Restoration Project Benefits from Extra Volunteer Support

Earlier this month, our Stewardship team received some welcome assistance on a new habitat restoration project at Castle Neck River Reservation in Ipswich. An energetic group of volunteers from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Mass Audubon joined the crew to remove an old split-rail fence, long overgrown with vegetation and invasive plants. This work will enhance grassland bird habitat and help reconnect the surrounding fields.

Typically, this team of volunteers is engaged in a marsh restoration initiative. However, due to exceptionally high tides caused by the supermoon, they were available to lend their skills to a project on dry land and generously offered a full day of help at Castle Neck.

“Having so many extra hands to assist with this project really helped us jumpstart the restoration work,” says Mike Carbone, Director of Stewardship Field Operations. “It’s always great when partner organizations come together to support one another and advance larger conservation efforts.”

Castle Neck River Reservation, acquired by Greenbelt in partnership with the Town of Ipswich and the Massachusetts Department of Fish & Game in 2018 and 2019, is a much-loved property that spans 32 acres. The landscape features sweeping views, gently sloping trails, hayfields, woodlands, and salt marsh along the tidal Castle Neck River.