Childs River Restoration Project Nearing Completion
The Upper Childs River restoration project has progressed in recent weeks and has moved into the planting stage following the installation of a new culvert at the beginning of this month.
The goal of the project is to rehabilitate the Upper Childs River, creating a cold water fishery to re-establish brook trout in the river. The project will also revive the environment of the abandoned Garner and Farley cranberry bogs to create wetland habitats for local waterfowl and wildlife.
One of the biggest improvement was replacement of the undersized culvert under Carriage Shop Road. This, in addition to an earthen berm and failed fish ladder, was partially responsible for blocking the fish from traveling upstream.
“We’re really thrilled about this conservation project,” said Gary Anderson, treasurer of the Falmouth Rod & Gun Club. “It’s been a big effort.”
Mr. Anderson explained that the Falmouth Rod & Gun Club has been working in conjunction with a variety of other institutions, including the US Fish and Wildlife Service, Falmouth Department of Public Works, US Highway Administration and Cape Cod Trout Unlimited. Installation of the new culvert was funded by the US Highway and the Fish and Wildlife departments, and the town had the culvert manufactured in New Hampshire. It was originally supposed to be delivered in October but arrived in late May due to COVID-19-related delays.
“Most of the restoration work has been done at those two bogs,” Mr. Anderson said. “We just did hydroseeding, and the planting is pretty much finished. There are still a few Atlantic white cedars that they want to plant, but those two bogs are pretty much done.”
The most complicated phase of the project was the culvert replacement at Carriage Shop Road. A smaller, failing culvert was removed and a new one was installed on June 3. Now in the backfilling stage, the project is nearing its end and is expected to be completed by the end of summer.
“The biggest piece that remains to be done is the backfilling on the culvert and then, after June 30, cutting the diverted river into the main Childs River,” Mr. Anderson said. “We are precluded from diverting any water or silt into the Child’s River below Carriage Shop Road. There’s a state mandate that’s kind of like a quiet period that runs from March 15 to June 30. After that date, probably around July 1, we will be connecting to the Child’s River once we’ve gotten through that state mandated restriction. There will be a little bit more planting that has to be done but we hope and are expecting the road will be reopened sometime around the end of July, assuming there are no issues.”
Mr. Anderson said that there are tentative plans for a ribbon cutting ceremony sometime during the early fall to celebrate the conservation project’s completion, but a date has not yet been picked.