Waquoit Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve

A State - Federal Partnership

Waquoit Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve

Celebrate the Reserve's 20th Anniversary!
Click here for the schedule of upcoming events as well as other
activities for our 20 years as a Research Reserve!

Enter our Photography Contest!
Waquoit Bay Research Reserve announces a photography contest for local photographers as part of the Reserve's year-long 20th anniversary celebration. The Reserve is very excited to engage photographers to help inspire visitors and residents alike with the beauty around us. Pictures can be stronger than words when it comes to telling the Reserve's story. Download Contest Entry Form.

The contest is co-sponsored by the Citizens for the Protection of Waquoit Bay and the Upper Cape Cod Camera Club. For further information, contact Laurie Tompkins, 508-457-0495 x108.

Never been to the Reserve?
Check out our Slide Show!

The Waquoit Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve (WBNERR) is located on the south shore of Cape Cod, Massachusetts in the towns of Falmouth and Mashpee. It encompasses some 3,000 acres of open waters, barrier beaches, marshlands and uplands. Land components include Washburn Island, South Cape Beach State Park, property surrounding the Quashnet River and Reserve Headquarters. The Waquoit Bay NERR is part of the National Estuarine Research Reserve System, which presently includes 25 sites in 20 states, and Puerto Rico. Each site represents a different coastal region. The Waquoit Bay Reserve is representative of the Northern Virginian biogeographic region, from Chesapeake Bay to Cape Cod. WBNERR is co-funded and co-managed by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management, Estuarine Reserves Division and by the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation. Our main office is open to the public Monday through Friday from 10 am to 4 pm, closed holidays. Stop by to find out more about our programs!

Waquoit Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve
PO Box 3092, 149 Waquoit Highway
Waquoit, MA 02536
PHONE: 508-457-0495 FAX: 617-727-5537
General E-mail: Waquoit.Bay@state.ma.us