Come and learn about the Coonamessett River Restoration Project during this speaker and luncheon event. This project is a restoration initiative at the town, commonwealth and national level to “rewild” the wetlands of the Coonamessett River.

Dr. Elizabeth “Betsy” H. Gladfelter is a coastal scientist, a Falmouth Conservation Commissioner, and the Town’s Project Coordinator for the Coonamessett River Restoration Project.  The Coonamessett River is one of Cape Cod’s largest rivers, flowing approximately 3 miles from the 158+ acre kettle-hole Coonamessett Pond to the Great Pond estuary and thence 2 miles to Nantucket Sound. Its name is the Wampanoag word for “place of the long fish,” referring to the American eel, an important food source for the first settlers, as were the abundant herring and trout, all diadromous species tying the terrestrial to the marine system. Dr. Gladfelter will briefly describe the historical land use on the river – blockages in the 1700 and 1800s for mills, followed by conversion to cranberry bogs in the late 1800s until the early 2000s – and how the stressors to the river and its wetlands through these uses will be mitigated through the restoration activities: barrier removal, sand removal and channel reconstruction. She will then discuss the vital role played by community organizations in conceiving and implementing this restoration effort to achieve a natural, self-sustaining wetland; floodplain connectivity; and improved fisheries – the river will be 55% longer and have vastly greater habitat complexity.
 
Dr. Gladfelter is a Guest Investigator at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. She has an A.B. in Biological Sciences from Stanford University, an M.S. in Marine Science from the University of the Pacific and a Ph.D. in Biology from University of California, Los Angeles

DATE: November 13, 2018
TIME: 11:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.
11:30 a.m. Cash Bar open. 12:00 Noon – Lunch
VENUE: Hyannis Golf Club
ADDRESS: 1800 Iyannough Road, Hyannis, MA 02601
COST: $25.00 for luncheon which includes a Caesar salad, rolls and dessert bar with coffee and tea. Please select entree choice when registering.

NOTE: This event is not refundable after November 9th.