Posted on August 18, 2025
AGAWAM, Mass. – The Healey-Driscoll administration is distributing over $2.9 million in grants supporting ecological restoration projects throughout Massachusetts.
The Department of Fish and Game’s (DFG) Division of Ecological Restoration (DER) is providing this funding, designed to protect land against extreme weather and restore wildlife habitats in the state. The grants also seek to improve water quality and reduce the risk of flooding.
Through the DER’s Stream Continuity Program, $2.7 million will be awarded to 21 towns to replace outdated culverts, which will help restore river ecosystems, enhance fish and wildlife passage, and improve public safety in the impacted communities. Several of the project sites will also become training hubs, providing hands-on learning opportunities for local roadway managers.
“Projects like these are a win-win for people and nature,” said DFG Commissioner Thomas O’Shea. “By partnering with local leaders, we can turn our biggest challenges into opportunities to deliver safer, healthier communities. Restoration is an instant transformation—these projects secure cleaner water, thriving fish and wildlife, and more opportunities for outdoor recreation.”
Additionally, the Herring River Estuary Restoration Project, located in Wellfleet and Truro, will receive $200,000 from the DER’s Priority Projects Program, in which the division focuses on the most significant wetland and river restoration projects in the state. This project aims to restore up to 890 acres of degraded salt marsh and estuarine habitats, improve fish access, and significantly restore the shellfish habitat in the region.
The following towns were awarded funding through the Stream Continuity Program:
- Threemile Brook Culvert Replacements, Agawam: $122,000
- Trapfall Brook Culvert Replacements, Ashby: $176,000
- Whitins Reservoir Tributary Culvert Replacements, Douglas: $85,000
- Flagg Brook Culvert Replacement, Grafton: $66,000
- George Schnopp Road Culvert Replacement, Hinsdale: $510,000
- Unnamed Tributary to Whitehall Brook Culvert Replacements Training Site, Hopkinton: $127,000
- Jones River Culvert Replacement, Kingston: $58,000
- Stony Brook Culvert Replacements, Lincoln: $149,000
- Longmeadow Brook Culvert Replacement Training Site, Longmeadow: $80,000
- Spring Brook Culvert Replacement, Mendon: $116,000
- Bear Mountain Brook Culvert Replacement Training Site, Middlefield: $120,000
- Phelps Brook Culvert Replacements, Monroe: $120,000
- Seekonk Street Culvert Replacement, Norfolk: $146,156
- Tributary to Ware River Culvert Replacements, Palmer: $88,000
- Phelps Brook Culvert Replacement, Savoy: $43,000
- Marsh Brook Culvert Replacement, Stockbridge: $56,800
- Kickemuit River Culvert Replacements, Swansea: $152,500
- Schoolhouse Brook Culvert Replacements, Wales: $218,324
- Johnson Hill Road Culvert Replacement, Washington: $70,000
- Jackstraw Brook Culvert Replacements, Westborough: $135,500
- Nichols Brook Culvert Replacement, Williamsburg: $74,000
