MassWildlife has completed a 500-acre barrens restoration project at Muddy Brook WMA to provide habitat for wildlife. Restoring barrens at this location is critical to conserving plants, insects, and animals—including 75 species on the Massachusetts Endangered Species List—that depend on these uncommon habitats. MassWildlife Habitat Specialists monitoring the site after restoration have seen long-absent birds like the whip-poor-will, along with pollinators and specialized plants, returning to the area. Biologists monitoring the native pollinating insects at Muddy Brook WMA observed a dramatic, positive increase as a result of restoration activities. Within one year after prescribed burns, an abundance of lowbush blueberries, native little blue stem grasses, and scrub oaks are now established in the treated areas. Read more.
Want to learn more? Watch this recorded webinar to delve into the fascinating world of barrens ecology with Chris Buelow, MassWildlife Senior Restoration Ecologist. Chris explains the science behind planning and conducting the initial phase of barrens restoration at Muddy Brook WMA and reveals the overwhelmingly positive preliminary results of the work.
留言