Cape & Islands News

Brewster receives $1.3M in stim funds for Stony Brook project

Funds will be used to complete the Stony Brook Salt Marsh and Fish Passage Restoration Project

Monday, Energy and Environmental Affairs (EEA) Secretary Ian Bowles announced that the town of Brewster has received a $1.3 million American Reinvestment and Recovery Act (ARRA) grant to complete the Stony Brook Salt Marsh and Fish Passage Restoration Project in Brewster.  The habitat restoration project is estimated to maintain or create 46 jobs.

"I am pleased that the town of Brewster will receive this federal stimulus funding to work with our Department of Fish and Game (DFG) and other partners to restore these important coastal wetland and fisheries habitats," Secretary Bowles said.  "The town of Brewster continues to demonstrate vision and leadership through its actions to protect and restore the natural habitats that play such a vital role in sustaining the economy and treasured way of life on Cape Cod."

The grant, which is funded by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), will restore natural tidal flow to a 20-acre degraded salt marsh, and enhance fish access to 3,000 feet of coastal stream and 386 acres of ponds used by herring and American eels.  The project is a collaborative effort between the town of Brewster, NOAA, DFG’s Wetlands Restoration Program, the Massachusetts Bays Program, the Association to Preserve Cape Cod, and the Cape Cod Museum of Natural History.

"We on the Cape know better than most the importance of maintaining and rehabilitating degraded salt marshes. This restoration project, coupled with a similar project in Dennis last year demonstrates the commitment the towns, county, state and federal governments and agencies have in these areas. Our quality of life depends on it," said state Rep. Cleon H. Turner.

To achieve the project’s restoration goals, the town will replace an undersized culvert beneath Route 6A with a larger one that will allow the full range of tidal water to once again flow freely into the salt marsh and other wetlands adjacent to the Cape Cod Museum of Natural History.  By enlarging the road culvert, the project will enhance the ability of fish and other organisms to pass beneath Route 6A, making their way to important habitats in the upper reaches of the watershed.  The project will also improve the Museum’s walking trail that crosses the marsh, keeping it above the new high tide elevation while making it easier for tidal water to flow across the marsh from one side of the trail to the other.

"It is vital that we do we all we can to preserve our Commonwealth’s natural habitats and protect its wildlife. Completion of the Stony Brook Salt Marsh and Fish Passage Restoration Project will restore natural tidal flow to many acres of salt marshes and ponds crucial to sustaining native water life, and will also create dozens of jobs for our citizens," said Sen. Ted Kennedy.

"We on the Cape know better than most the importance of maintaining and rehabilitating degraded salt marshes. This restoration project, coupled with a similar project in Dennis last year demonstrates the commitment the towns, county, state and federal governments and agencies have in these areas. Our quality of life depends on it," said state Rep. Cleon H. Turner.

"Not only will the project directly create regional jobs, but the improvements to this popular herring run will likely mean increased tourism into the future." - Brewster Town Administrator Charles Sumner

"The town of Brewster is thrilled to receive this NOAA stimulus grant to restore the Stony Brook habitats, and we could not have done it without our key project partners,” said Brewster Town Administrator Charles Sumner. “The Stony Brook Salt Marsh and Fish Passage Restoration Project present a win-win situation by restoring a natural system so vital to Brewster and Cape Cod from both an environmental and economic perspective. Not only will the project directly create regional jobs, but the improvements to this popular herring run will likely mean increased tourism into the future."

DFG’s Wetlands Restoration Program has funded $54,000 in technical services over the past year to help the town develop the project in preparation for federal grant opportunities.  Staff also provided significant assistance in writing the NOAA grant application and will play a central role in project implementation through the remaining phases of design, permitting, construction, and monitoring. The Wetlands Restoration Program mission is to help people voluntarily restore the state’s degraded and former coastal wetlands and the invaluable services they provide.

Release courtesy of the MA EEA.