November 2010 Purple Loosestrife Biocontrol Project Update In 2010, Beetle Ranching volunteers from around the Neponset River Watershed and beyond carefully raised Galerucella calmariensis & G. pusilla beetles for this project to reduce exotic, invasive Purple loosestrife in the Fowl Meadow wetlands, Brookwood Farm, and at adjacent wetland areas. Over the years, these beetles and […]
October 2011 Project Update In 2011, we raised Purple loosestrife biological control (“biocontrol”) beetles (Galerucella calmariensis and G. pusilla) to treat Purple loosestrife in the northern Fowl Meadow wetlands and in nearby Brookwood Farm, in quantities guided by recommendations from project advisor the Massachusetts Department of Ecological Restoration (DER). Our goal has been to produce […]
The Lower Neponset River restoration project presents a unique opportunity to continue the revitalization of neighborhoods along the river by making the Neponset cleaner, more accessible, and closer to its natural condition. Since the 1970s, an extraordinary improvement in the water quality of the Neponset River has occurred. Untreated industrial wastewater discharges and sewer […]
As you travel downstream from the Neponset Reservoir in Foxboro, you notice Gillette Stadium, home of the New England Patriots and New England Revolution. It was during the Stadium’s construction that almost one-third-mile of “dead” Neponset River was brought back to life. For more than four decades, two sections of the Neponset River had been […]
Mile-a-minute, or Persicaria perfoliata, is an exotic, invasive, spiny vine that grows in the Neponset River Watershed. In fact, Mile-a-minute grows right in the Canton section of Fowl Meadow, a designated Area of Critical Environmental Concern (ACEC)! The climbing plant shades out native plants (e.g., reduces the other plants’ ability to photosynthesize / make food, […]
European water chestnut (Trapa natans) is an exotic, invasive aquatic plant that can occupy slow-moving waters and especially ponds and lakes in the Commonwealth. Did you know that European water chestnut lives in the Neponset River Watershed? Water chestnut has grown in Ellis Pond in Norwood. The MA Department of Environmental Management initially spotted the […]
In early July 2010, exotic, invasive Asian longhorned beetles were discovered in six Red maple trees at the Faulkner Hospital in Jamaica Plain, a neighborhood of Boston. Jamaica Plain is right on the outskirts of the Neponset River Watershed. As soon as the beetles were identified, the trees were removed, to prevent further spread of […]
Our goals are to mitigate ecological degradation, restore higher levels of native species diversity, and improve wildlife habitat in the watershed. Projects include: Dam Removal One simple way to improve the ecological function of a waterway is to remove the man-made structures that impede its functions. Reducing Stormwater Pollution One of the main culprits of […]
One simple way to improve the ecological function of a waterway is to remove the man-made structures that impede its functions. These structures often consist of old dams that no longer serve their purpose, and culverts that are undersized, poorly designed, and/or malfunctioning. Read about: Lower Neponset River Restoration Program The Lower Neponset River restoration […]
The condition of aquatic resources, and the habitat they provide for species in the Neponset River Watershed, is affected by a variety of factors and activities in the landscape. Pollutants; low water levels; direct removal of habitat; disturbance of vegetation and soil at the water’s edge; exotic, invasive species; acid precipitation; obstructions (dams); and degradation […]
The Watershed Association and the Mass. Department of Conservation & Recreation - South Region collaborated on a five-year project to reduce exotic, invasive Purple loosestrife in the Fowl Meadow and Blue Hills Reservation, to improve native biodiversity and wildlife habitat.
Migratory fish, or “diadromous” fish, and their habitat have decreased throughout the Boston Harbor Watershed, of which Neponset River Watershed is a part. Fish that migrate between salt water, brackish water, and freshwater as part of their life cycle are called “migratory (diadromous) fish.” This group of fish also includes “anadromous” and “catadromous” species. Anadromous fish […]
Exotic, invasive species are organisms that arrive in an area far from their home and then succeed in surviving, reproducing, and spreading. Exotic, invasive species bring turmoil to a natural system; they can out compete native species and reproduce vastly, taking over a significant swathe of the ecosystem in a short time, changing the structure […]