Eco-Restoration Journey Week 7: Sleeping seeds awake

Patience, thy name is seeds. These kernels of life have the amazing ability to wait for years, until conditions are right to start their engines and get growing.

And this regular miracle is an important part of the transformation going on at Harwich Conservation Trust’s (HCT) Hinckleys Pond — Herring River Headwaters Eco-Restoration Project, which will rewild two retired cranberry bogs that bookend Hinckleys Pond.

The recipe for the return of native plants to a retired cranberry bog area goes like this: layers of sand that were applied to the bogs to stimulate cranberry growth are removed. Then, the surface of the retired bog is roughened (a process called microtopography), to create a landscape that is more in line with a natural wetland area.

This is the opportunity that pre-existing native plant seeds are waiting for. With access to sunlight and water, the seeds are now free to grow.

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

‘Magic formula’ for growth

“Wetland plants have evolved to have long-lived seeds that can hang out for decades until the conditions are right,” said Chris Neill, Senior Scientist at the Woodwell Climate Research Center in Falmouth, in an interview with HCT. “Once that happens, they can germinate and sprout very quickly.”

Once the eco-restoration project was completed at Harwich Conservation Trust’s Robert F. Smith Cold Brook Preserve, native plant growth began to repopulate the site. Gerry Beetham photo

In an appearance on WCAI-FM’s “The Point” radio show, Neill further elaborated on how the seed process works in ecologically restored former cranberry bogs. “What we’ve found is that there’s this enormous already-buried seed bank in the soil,” he said. “All you have to do is mix them up a bit and make them a little wetter and you get this flush of native and wetland adapted plants.”

Once unleashed, the variety of this new plant life is considerable. “That moist soil system is just sort of this magic formula for producing this enormous diversity of wetland plants,” said Neill on WCAI. “In terms of plant diversity, these recently created restored wetlands are some of the most diverse plant communities we have in the entire state of Massachusetts.”

How fast does it happen?

In the HCT interview, Neill was asked how soon folks could expect the first flush of growth at the Hinckleys Pond — Herring River Headwaters Eco-Restoration Project, where much of the sand removal and microtopography has been completed in the former Jenkins bog that is visible from Route 124 in Harwich.

“If you stop work in the spring, then by August the whole side should be greening up,” said Neill.

While initial construction on an eco-restoration project can look raw and messy at first, the quick return of native plant life can be impressive, said Beth Lambert, Director of the state Division of Ecological Restoration on WCAI.

Based on the results of previous projects, “what we’re seeing is that within the first growing season after construction, the plants recover immediately,” said Lambert. “And you start seeing wetland grasses, you start seeing wildflowers in certain cases, you see a lot of different wildlife.”

An excellent example of the striking natural rebound that can occur after an eco-restoration project can be seen at HCT’s Robert F. Smith Cold Brook Preserve, where a recently completed effort has transformed the site into a wildlife oasis with rewilded wetland and stream habitats.

A trail at the Harwich Conservation Trust’s Robert F. Smith Cold Brook Preserve, where an enhanced visitor experience is part of a recently completed eco-restoration project. Gerry Beetham photo

You will also find an enhanced visitor experience including a half-mile wheelchair accessible All Persons Trail. And Cold Brook is now flowing freely through the 66-acre Preserve for the first time in over a century, on its way to Saquatucket Harbor on Nantucket Sound.

Project refresher

The Hinckleys Pond – Herring River Headwaters Eco-Restoration Project includes the restoration of two retired cranberry bogs that bookend 174-acre Hinckleys Pond in Harwich, at the headwaters of the Herring River estuary and immediately downstream of river herring spawning habitat in Long Pond and Seymour Pond.

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.

In 2021, thanks to generous donors, HCT was able to purchase the 31-acre retired bog area from the Jenkins family. If not preserved, the forested upland along Headwaters Drive and Rt. 124 could have been converted into a subdivision which would have impacted pond health and closed off the popular spot to the public.

The project also seeks to improve shoreline habitat of Hinckleys Pond, which is a herring spawning pond. The Brown family, who owns a retired bog on the other side of the pond, is also partnering with HCT on the project. The partnership eco-effort aims to increase biodiversity, restore freshwater wetland habitat and enhance recreational opportunities.

The eco-restoration project was funded by HCT donors, the Brown family, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Southeast New England Program (SNEP) Watershed grant, EPA National Estuary Program Coastal Watershed grant under cooperative agreement with Restore America’s Estuaries, Massachusetts Department of Conservation & Recreation MassTrails grant, foundation funds through the Association to Preserve Cape Cod, and a Transformational Habitat Restoration & Coastal Resilience grant through the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration.

Revisit our eco-journey chapters: Here are the links for week one, week two, week three, week four, week five and week 6.

—Sign up for HCT eNews, a great way to stay in the loop about exciting HCT events, guided walks and other interesting news.

—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.