Presentation at 8th Massachusetts Green Careers Conference on September 29, 2016 by Tim Purinton.

1. The mission of the Division of Ecological Restoration is to restore and
protect the Commonwealth’s rivers, wetlands and watersheds for the
benefit of people and the environment.
George Peterson, Commissioner

2. Department of Fish and Game

3. Ecological Restoration
…activities that assist in the recovery of the natural
processes of a aquatic ecosystem that have been
degraded,
altered or
destroyed.
Such activities will
restore natural processes,
remove ecosystem stressors,
increase resilience of the ecosystem, &
create no lasting harm.
“Ecological restoration is an intentional activity that initiates or
accelerates the recovery of an ecosystem with respect to its
health, integrity and self‐sustainability.”

4. Problems
One‐third of wetlands lost to filling and
alteration
Thousands of acres of coastal marshes are
impacted by road and rail crossings that block
flow of ocean tides or impede fish and wildlife
passage
A growing number of rivers and streams are
impacted by low flow
Massachusetts has no Category A waterbodies –
all impaired
Sprawl and development pose a continued and
growing threat to river and wetland health
Over 3,000 dams fragment and degrade our rivers
and an estimated 30,000 culverts exist in the
Commonwealth
Climate change…

5. Restoration Solutions
Replacing culverts to restore full tidal passage
and natural hydrology
Fill removal and stream daylighting
Removal of dams, dikes, and other barriers
Reduce and remove stormwater pollutants
Water conservation measures (including
reducing irrigation and creating riparian
buffers)
Invasive species control

6. Active Partner Projects

7. •Restored over 2,000 acres
of salt marsh
•Removed 40 dams
•Reconnected over 150
upstream river miles
•More than 50 projects in
planning at any one time
•Recently raised over $20
million in federal funds for
restoration
•State funds and local
partnerships leverage
federal investment at a high
rate
•Hundreds of volunteer
hours logged
Stony Brook Marsh – restored in 2010
Accomplishments

9. 3,000 dams
3,000 dams in MA
43 are flood control dams
44 licensed hydropower dams
164 water supply dams
Worcester County has highest density in USA

11. 3,000 dams and 30,000 culverts

12. Dam Removal
Before After

13. Culvert Replacement
Before After

14. Tidal Exchange
Before After

15. Habitat Complexity

16. Floodplain Restoration

17. Flow Restoration

18. Urban River Revitalization

19. Economic Benefits –
Return on Investment
Benefits go well beyond restoring habitat
Social, economic, and environmental
Three recent studies of restoration value:
Short‐term economic output
Ecosystem services
Cost savings for businesses
and communities

20. Economic Output
2011 Industrial Economics Study of DER projects
Jobs and economic activity – employment sectors:
design, construction, nursery, concrete, other
Projects generate 75% return on investment and 12.5
jobs for every $1 million invested

21. Why Exponential Growth in
Restoration?
Climate change‐ focus on resilient
communities/ecosystems
Repetitive loss due to extreme weather
Aging infrastructure…strong nexus
with public safety
Regional economics‐
taking advantage of shifts in land use
(agriculture)
Regulations that support smart
infrastructure
Politically palatable, non‐regulatory,
economically stimulating and positive

22. DER Staff Profile
Over 73% of staff have master’s degrees, degrees include; public
administration, civil engineering, water resources, biology,
aquatic ecology, geosciences, wildlife and fisheries conservation,
environmental law, coastal ecology, resource economics (No
PhDs)
UNH, URI, UMass, Oregon State, Harvard, Vermont Law School,
San Diego State University, Duke, UVM, Evergreen, University of
Wales
Previous jobs include, wetland consultant, project manager,
community outreach coordinator, federal government
contractor, restoration contractor, compliance officer,
conservation agent, rare species biologist
Average of 5‐10 years of previous experience
All Mass jobs posted on MassCareers