Waquoit Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve

Waquoit Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve
Massachusetts State Park
An aerial view of the jetties extending out from the entrance of Waquoit Bay
Country	United States
State	Massachusetts
County	Barnstable
Towns	Falmouth, Mashpee

Coordinates	41°34′53″N 70°31′30″W / 41.58139°N 70.52500°W / 41.58139; -70.52500Coordinates: 41°34′53″N 70°31′30″W / 41.58139°N 70.52500°W / 41.58139; -70.52500

Area	2,700 acres (1,093 ha)

Established	1988
Management	Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation

Location in Massachusetts
Website: Waquoit Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve

Waquoit Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve (WBNERR) encompasses open waters, barrier beaches, marshlands and uplands on the south shore of Cape Cod in the towns of Falmouth and Mashpee. The park is managed by the Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

The WBNERR is representative of the northern section (Cape Cod to Sandy Hook) of the Virginian biogeographic region. WBNERR is located within the transitional border between the Virginian and Acadian biogeographic regions.^[1]

Reserve areas

The reserve comprises several individual sites:^[2]

Visitor Center/Headquarters Property 28-acre (11 ha) The Visitor's Center is open year round, Monday through Friday, 10 am – 4 pm. Has a short nature trail and runs numerous seasonal education programs.
South Cape Beach State Park, Sage Lot Pond and Flat Pond 432 acres (175 ha) This eastern section of the reserve serves has a swimming beach which is a noted surf casting site during the annual bluefish and striped bass migrations. It is also a nesting ground for protected species such as piping plover and least tern. Sage Lot and Flat Ponds are salt ponds to the east of Waquoit Bay.
Washburn Island
Quashnet River Property 361 acres (146 ha) The river is the largest source of fresh water to the Bay and is mostly surrounded by upland forests. There is a three-mile (5 km) loop trail along the river. Trout Unlimited that has converted a cranberry bog channel back to a river.
North Quashnet Woodlands 25 acres (10 ha) Pine woodlands and an abandoned cranberry bog.
Waquoit Bay 825 acres (334 ha) Fresh water enters the Bay from four principal sources: the Quashnet/Moonakis River, Red Brook, Childs River, and ground water flow.

The following are salt ponds to the east of Waquoit Bay which are best explored by kayak:

Hamblin Pond, 141 acres (57 ha)
Jehu Pond, 172 acres (70 ha)
Abigail's Brook

The following freshwater ponds drain to the Waquoit Bay at the northern side and offer kayaking and fishing:

Bog Pond, 2.8 acres (1.1 ha)
Bourne Pond, is just over 10 acres (4.0 ha) in surface area and consequently is considered a Great Pond under the laws of the Massachusetts. As such it is kept in trust for all citizens and is not privately owned.
Caleb Pond, 5.7 acres (2.3 ha).
Childs River: Abandoned cranberry bogs and pine woodlands.

History

Artifacts dating back 450–1000 years, including hammer flakes and shell middens, have been found on the Washburn Island. As late as the early 19th century, some Wampanoags still lived around Bourne and Caleb ponds, at a spring supplying fresh water to both settlers and Native Americans.^[2]

The administrative, research, and education buildings are located in the historic buildings of the Sargent Estate. Purchased in 1987 by the Commonwealth, great care was given in restoring the buildings. The Quashnet River Property was also purchased in 1987 and incorporated into the Reserve. The Reserve and the Division of Fisheries and Wildlife manage the river property.

Activities and amenities

In addition to interpretive programs, the reserve offers opportunities for hiking, boating, camping, fishing, and restricted hunting.^[3]

References

↑ "Draft Environmental Impact Statement & Draft Management Plan". U.S. Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Ocean Service, Sanctuary Programs Division. July 1984. Retrieved July 16, 2013.
1 2 Harcourt, Pat (Fall 2010). "Introducing Waquoit Bay Research Reserve" (PDF). Flotsam & Jetsam. Massachusetts Marine Educators. Retrieved July 16, 2013.
↑ "Waquoit Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve". MassParks. Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs. Retrieved December 1, 2014.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Waquoit Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve.

Waquoit Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve
Waquoit Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve Department of Conservation and Recreation

This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the NOAA.

National Estuarine Research Reserves of the United States

Apalachicola (Florida) Ashepoo Combahee Edisto Basin (South Carolina) Chesapeake Bay (Maryland) Chesapeake Bay (Virginia) Delaware (Delaware) Elkhorn Slough (California) Grand Bay (Mississippi) Great Bay (New Hampshire) Guana Tolomato Matanzas (Florida) Hudson River (New York State) Jacques Cousteau (New Jersey) Jobos Bay (Puerto Rico) Kachemak Bay (Alaska) Lake Superior (Wisconsin) Mission-Aransas (Texas) Narragansett Bay (Rhode Island) North Carolina North Inlet-Winyah Bay (South Carolina) Old Woman Creek (Ohio) Padilla Bay (Washington) Rookery Bay (Florida) San Francisco Bay (California) Sapelo Island (Georgia) South Slough (Oregon) Tijuana River (California) Waquoit Bay (Massachusetts) Weeks Bay (Alabama) Wells (Maine)

Category Commons

Protected areas of Massachusetts

Federal

National Historical Parks	Adams Blackstone River Valley Boston Lowell Minute Man New Bedford Whaling

National Historic Sites	Boston African American Frederick Law Olmsted John Fitzgerald Kennedy Longfellow House–Washington's Headquarters Salem Maritime Saugus Iron Works Springfield Armory

Other National Park Service Units	Appalachian National Scenic Trail Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area Cape Cod National Seashore

National Wildlife Refuges	Assabet River Great Meadows Mashpee Massasoit Monomoy Nantucket Nomans Land Oxbow Parker River Silvio O. Conte Thacher Island

Other	Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary Waquoit Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve West Hill Dam (USACE)

State Parks

Parks	Alewife Brook Ames Nowell Ashland Bash Bish Falls Blackstone River and Canal Heritage Borderland Boston Harbor Islands Bradley Palmer C. M. Gardner Callahan Castle Island State Park Chicopee Memorial City Square Clarksburg Cochituate Connecticut River Greenway Demarest Lloyd Dighton Rock Dunn Ellisville Harbor Fall River Heritage Gardner Heritage Great Brook Farm Halibut Point Hampton Ponds Holyoke Heritage Hopkinton Lake Lorraine Lake Wyola Lawrence Heritage Lowell Heritage Lynn Heritage Massasoit Maudslay Moore Mount Holyoke Range Natural Bridge Nickerson Pearl Hill Pilgrim Quinsigamond Robinson Roxbury Heritage Rutland Skinner South Cape Beach Wahconah Falls Webb Memorial Wells Western Gateway Heritage Whitehall Wompatuck

Reservations	Beaver Brook Belle Isle Marsh Blue Hills Breakheart Charles River Chestnut Hill Cutler Dorchester Shores Elm Bank Fort Phoenix Hammond Pond Hemlock Gorge Horseneck Beach Jug End Lynn Shore Middlesex Fells Mount Everett Mount Greylock Mount Sugarloaf Mount Tom Myles Standish Mystic River Nahant Beach Nantasket Beach Nasketucket Bay Neponset River Pope John Paul II Purgatory Chasm Quincy Quarries Quincy Shore Revere Beach Rumney Marsh Salisbury Beach Sandy Point Scusset Beach Stony Brook Upper Charles River Wachusett Mountain Walden Pond West Island Weymouth Wilson Mountain

Other	Appalachian Trail Ashuwillticook Rail Trail Cape Cod Rail Trail Fort Revere Lake Dennison Recreation Area Lower Neponset River Trail Nashua River Rail Trail Norwottuck Rail Trail Quabbin Reservoir Southwest Corridor Park Squantum Point Park Streeter Point Recreation Area Sudbury Reservoir Wachusett Reservoir Ware River Watershed Area

State Forests

Wildlife Management Areas

Wildlife Management Areas	Agawam Lake Agawam Mill Pond Ashby Ashfield Hawley Attitash Ayer Game Farm Baddacook Pond Bakers Pond Bay Circuit Trail Bearse Pond Becket Bennett Birch Hill Black Brook Blackstone / West River Bolton Flats Boxboro Station Brayton Point Salt Marsh Breakneck Brook Brewer Brook Bullock Ledge Burrage Pond Canoe River Catamount Chalet Chase Garden Creek Salt Marsh Childs River Chockalog Swamp Church Homestead Clapps Pond Clinton Bluff Concord River Connecticut River Cook Pond Copicut Coy Hill Crane Pond Cummington Cusky Pond Dartmoor Farm Darwin Scott Memorial Day Mountain Deerfield River Dogfish Bar Beach Coastal Dolomite Ledges Dunstable Brook E. Kent Swift Eagle Island East Mountain Eastham Salt Marsh Elbow Meadow English Salt Marsh Eugene D. Moran Facing Rock Fairfield Brook Farmington River Fish Brook Fisherville Pond Fisk Forestdale Lot Fisk Meadows Five Mile River Flagg Swamp Flint Pond Four Chimneys Fox Den Fox Island Salt Marsh Frances A. Crane Freetown Swamp George L. Darey Housatonic Valley Glen Echo Lake Gosnold Grassy Pond (Dennis) Grassy Pond (Plymouth) Green River (Franklin County) Green River (Berkshire County) Greenfield River Halfway Pond Hamilton Hancock Harlow / Cooks Pond Haskell Swamp Hauk Swamp Hawksnest State Park Hawley Head Of The Plains Herman Covey High Ridge Hinsdale Flats Hiram H. Fox Hockomock Swamp Hog Pond Lot Honey Pot Hoosatonic River Hoosic River Hop Brook Housatonic River Hubbard Brook Hunting Hills Hyannis Ponds Ipswich River John J. Kelly Joint Base Cape Cod Jug End Fen Jug End Kampoosa Fen Katama Plains Knops Pond Konkapot River Lackey Pond Lake Lorraine Lake Rohunta Lake Snipatuit Lake Warner Lanesboro Lawrence Brook Lawrence Pond Lot Leadmine Leyden Lilly Pond Little Alum Pond Long Sought For Pond Maple Hill Maple Springs Martha Deering Martin H. Burns Mascuppic Lake Mashpee Pine Barrens Mashpee Pond Lot Mashpee River Mckinstry Brook Meetinghouse Swamp Merrill Pond Miacomet Heath Mill River Millers River Mine Brook Montague Plains Montague Moose Brook Moose Brook Moose Hill Mossy Pond Mount Watatic Reservation Mt. Esther Mt. Toby Highlands Mt. Toby Mt. Tom Muddy Brook Muddy Pond Mulpus Brook Nashua River Natty Brook Nemasket River Nissitissit River Noquochoke Nordeen Marsh North Brookfield North Shore Salt Marsh Northboro Oakham Olivers Pond Orange Otis Packard Pond Palmer Pantry Brook Pauchaug Brook Peru Peterson Swamp Phillipston Podunk Marsh Poland Brook Popple Camp Popponesset Beach Poutwater Pond Powell Brook Prince River Provincetown Route 6 Corridor Purchade Brook Quaboag Quacumquasit Quag Pond Bog Quashnet River Quashnet Woods State Reservation Quinapoxet River Quinsigamond Marsh Quisset Raccoon Hill Rainbow Beach Red Brook Richardson Robbins Pond Rochester Rocky Gutter Rowe Salisbury Salt Marsh Salisbury Salt Marsh Sandwich Game Farm Sandy Pond Satan's Kingdom Savage Hill Savoy Sawmill River Scorton Creek Coastal SE Mass Bioreserve Sevenmile River Shattuck Brook Sheperds Island Shubael Pond Sibley Brook Sly Pond South Barrier Beach South Meadow Pond South Shore Salt Marsh South Triangle Pond Southampton Southwick Spectacle Pond Springhill Lot Sputtermill Pond Squannacook River Stafford Hill Sudbury River Sunderland Islands Taconic Mountain Taunton River Taunton River Tekoa Mountain Thad Ellis Thayer Pond Three Mile Pond Townsend Townsend Hill Trapfall Brook Triangle Pond Tully Brook Tully Mountain Tully River Wakeby Pond Wales Walnut Hill Ware River Warwick Wendell West Meadows Westboro Westfield River Westfield Weymouth Back River Whately Great Swamp Whately Ponds Whately Wilbraham Game Farm William Forward Williams River Williamsburg Winimusset Wolf Swamp

Wildlife Sanctuaries	Billingsgate Island Carr Island E. Howe Forbush Egg Rock Grace A. Robson J.C. Phillips Knight Penikese Island Ram Island (Salisbury) Ram Island (Mattapoisett) Susan B. Minns Tarpaulin Cove Watatic Mountain

The Nature Conservancy

Black Pond Bog Boat Meadow Francis Newhall Woods Grassy Pond Greene Swamp Halfway Pond Island Hawley Bog Hockomock Swamp Hoft Farm Homer-Watcha Preserve Katama Plains McElwain-Olsen Miacomet Moors Reed Brook Drury Sandy Neck David H. Smith Preserve and Fire Trail Stacy Mountain Tatkon

Trustees of Reservations

Audubon Society Wildlife Sanctuaries

Arcadia Broad Meadow Brook Broadmoor Daniel Webster Drumlin Farm High Ledges Ipswich River Moose Hill North River Pleasant Valley Stony Brook Wachussett Meadow Wellfleet Bay

Other

Concord Land Conservation Trust Harvard Forest Lincoln Land Conservation Trust Lloyd Center for the Environment Lynn Woods Reservation Norcross Wildlife Sanctuary

Category
Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs
Commons

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