Draft Project Overview

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Draft Project Overview

• Historical Current Natural Resource Assessments
  
• Of the Coonamessett River Valley, Falmouth, MA
• Charles J. Katuska, P.W.S.

Project Goals
Cultural Resources
Project Description
Ecological Resources
Study Area
Schedules Status
Procedures
Preliminary Results
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Project Goals

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• Provide summary ecological information to the
  Stakeholders
• To the extent possible, compare current
  conditions to historical conditions
• Support the decision-making process of the
  Coonamessett River Restoration Working Group

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Project Description

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• Collect record information and interview
  knowledgeable individuals as necessary to produce
  -
• Existing Conditions Vegetation Map and
  Descriptions of Cover Types
• General discussion of terrestrial wildlife and
  habitat suitability within the existing project
  area
• Discussion of game and non-game fish utilization
  and habitat suitability of the Coonamessett
  mainstem, tributaries, Coonamessett Pond, Flax
  Pond, and upper portion of the Great Pond
  estuary
• General evaluation of aquatic macroinvertebrate
  habitats with the project area
• General description of wetland and upland soil
  types, geomorphology, and stream geometry

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Project Description (2)

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• Collect record information and interview
  knowledgeable individuals as necessary to produce
  -
• Investigation and report of historic land-use
  and pre-colonial ecological conditions within the
  Coonamessett Valley.
• Recommendations for additional natural resource
  inventory and assessment.
• Additionally
• Identify at least two reference areas one
  within the Coonamessett system, one in a nearby
  river system to be used generally as a proxy
  for potential, proposed, or anticipated
  conditions resulting from any restoration actions
  to be taken within the Coonamessett River
  Watershed

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Study Area

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• Coonamessett River Watershed

Above Coonamessett Pond - use contributing
groundwater area (USGS WRI Rpt.98-4237) Below
Coonamessett Pond - use topographic surface
divide
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Cultural Resources

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• Falmouth Historical Society Archives
• Falmouth Public Library
• Barnstable County Registry of Deeds
• Barnstable Public Library
• Cape Cod Commission
• Massachusetts State Archives
• Cape Cod Cranberry Growers Association
• (Middleborough Public Library)
• Cape Cod Museum of Natural History
• Coonamessett River Restoration Working Group

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Ecological Resources

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• Falmouth Department of Natural Resources
• Falmouth Fishermans Association
• MA Department of Fish Game
• MA Division of Marine Fisheries
• MA Natural Heritage Endangered Species Program
• Massachusetts Audubon Society
• Waquoit National Estuarine Research Reserve
• US Fish Wildlife Service
• NOAA National Marine Fisheries Service
• Marine Biological Laboratory

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Status Schedule

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• Research substantially complete (additional
  interviews as possible)
• Field work substantially complete
• Draft document/graphics in preparation
• Draft Document July 27, 2004 for Review Comment
• Final Report August 1, 2004

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Preliminary Results (1)

• Coonamessett River is a regionally significant
  natural resource system the exists by virtue of
  an uncommon hydrogeologic framework
• Coonamessett River Valley (and tributary recharge
  areas) has been affected by human disturbance
  factors (agricultural, industrial, and
  residential land use) for over 300 years
• Site-specific records of pre-disturbance
  environmental conditions are non-existent
• Palynological and paleoecological studies are
  generally too coarse-grained to contribute site
  specific value

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Preliminary Results (2)

• The groundwater hydrology that supports the
  Coonamessett River system is relatively intact.
  Extractive uses seems to be below impact
  threshholds
• Although, significant progress has been made in
  cleaning up the MMRs FS-28 plume, the temporary
  surface water inputs from the clean-up complicate
  interpretation of ecological functions - past,
  present, and future.
• The surface water flow regime throughout the
  entire Coonamessett River is entirely controlled
  with structures and actively managed

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Preliminary Results (3)

• Terrestrial biodiversity (vascular plants,
  mammals, birds, some reptiles and amphibians)
  within the overall Coonamessett watershed is at
  or near expected maxima, with the exception of
  historic extinctions (wolf, passenger pigeon,
  heath hen, etc.) Numerous rare species present,
  although individual populations may be low
• Wetland and Aquatic biodiversity (vascular
  plants, some reptiles, most amphibians, fish)
  within the overall Coonamessett watershed is
  suppressed by current and past land uses. Sport
  fish and river herring are intensively managed

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Preliminary Results (4)

• Past industrial uses (1700-1850) were responsible
  for the initial alteration of riverine and
  wetland habitats along the Coonamessett River
• Agricultural water management and agrochemical
  uses have resulted in (and continue to result in)
  significant modifications to in-stream habitat
  use and value since 1850-1870
• Conflict between public use (primarily fishery
  resources) and private use (industry,
  agriculture) of the Coonamessett River resources
  is 300 years old. Recreational values here much
  more recent

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Preliminary Results (5)

• Varied conditions in the abandoned bogs along the
  Coonamessett River (wooded swamp, shrub swamp,
  wet meadow, Sphagnum bog, suggest that multiple
  restoration endpoints are available.
• The Quashnet River, with a system of recently
  restored wetland habitats, offers many valuable
  lessons and an on-going program of restoration
  performance monitoring data.
• The Mashpee River, which was never impounded or
  commercially developed for cranberry bogs, is a
  unique natural resource on Cape Cod and may
  represent the best available restoration
  reference system