NRCS announces $250,000 to restore Sesuit Creek saltmarsh, Dennis

(HYANNIS, MASS.) September 14, 2004 -- The USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) has signed an agreement with the Town of Dennis to provide $250,000 in federal funds to restore saltmarsh in Sesuit Creek as part of an estimated $1.2 million project.

Sesuit Creek is a 163 acre marine ecosystem that is bisected by Bridge Street, a town road. In the past, the area was used to produce salt marsh hay. A culvert pipe installed when Bridge Street was built in the 1940's has limited tidal flow and has degraded the 57 acre upper marsh system, which has been detrimental to native vegetation and marine life habitat.

The funding is provided through the agency’s Wetlands Reserve Program, a voluntary program that provides technical and financial assistance to landowners to address wetland, wildlife habitat, soil, water, and related natural resource concerns on land that has been used for agriculture.

The NRCS grant is provided in partnership with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the Cape Cod Conservation District, Americorps, the Town of Dennis and private sources, which are also providing funding and in-kind support.

“This grant will help cover construction costs for a properly sized box culvert with a timber bridge, which will improve tidal exchange and enhance upstream saltmarsh ecosystem health,” said Cecil B. Currin, NRCS State Conservationist for Massachusetts.

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Media Contact:

Diane Baedeker Petit
413-253-4371
Diane.Petit@ma.usda.gov

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