Buzzards Bay Coalition to host grand opening of new Weweantic River Reserve at Horseshoe Mill

Nov 14, 2021

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The Buzzard Bay Coalition’s restoration of a portion of the Weweantic River at the Horseshoe Mill Dam in Wareham is complete, and the group is now ready to formally welcome the public. 

The coalition — in cooperation with the Town of Wareham, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Massachusetts, the Massachusetts Recreational Trails Program, the Department of Marine Fisheries and other agencies — removed the Horseshoe Mill Dam in 2019.

Since then, the coalition has worked to improve the trails on the site and install canoe and kayak launches. 

On Thursday, Nov. 18, at 1 p.m., the coalition will be hosting a grand opening of the Weweantic River Reserve at the Horseshoe Mill site, and the public is invited to attend. The grand opening, located at 36 Station St. in Wareham, will feature a series of speakers, light refreshments and tours of the property, according to a Buzzards Bay Coalition press release.

“Once a large, industrial site manufacturing nails and horseshoes, this site has been transformed into a public park that improves the river’s health and provides the community with a beautiful place to explore the outdoors,” the coalition said in a statement.

It continued, saying that the removal of the dam and the completed restoration work “has greatly benefited public safety, migratory fish, tidal flow, resilience to climate change and outdoor recreation opportunities.”

The dam was removed in an effort to restore some of the Weweantic River’s natural habitat. 

“The removal of the dam will provide more than three miles of habitat for fish like river herring, white perch, and rainbow smelt, which swim upstream from the salt water of Buzzards Bay in order to breed in fresh water,” the  coalition wrote when announcing the dam removal

The improved trails and canoe launches were designed to make the river more accessible for everyone interested in exploring and enjoying it, the coalition said.

 

 

 

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Event Date: 

Thursday, November 18, 2021 - 1:00pm