The Massachusetts Division of Ecological Restoration (DER) and the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) are working together to protect and restore retiring commercial cranberry bogs in southeastern Massachusetts. The Piscitelli Bogs site in Wareham is currently enrolled in the NRCS Wetlands Reserve Easement Program. On many former bogs wetland restoration work is needed to address legacy impacts, restore healthy wetlands, and provide a natural resiliency to sea level rise. Given the proximity of this bog to the ocean and its low elevation, the DER and the NRCS are considering this site’s potential for future marsh migration. Restoring damage from tidal flooding, maintaining existing hiking trails, and pedestrian access to the ocean will be an important part of the design and restoration.

Fuss & O’Neill, a multidisciplinary engineering firm, has been hired to provide engineering and wetlands restoration design services to restore the Piscitelli Bogs. The preliminary site assessment and conceptual design plan will be used to define future actions required to restore this site. Fuss & O’Neill brings a comprehensive suite of restoration services that are tailored to the specific environment and provides a holistic approach to wetlands restoration.

According to Fuss & O’Neill’s Water and Natural Resources Business Line Leader, Dean Audet, PE, “This will be an important project that demonstrates how to transition a historic cranberry bog into a coastal system that enhances long-term sustainability of the property.”