCWRP) which assists Cape communities with the planning, design and construction of numerous coastal restoration projects across Cape Cod.
Read moreUSDA's NRCS invests in the Cape Cod Water Resources Restoration Project
Amherst, Mass., October 4, 2017 – The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) plans to invest $10 million to restore and protect water quality on Cape Cod. Some 16 individual projects that will include installation of fish passages, stormwater remediation and salt marsh restoration will be funded as part of the Cape Cod Water Resources Restoration Project.
The Cape Cod project is one of 48 new, multi-year projects and activities that aim to build vital infrastructure while conserving natural resources in 20 states through the Watershed Protection and Flood Prevention Program. NRCS works with local groups to help prevent floods, protect watersheds, improve agricultural water management and enhance wildlife habitat through this program.
"Water quality is a major concern on Cape Cod, particularly its effect on salt marshes, shellfish beds and herring runs," said Christine Clarke, NRCS State Conservationist for Massachusetts. "The Cape Cod Water Resources Restoration Project is a strong, locally led partnership of federal, state and local agencies. This funding will result in significant long-term benefits Cape-wide."
The Cape Cod Water Resources Restoration Project watershed plan and environmental impact statement was authorized in 2009 and included 76 projects across Cape Cod. These projects would restore 1,500 acres of salt marsh, protect 7,200 acres of shellfish beds through improved stormwater management and create fish passages that will provide anadromous fish with access to 4,200 acres of spawning habitat.
Twenty three of the projects originally identified in the Cape Cod Water Resources Restoration Project Watershed Plan were completed between 2010 and 2013. Work on several of the new sites is expected to begin as early as next spring. Completion of all 16 projects is expected by fall 2019.
Nationwide, NRCS will invest $150 million in watershed projects, working with project sponsors, such as conservation districts, local governments and American Indian tribes. The projects take place in smaller watersheds that cover 250,000 acres or less.
In Massachusetts, project sponsors are the Cape Cod Conservation District, the Barnstable County Commissioners, the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs and all 15 Cape Cod towns. NRCS worked with these sponsors to identify project sites.
NRCS serves as the primary technical adviser to project sponsors because of its engineering and environmental expertise and ability to deliver science-based technology and knowledge about the watershed's natural resources and ecosystem.
Since 1947, the Watershed Protection and Flood Prevention Program has helped communities address critical needs on flood control, water management, watershed protection and development. This strong federal, state and local partnership has resulted in the construction of more than 2,000 watershed projects that help communities in every state in the nation and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. These watershed projects reflect a federal investment of about $6.2 billion and deliver an estimated $2.2 billion in average annual benefits nationwide.
Contact:
Diane Baedeker Petit, Public Affairs Officer
413-253-4371, cell 413-835-1276
Brewster Plans New Culvert for Crosby Marsh →
Many people drive down Crosby Lane in Brewster for the town beach and the adjacent, mile-long state beachfront, or to view and visit Tawasentha, the historic home of Albert Crosby.
But there’s also an extensive salt marsh, one that’s severely constricted by a clogged, 12-inch culvert under Crosby Lane.
Permits are now in place to replace that culvert and to restore flow to the upper portion of the marsh. The much smaller marsh on the western side of Crosby Lane now hosts freshwater species like phragmites (common reed grass) and the very invasive purple loosestrife.
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