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How a retired cranberry bog helped change the game for wetland restoration

Davenport's former farm, now the Tidmarsh Wildlife Sanctuary in Plymouth, stands as Massachusetts' largest freshwater restoration project, where excavators planted over 20,000 native species and removed old dams to revive degraded cranberry land.
Retired cranberry farms in Massachusetts grew by about 40% between 2017 and 2022 as climate change and market pressures squeezed profits, prompting Davenport to warn that landowners risk losing land forever without conservation.
The Living Observatory, a nonprofit 'learning collaborative,' documents recovery through sensors and cameras, providing public data showing that soil health and water retention improved rapidly after restoration began in 2010.
Massachusetts Division of Ecological Restoration Director Beth Lambert launched the Cranberry Bog Restoration Program to connect farmers with conservation buyers, completing nine projects totaling 500 acres with 11 additional projects in planning stages.
Wetland restoration serves as a climate-resilient barrier against flooding and storms, according to Woodwell Climate Research Center scientist Christopher Neill, while Lambert aims to restore another thousand acres in the next 10 to 15 years.

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