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.
“On behalf of the Conservation District, I want to thank Governor Baker and the Division of Ecological Restoration for their strong support for this environmental restoration project. This initiative is a local priority and will be advanced in partnership with Cape Cod Hospital, the Towns of Yarmouth and Barnstable and the Hyannis Park neighborhood, said Mark Forest, Chairman of the District.”
The project site is known as Bayview Bogs or the Cape Cod Hospital Bogs located in the Town of Yarmouth consisting of one 89.2-acre parcel, with approximately 50 acres of uplands and 44 acres of wetland of which the former cranberry bogs comprise approximately 18.5 acres. Water flows into the bog system from wetlands to the north through a culvert beneath Route 28 and flows southward through the bogs toward the two different outlets both located beneath Park Avenue where the water eventually makes its way to Lewis Bay and Nantucket Sound.
In recent years, the water quality of the bog system has become impaired due to road run off, failed septic systems, obstructions, and overgrown vegetation. This priority designation will allow the Cape Cod Conservation District to obtain assistance and funding to fully assess conditions, develop an overall restoration plan and implement the recommended actions to enhance this important wetland ecosystem.
Cranberry bog farming occurred at this site starting in 1891 and continuing intermittently until 1996, when the Cape Cod Hospital ended commercial cranberry farming activities. Two years ago, the Cape Cod Hospital and Cape Cod Conservation District began talks to determine how the District could assist the Hospital with the restoration and the development of a long-term maintenance and management of the site.
Over the past ten years the District has partnered with USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Services in the development of a comprehensive region-wide Cape Cod Water Resources Restoration Plan. The plan has identified restoration projects and federal funding for each town on Cape Cod.