Conservation Security Program 2006

Massachusetts

Taunton River watershed

The Taunton River is perhaps the most diverse and intact coastal riverene ecosystem in all of southern New England. The Taunton River is the only major coastal river in the region that is without a dam or obstruction over its entire length. The river is formed at the confluence of the Matfield and Town Rivers in Bridgewater and along with its extensive network of tributaries, drains an area of 562 square miles. It also is the largest freshwater contributor to the Narragansett Bay estuary in Rhode Island, part of the National Estuary Program.

The Taunton River travels through ten communities and over 40 miles to Mount Hope Bay. It is tidal for 18 miles from the bay, with saltwater intrusion ending at about the Dighton-Taunton line, 12 miles from the mouth. The landscape of the Taunton River watershed is the result of glacial deposition as shown in flat outwash plains, numerous wetlands and kettle ponds. Glacial Lake Taunton was created by the retreating glacier and eventually drained as the Taunton River. Clay deposits from this glacial lake have been used in modern times by the brick and clay industry. Numerous bogs and wetlands have also provided bog iron, important to early development and industry. The width of undisturbed river corridor from the headwaters to the City of Taunton and the primary tributaries of the upper watershed ranges from approximately 2,000 feet to over one mile for approximately twenty-two meandering miles - an extraordinarily wild river in eastern Massachusetts. The river corridor’s mix of large woodland areas (largely devoid of nonnative species), vast tidal and non-tidal wetlands, and edge habitats, related to nearly 2,000 acres of prime agricultural land provides rich habitat diversity for a wide range of species.

Agricultural Lands

The fertile soils of the Taunton River’s post-glacial landscape helped to make this watershed one of the earliest and largest settlement areas for the early Native People. The corridor’s deep, mineral rich soils sustained large populations for thousands of years, and they remain fertile and productive today. Since colonial settlement, agriculture has been part of what defines the character of communities in the corridor. Settlers learned from the Native People the time-honored technique of using river herring as fertilizer and the important triad of corn, beans and squash. Today there is still a significant amount of acreage in agricultural use within the Taunton River corridor. These properties provide not only a source of food, nursery, and other agricultural products to the region, but also help to maintain the scenic character of the river corridor, both from the roadways and the river. In addition, several of these agricultural parcels include significant stretches of riverfront, including wetlands, floodplain forest, riffle areas in the river and important agricultural soils.

Land currently in agricultural production within the study area includes cropland, (predominantly vegetables, some fruits and berries and dairy) pastureland, cranberry bog, tree farm, orchard, and open land.

Economic Value

The economic value of agriculture in Massachusetts cannot be overlooked or underestimated. Massachusetts ranks fourth in the U.S. for farmland value at $6,450 per acre. The state also ranks fourth for net farm income per acre at $327 per acre and has no fewer than 17 farm crops ranked in the top 20 nationally, many of which are found on farms within the corridor, including: cranberries (2), wild blueberries (3), pumpkins (12), strawberries (18), Christmas trees (16), sweet corn (18), and nursery stock/greenhouse product (19).

Massachusetts is also a leader in secondary school level agricultural education. Three of the nation’s four agricultural high schools are located in Massachusetts. The Bristol County Agricultural High School is located within the Wild & Scenic River Corridor, along the banks of the Taunton River in Dighton.

Source: Taunton River Stewardship Plan, July 2005, prepared by the Taunton River Wild and Scenic River Study Committee. Southeastern Regional Planning and Economic Development District, and National Park Service, Northeast Region.

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