Massachusetts Division of Ecological Restoration

❗Reminder: Our Project Inquiry/Expression of Interest period is still open! Now is your chance to sit down with a DER staff member to discuss a potential culvert replacement project. With the Stream Continuity Program's annual grant anticipated this spring, this is an opportunity to speak with DER staff ahead of that. Deadline to schedule a call is January 10th!⌛Schedule a call and learn more ➡️https://bit.ly/4ibeNUG

What happens when you have extensive knowledge about culvert replacements and want to share that with a large audience? You host a free training! As we reflect on 2024, we’re reminded of the training DER held back in June for municipalities interested in learning about culvert replacement. Through DER’s Culvert Replacement Training Initiative, project sites are selected as case studies which provide local road managers comprehensive training on how to assess, plan, and carry out these important resilience projects statewide. In 2024, DER awarded funding to four projects through this initiative to support culvert replacements that meet the Massachusetts Stream Crossing Standards. Ashburnham hosted our first training of the year, and we look forward to more in 2025! Read about our most recent grant award to the Town of Ashburnham, one of our current case study sites ➡️ https://bit.ly/4ivPdu0 #LookBackAt2024

This past fall, DER joined partners from the Neponset River Watershed Association to visit a completed #DERPriorityProject in Norwood with a Northeastern University College of Science Ecology class! The class was studying stream restoration, so having the opportunity to see a site post-restoration prompted some great questions. Traphole Brook River Restoration was a completed in 2022 after removing a small masonry dam, which has opened access for fish and wildlife and increased climate resilience for the surrounding communities. Thanks to NRWA for letting us join in! 🐟

As our anniversary year winds down, we reflect on the many incredible partners that we work alongside to advance our restoration projects. Successful projects begin with strong project teams! 🤝 We want to thank Commissioner O’Shea from Massachusetts Department of Fish & Game and Lynn Werner from Housatonic Valley Association for their kind words and long-lasting partnership as we look back at #15YearsofRiverRestoration. We have featured many other partners throughout 2024. Find more partner highlights and information on DER's 15th Anniversary here - https://bit.ly/3Zviu0P

DER is proud to have been a part of this innovative cranberry bog restoration project in Plymouth! In collaboration with The Nature Conservancy and many other partners, this project is now 40 acres of flourishing wetland that is open to the public.

Did you hear the exciting news? DER is hiring two Culvert Replacement Technical Assistance Specialists! Join our Stream Continuity Program to advance culvert replacement projects. These are hybrid positions and can be based out of either DER’s Boston or Westfield office. Apply by 12/19 for first consideration! 👉 Apply Here: https://bit.ly/3ZfhY5i

Are you a partner on an active DER Priority or Provisional Project? Check your email for an exciting update! 📨 This week, a Request for Responses went live for DER's Priority Projects Program Advancement Grants. This funding opportunity will support and advance currently active, existing Priority Projects and Provisional Projects at any stage of development, including dam removal, river restoration and stream crossing upgrades, urban river revitalization, cranberry bog restoration, and coastal and freshwater wetland restoration, or combinations thereof. A Question and Answer (Q&A) period is currently open and will close December 23, 2024 at 4:00PM EST. The Request for Responses will close January 17, 2025. Learn more and apply here➡️ https://bit.ly/3ZQ0rlO

Today, $384,400 was awarded to the Town of Ashburnham for a culvert replacement project through DER’s Stream Continuity Program! This funding will support the construction of replacing a degraded and undersized culvert on East Rindge Road over Bluefield Brook with one that meets the Massachusetts Stream Crossing Standards. Additionally, the Town will host several trainings led by DER to educate local roadway managers on culvert replacements, sharing lessons learned from this and other projects as a part of the Culvert Replacement Training Site Initiative. Read the full press release here ➡️ https://bit.ly/4ivPdu0

When unneeded dams are removed, the surrounding community benefits from lower maintenance costs, improvements to the area’s ecology and water quality, and increased resiliency against flooding and erosion. In Southampton, MA, our team assisted the Massachusetts Division of Ecological Restoration with removal of the Lyman Pond Dam. One year after removal, the Lyman Pond site showed a notable improvement in flood resiliency and the presence of sensitive species, including rare mussels. Learn more about how our team assists municipal & state partners with dam removal projects through design, permitting, and construction: https://ow.ly/Cf7p50U92R1

To visualize the intended goals for an ecological restoration project, engineers will create something called a design rendering. The rendering takes the engineering design plans and conceptualizes them so that we can better understand what the site will look like after it undergoes restoration. Check out this rendering that DER partner Fuss & O'Neill made for a #DERPriorityProject in Northampton! Previously a golf course, this project will restore the Nashawannuck Brook stream channel and wetland processes on the landscape. Along with the many benefits that wetland restoration brings, the project will also create trails and other outdoor recreational opportunities for the public as shown in these renderings! Project partners include Mass Audubon, City of Northampton, with consultant Fuss & O'Neill.