225
ac es
of
wetla d
was
esto ed,
alo g
with
3
miles
of
st eams
(C edit:
Livi g
Obse vato y)
Fo
mo e
tha
a
ce tu y,
Tidma sh
Fa ms
i
Plymouth,
Massachusetts,
was
used
to
g ow
c a be ies.
I
2010
it
sta ted
a
t a sof matio
that
slowly
tu ed
it
back
i to
f eshwate
wetla d.Tidma sh
Fa ms
is
a
600-ac e
p ope ty
ea
the
coast.
Acco di g
to
NOAA
Fishe ies,
c a be y
fa mi g
had
cha ged
the
la d
by
d ai i g
its
atu al
wetla ds,
cutti g
t ees,
st aighte i g
st eams
a d
putti g
ba ie s
i
place
to
co t ol
wate .
Sa d
was
also
epeatedly
added
ove
the
atu al
peat,
c eati g
a
thick
laye
ove
the
o igi al
wetla d.The
esto atio
could
ot
etu
the
p ope ty
exactly
to
what
it
had
bee
befo e
c a be y
fa mi g.
Howeve ,
wo k
at
Tidma sh
East
eve tually
esto ed
225
ac es
of
wetla d
habitat
a d
mo e
tha
th ee
miles
of
st eam
cha el.Befo e
the
esto atio ,
fish
such
as
alewife
a d
blueback
he i g
who
we e
a ely
see
i
the
fo me
c a be y
bog,
we e
ow
swimmi g
beyo d
ba ie s
that
had
blocked
thei
moveme t
fo
mo e
tha
100
yea s.
Resto i g
the
wetla d
The
la d
had
bee
used
as
a
c a be y
bog
si ce
the
1890s.
Like
othe
c a be y
fa ms
i
southeast
Massachusetts,
Tidma sh
was
c eated
by
eplaci g
ative
habitat.
Fo ested
wetla ds
we e
clea ed,
the
swamp
was
d ai ed
a d
st eams
we e
cha ged
i to
st aight
cha els.The
way
the
fa m
was
ma aged
also
cha ged
the
soil.
Sa d
was
pe iodically
placed
ove
the
existi g
peat,
comp essi g
it
a d
alte i g
the
shape
of
the
la d.
Ba ie s
we e
built
to
t ap
a d
co t ol
wate .
These
ba ie s
also
stopped
fish
f om
movi g
upst eam
to
each
thei
habitat.By
the
time
Tidma sh
East
was
take
out
of
p oductio
i
2010,
about
two
feet
of
sa d
had
bee
placed
ove
the
peat.
Removi g
all
of
it
was
ot
possible.
The efo e,
the
esto atio
team
used
the
sa d
to
c eate
mou ds
a d
gullies
that
fo med
the
su face
of
the
esto ed
wetla d.Excavato s
also
dug
th ee
miles
of
ew
st eam
cha els.
I stead
of
wate
movi g
quickly
th ough
st aight,
ma -made
cha els,
it
ow
flows
mo e
slowly.
The
esto ed
st eams
also
have
coole
wate
co ditio s
that
a e
suitable
fo
fish.
Excavato s
dug
th ee
miles
of
ew
cha els,
slowi g
wate
flow
th ough
the
esto ed
wetla d.
(AP
photo)
Fishes
etu
O e
of
the
majo
cha ges
came
f om
emovi g
dams
a d
othe
ba ie s
ac oss
the
p ope ty.
This
co ected
the
headwate s,
whe e
st eams
begi ,
to
the
sea
fo
the
fi st
time
i
mo e
tha
a
ce tu y.The
esto ed
la d
was
also
co ected
with
ea by
p otected
a eas,
c eati g
a
habitat
co ido
fo
fish
a d
wildlife.Thousa ds
of
t ees
we e
b ought
i
to
c eate
a
mo e
dive se
habitat.
Mo e
tha
20,000
ative
pla t
species
we e
pla ted
du i g
the
esto atio
wo k.The
esults
became
visible
much
faste
tha
some
esea che s
had
expected.
Withi
a
yea
of
esto atio
wo k
begi i g,
the
sa dy
soil
sta ted
p oduci g
ew
g owth.Acco di g
to
Associated
P ess,
a
2025
study
of
sites
i cludi g
the
Foothills
P ese ve
i
Plymouth
fou d
that
the
sa d
at
Tidma sh
co tai ed
lo g-do ma t
ative
seeds.
These
seeds
could
ge mi ate
whe
the
sa d
was
mixed
with
peat.A othe
study
published
i
2021
looked
at
Tidma sh
a d
othe
esto ed
sites.
It
fou d
that
wate
ete tio ,
soil
health
a d
mic obial
commu ities
imp oved
apidly
withi
a
few
yea s.Tidma sh
is
ow
k ow
as
Tidma sh
Wildlife
Sa ctua y,
with
Mass
Audubo
ma agi g
most
of
the
la d.
Visito s
i clude
bi dwatche s,
schoolchild e
a d
local
eside ts
who
emembe
the
a ea
as
a
c a be y
fa m.
C a be y
Bog
Resto atio
P og am
The
esto atio
at
Tidma sh
has
also
c eated
a
lo g-te m
esea ch
p oject.
Livi g
Obse vato y,
a
o p ofit
g oup
b i gs
togethe
esea che s,
a tists
a d
othe s
to
study
how
fo me
c a be y
fa ms
ecove .Came as
a d
se so s
i stalled
ac oss
the
site
collect
i fo matio
about
the
cha gi g
wetla d.
The
se so s
mo ito
co ditio s
i cludi g
soil
moistu e
a d
tempe atu e,
while
came as
p ovide
a
eco d
of
the
cha ges.
The
data
is
publicly
available
a d
has
become
a
esou ce
fo
esea che s
studyi g
wetla d
esto atio .The
success
of
Tidma sh
has
also
helped
the
state
lau ch
its
C a be y
Bog
Resto atio
P og am.
The
p og amme
ca
p ovide
tech ical
assista ce
a d
co ect
fa me s
with
fede al
fu di g
a d
buye s
i te ested
i
co se vatio .So
fa ,
the
state
has
completed
co st uctio
o
i e
esto atio
p ojects
cove i g
about
500
ac es
a d
10
miles
of
st eam
habitat.
A othe
11
p ojects
cove i g
a
fu the
500
ac es
a e
i
the
pla i g
stage.The
eed
fo
such
p ojects
has
i c eased
as
c a be y
fa mi g
faces
difficulties.
Acco di g
to
the
US
Depa tme t
of
Ag icultu e,
the
umbe
of
eti ed
c a be y
fa ms
i
Massachusetts
i c eased
by
about
40%
betwee
2017
a d
2022.
