Seeking Community Partners to Help Restore Local River Health
We are seeking interested members of the community to join project partners to plan the restoration
of degraded sections of three rivers in Mashpee and Falmouth:
Upper Quashnet River, Mashpee River, Red Brook
The Quashnet River, Red Brook and the Mashpee River once offered numerous benefits to our community, but their health has declined over time. If the current damage to our watersheds remains uncorrected, future generations will never know the natural beauty of these historic places. We must protect these resources for future generations and ourselves to enjoy. We want to partner with community members on project goals that involve restoring fish habitat and migratory pathways, improving water quality, and increasing resilience to climate impacts. Please join us to be a part of this exciting endeavor and help support our mutual efforts to protect these living resources of diverse habitats.
Engagement Goals: Understanding Community Values
The overarching project goals for these restorations include restoring essential fish habitat and migratory pathways, improving water quality, and increasing community resilience to climate change. We also understand how important it is that we protect what the community values. Waquoit Bay Reserve, in close partnership with the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe and the Association to Preserve Cape Cod, have designed a community engagement process specific to each project area to understand:
- what you think the restoration goals should be
- how you connect to these places
- how and where to ensure public access to enjoy resources
- what cultural resources, plant, and wildlife species should be protected
The community values identified during this process will be directly used to shape key aspects of the restoration of each river portion.
You can make a difference in your community by helping to create healthier areas that support what you care about including fishing, hiking, biking, and bird watching.
Proposed Restoration Areas
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Map of the proposed project areas for the three river restoration projects.
Want to learn more about the projects?
Visit the restoration project pages for the Upper Quashnet river (shown in green), Mashpee River (shown in blue), and Red Brook River (shown in red).
Engagement Process: A Series of Meetings with Core Groups of Community Members
For each restoration project we will listen to a core group of community members in a series of 3-4 community visioning meetings per project in 2025 and 2026 to better understand how we can protect what you care about, and these community visions will be integrated into the restoration plans. You can sign up to participate in whichever project or projects you are passionate about, but we ask that you commit to all meetings for each project.
Wondering about having the time or resources to be a community partner? We will work with you to support your participation with financial assistance for travel, your time, or special accommodations such as childcare. For any special accommodations we encourage you to contact us at least 72 hours in advance. Register below to learn more.
I'm Interested in Becoming a Restoration Partner
Please sign-up here to stay informed and get involved in one or more restoration projects.
Attend our Source to Sea Community Engagement Kick-off Event
Join our Source to Sea Project Team and Partners to better understand the proposed restoration projects and what the community engagement process entails for each project. This free and interactive event will include informal presentations, opportunities to interact with the project teams, and free refreshments!
Saturday, April 5th
9:30 am- 12:30 pm
Mashpee Wampanoag Tribal Headquarters
483 Great Neck Road South, Mashpee, MA 02649
Registration preferred, walk-ins welcome.
Support for those interested in becoming a Community Partner – We will offer childcare and a drop-off hands-on environmental program for children while you enjoy the informal presentation portion of the event. Parents must remain at the Kick-off event and registration is recommended. To find out more information and to register your child(ren) to attend the hands-on environmental program please use the Registration Link above.
Project Partners
Association to Preserve Cape Cod, The Cape Cod Conservation District, Falmouth Rod & Gun Club, Friends of the Mashpee National Wildlife Refuge, Horsley Witten Group, Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe, Massachusetts Bays National Estuary Partnership, NOAA Restoration Center, The Trustees of Reservations, Tighe & Bond, Town of Falmouth, Town of Mashpee, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, USFWS Mashpee National Wildlife Refuge, Waquoit Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve
Funding Acknowledgement: These projects are funded under awards NA24NMFX463C0065-T1-01 (Red Brook and Upper Quashnet River) and NA25NMFX463C0020-T1-01 (Mashpee River) from the NOAA Restoration Center, U.S. Department of Commerce.
