Rumney Marsh Conservancy

05/29/2026

"Nature does not create rectangles!"

That line came from Ed Reiner during our recent RMC webinar, and it’s hard to unsee once you know what you’re looking at.

If you’ve ever walked the highway embankment trail, or looked at Rumney Marsh from above, you may have noticed this neat rectangular opening.

It’s not a natural feature. It’s a 5.1-acre chunk of the old highway embankment that was removed as mitigation for the Saugus River Navigation Project, which dredged the river to maintain boating access upstream.

From above, the shape is hard to miss, and it's one of many such reminders that this marsh has been heavily altered by human decisions.

It’s also a reminder that embankment removal is not theoretical. Sections of the old embankment have already been removed. More can follow.

05/28/2026

05/27/2026

251 years ago today, the Battle of Chelsea Creek unfolded across the marshes, creeks, and harbor islands north of Boston.

It was one of the first organized American offensives of the Revolution, and a reminder that this landscape has always been part of a much larger story.

Video link in the comments.

05/26/2026

The Ballard Street Salt Marsh is one of Rumney Marsh’s clearest examples of a place that's still alive, but still restricted.

This 360° view shows a marsh shaped by culverts, tide gates, berms, and past infrastructure decisions. EPA’s 2022 Rumney Marsh report describes the tides here as “muted” by the restrictive Ballard Street culvert and makeshift tide gate. That culvert is only four feet wide, and at the time of EPA’s study, it had a temporary steel plate chained to a deteriorating headwall to function as a tide gate. The tide gate has since been replaced, but adjusted to mimic the "leaky straw" condition prior to replacement.

The marsh also receives tidal flow and drainage through the Bristow Street culvert, which connects toward the East Branch of the Pines River near Route 107. In fact, the East Branch Pines River bridge was specifically lengthened and raised to improve tidal flow and drainage for the Ballard Street Salt Marsh Restoration Project.

The good news is that this is not just a damaged landscape, but a restoration opportunity. EPA notes that past fill removal near Ballard Street already allowed about 6.1 acres of wetland to develop, but a berm still separates that area from the adjacent Ballard Street Salt Marsh. With funding and permit plans, improved tidal flow to the Ballard Street marsh could support roughly 34.5 acres of additional wetland restoration.

Sometimes restoration starts by helping people see what is already here: a living salt marsh, constrained but not lost.

05/26/2026

Make way for … well, you know. 😊 (American black duck and brood at Belle Isle)
📷 : David Malaro

05/25/2026

05/24/2026

05/24/2026

We’ve really enjoyed following Nature is the Solution, and this final episode brings the series right to Rumney Marsh’s backyard in Lynn.

The conversation looks at the connection between healthy communities, clean air and water, and the natural systems that surround and sustain us.

That connection is at the heart of why places like Rumney Marsh matter. Coastal restoration, public health, climate resilience, and community wellbeing are all part of the same story.

If you haven’t listened yet, this is a great series to check out.

🎧 Listen to Episode 9: https://nature.ly/3OOOyd3

🌿Hosted by State Director Kris Sarri, the final episode of “Nature is the Solution" brings together Senator Bill Frist, M.D, Dr. Catherine Machalaba and community leaders from Lynn, Massachusetts to explore how our wellbeing is shaped by the air we breathe, the water we drink and the ecosystems that support us.

From coastal restoration to frontline community health, this episode reveals how protecting nature is essential to protecting people—and why solutions rooted in nature can save lives. It’s a hopeful look at what’s possible.

🎧 Listen to Episode 9: https://nature.ly/3OOOyd3

© Nick Giliberto

05/23/2026

This is what tidal restriction looks like.

At the Ballard Street tide gate, the marsh drains toward low tide through a narrow, confined opening. Nothing unusual is happening here. This happens twice a day, every day.

And that’s the problem.

Instead of water moving naturally across the marsh, it is forced through a tight passage with tremendous energy. That concentrated flow contributes to scouring, erosion, and harsh conditions for fish and wildlife trying to move through the system.

As Ed Reiner put it during last month’s RMC webinar, “if you were a fish, you might get skinned alive.”

The marsh is still breathing, but it’s breathing through a straw.