The Eel River Preserve, where 40 acres of retired cranberry bogs were restored to their native status beginning in 2009.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration grant will fund projects to restore coastal habitats, tidal flow and fish passage by removing dams and other restrictive structures in Bourne and Yarmouth. Currently, multiple obstacles — including a dam, an undersized culvert and berms — limit water flow, restrict aquatic species passage and pose a flood hazard to the surrounding community.
The restoration could also allow the wetlands to spread deeper inland as sea levels rise. By removing flow control structures in the retired bog, the project will reduce flooding hazards to the surrounding community, according to the Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management.