Application of an Adaptive Management Plan to Reduce Uncertainty and Improve Decisions in Restoring the Herring River Estuary

Located between Wellfleet and Turo, Massachusetts, the 1100-acre Herring River watershed has historically provided many ecological and social benefits, including forest and wetland habitat for native fish, birds, and mammals and recreational and educational opportunities for residents and visitors. Construction of a dike and ditches beginning in the early 1900s constricted tidal exchange into the river basin, resulting in ecological degradation of the estuary, loss of valued salt marsh and extensive conversion to upland habitat vegetation. Tidal restrictions limit passage of fish species that spend their time in both fresh and salt water into the Herring River, have resulted in dangerous bacterial levels posing risks to humans and [...]