‘Critically important ecosystems’: HCT celebrates World Wetlands Day
Sure, February 2nd is widely known as Groundhog Day, when a celebrity rodent makes a bold weather prediction. But since Punxsutawney Phil is a big fan of land preservation, it’s quite possible that when he emerges, he will say “Happy World Wetlands Day!”
World Wetlands Day, also celebrated annually on Feb. 2nd, raises awareness about those sweet, soggy places that are sometimes overlooked and often lost to development and degradation.
Harwich Conservation Trust’s recently completed eco-restoration project at the Robert F. Smith Cold Brook Preserve has transformed the site into a wildlife oasis with rewilded wetland and stream habitats. Gerry Beetham photo
According to the World Wetlands Day organization, “nearly 90% of the world’s wetlands have been degraded since the 1700s, and we are losing wetlands three times faster than forests. Yet, wetlands are critically important ecosystems that contribute to biodiversity, climate mitigation and adaptation, freshwater availability, world economies and more.”
Massachusetts hasn’t been immune to that trend. According to a report authored by Thomas Dahl of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the state lost more than 28% of its wetlands between the 1780s and 1980s. The state Department of Environmental Protection reports that this loss has continued.
World Wetlands Day was also adopted by the United Nations (UN) in 2021, as a way to “raise awareness of the urgency of reversing the accelerating loss of wetlands and to promote their conservation and restoration.”
HCT’s eco-restoration success stories
This composite photo shows Harwich Conservation Trust’s Robert F. Smith Cold Brook Preserve before, during and after the eco-restoration project. Aerial photos by Steve and Eileen Furlong
Harwich Conservation Trust (HCT) has been on the forefront of wetlands restoration efforts in our region, thanks to the generosity of HCT donors, Town of Harwich voters, state and federal grants and the expertise of our many partners. Significant eco-restoration opportunities have arisen in recent years due to changes in the cranberry industry.
By the late 1990s, much larger off-Cape bogs were producing an extra supply of cranberries that caused the price to fall. This shift in the industry made it more difficult for some local growers to continue farming, so they’re faced with a choice: develop the upland or preserve.
Over the years, as a way to earn income from their land while also protecting natural resources, several local farmers have sold their properties to HCT. This partnership has set the stage for innovative eco-restoration efforts.
In 2025, HCT completed two projects that rewilded retired cranberry bogs. These restoration efforts increased biodiversity and native plant populations while also enhancing recreational opportunities with new All Persons Trails that allow people of all abilities and ages to enjoy nature.
HCT’s Cold Brook Eco-Restoration Project transformed a retired cranberry bog into a wildlife oasis. The project included rewilding a mile of stream, native plantings and the creation of four ponds.
Cold Brook is now flowing freely through the 66-acre Robert F. Smith Cold Brook Preserve for the first time in over a century. Starting in spring fed Grassy Pond, the stream travels under Bank Street through the Preserve and ultimately to Saquatucket Harbor on Nantucket Sound.
Project partners cut the ribbon to mark the reopening of the Hinckleys Pond — Herring River Headwaters Preserve, after the completion of an ambitious eco-restoration project. In true Harwich Conservation Trust style, the ribbon was surveyor tape and loppers were used instead of big fancy scissors. Photo by Gerry Beetham
The Hinckleys Pond — Herring River Headwaters Eco-Restoration Project included the rewilding of 30 acres of retired cranberry bogs into thriving wetland habitat, restoring several hundred feet of pond shore habitat, creating a connection to the Hinckleys Pond — Herring River Headwaters Preserve from the Cape Cod Trail.
Another project on the horizon
Another ambitious eco-restoration effort is in the early planning stages. The 50-acre Cape Cod Rail Trail Land Preservation Project began when owner Ray Thacher, Jr. chose to work with HCT on a conservation future for his bogs.
Preserving a property of this size on its own would be a high priority, especially within the Herring River watershed. When looking at the bigger conservation picture of this property’s central location to more than 400 acres of protected lands, the land-saving vision became even more compelling. At the time, Ray’s 50 acre property was the largest remaining undeveloped parcel in Harwich and could have been converted into a nine-lot subdivision with septic system nutrients leaching into the watershed.
Last year, the $3.5 million acquisition phase was completed thanks to HCT donors, a $2 million grant from the state, and $500,000 from the Town Community Preservation Fund. For now, access to the land is paused while Ray continues to farm and HCT begins the eco-restoration planning process.
A $150,000 grant from the Massachusetts Division of Ecological Restoration is funding data collection about groundwater levels and surface water flows as well as preliminary eco-restoration design concepts. The eco-restoration potential of the site could create free flowing stream channels with improved fish passage and connectivity between natural wetland habitats, as well as enhance future walking trail opportunities.
Harwich Conservation Trust installed an osprey nesting pole in the marsh behind Red River Beach. Photo by Gerry Beetham
After this initial phase of eco-restoration research and draft design is finished, HCT will search for funding to support the final design options and permitting phase. These complex eco-restorations take time, but as folks have experienced the results at Cold Brook and Hinckleys Pond, it’s worth the wait.
Wetlands donation opportunities
As we celebrate World Wetlands Day, HCT would also like to thank landowners who have donated wetlands over the years, including the salt marsh behind Red River Beach (where HCT has installed an osprey nesting platform), salt marsh in the Herring River estuary and freshwater wetlands, including long since abandoned bogs and Atlantic white cedar wetlands.
At HCT, we love wetlands! If you happen to own a chunk of wetland, and no longer want to pay property taxes on it and benefit the nature of Harwich, consider donating it to HCT.
We would be glad to help out, and local wildlife would appreciate your generosity, too. Please reach out to HCT Executive Director Mike Lach at mike@harwichconservationtrust.org.
And the next time your boot sinks into a marsh or swamp, don’t get mad. Think about how wetlands benefit wildlife and our community — soggy is beautiful!
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—Your tax-deductible contributions help fulfill the mission of the Harwich Conservation Trust to preserve land that protects woods, water, wildlife and our shared quality of life. And your land-saving financial support helps us preserve beautiful properties that can become stellar trail destinations. Find out how to donate by clicking here.