Eco-Restoration Journey Week 6: Trail work on tap

Sure, it’s been a thrill watching experts use big machines to work the surface of a former cranberry bog, but a new chapter is on the way for the Harwich Conservation Trust’s (HCT) Hinckleys Pond — Herring River Headwaters Eco-Restoration Project.

“We are nearly complete with excavation and microtopography in the Jenkins bog,” said Michael Lundsted, Project Manager for SumCo Eco-Contracting. “Next week we’re going to look to start doing some trail work over here.”

The Jenkins bog is the main retired bog area that folks see when they’re driving by the project along Route 124, across from Cape Cod Regional Technical High School.

Sand removal and microtopography work is almost complete at the Jenkins bog, an important part of the Harwich Conservation Trust’s Hinckleys Pond Herring River Headwaters Eco-Restoration Project. Harwich Conservation Trust photo

Much of the work so far has involved removing a layer of sand that had been applied over the last century to stimulate cranberry vine growth. The SumCo crew has also been roughening the surface (a process called microtopography), to create a landscape that is more in line with a natural wetland area, producing a varied, complex habitat where a diversity of plants and animals can thrive.

This same approach was applied at the recently completed eco- restoration project at HCT’s Cold Brook Preserve in Harwich Port.

Ever since Cold Brook re-opened, folks have been out enjoying the trails and marveling at the results of the project. And with trail work on the way at the Hinckleys project, it’s exciting to think that we are on the same path at one of the most popular walking destinations in Harwich.

New All Persons Trail on the way

A highlight of the Cold Brook project was the construction of a new half-mile All Persons Trail, which improved access to nature for people with different abilities.

“Folks are thrilled with the new All Person’s Trail at the Robert F. Smith Cold Brook Preserve,” said HCT Executive Director Michael Lach. “It’s a surface that can accommodate both folks with wheelchairs or walkers or canes, or families that have youngsters in strollers.”

Once completed, the Hinckleys Pond — Herring River Headwaters Preserve will feature a nearly one-mile All Person’s Trail. “It’s a really welcoming enhancement to the visitor experience,” said Lach. “There will also be a boardwalk to bring people closer to the restored wetland.”

More Hinckleys project news

In other project news, sand removal and microtopography is in full swing on the Warner bog, a retired cranberry bog owned by the Brown family and located across Hinckleys Pond from the Jenkins bog.

Sand removal and microtopography work is now underway at the Warner bog, a retired cranberry bog that borders Hinckleys Pond in Harwich. The work is part of the Harwich Conservation Trust’s Hinckleys Pond Herring River Headwaters Eco-Restoration Project. Harwich Conservation Trust photo

A conservation restriction to protect the natural resources on their land will be granted to HCT as part of the restoration project. It’s important to note that the Brown family’s land will continue to be private.

And for those longing to see signs of spring in the Jenkins bog area, chances are you won’t have to wait too long.

“We’re at this moment now where it looks very raw in the former bog area, but from our experience on other projects, we can expect to see vegetation growing quickly,” said Nick Nelson, Senior Fluvial Geomorphologist and Regional Director with Inter-Fluve, “By the end of June, we’ll likely be seeing a green fuzz of new growth.”

Excavating sand from the retired bog means native wetland plant seeds beneath are now free to grow, with access to sunlight and water. “We’re creating a more balanced habitat that can take care of itself,” said Jonathan Gawrys, Team Lead for SumCo Eco-Contracting.

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.

Nick Nelson, Senior Fluvial Geomorphologist and Regional Director with Inter-Fluve. looks over the Warner bog area during work on the Harwich Conservation Trust’s Hinckleys Pond Herring River Headwaters Eco-Restoration Project. Harwich Conservation Trust photo

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 also 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. and week five.