Living Observatory (LO) is a public interest learning collaborative of scientists, artists, and wetland restoration practitioners engaged in the documenting, interpreting, and revealing the arc of change as it occurs prior to, during, and following the ecological wetland restoration on retired cranberry farms.  LO was initially founded to compliment the trajectory of the Tidmarsh Farms Restoration Project, the largest freshwater wetland restoration project to date in Massachusetts, and the restoration at Foothills Preserve.  LO now supports collaborative work on over 20 wetland restoration sites on retired cranberry farmland.

Recent News

Explore the Living Observatory Projects site to learn more about current research initiatives!

For example, in Spring 2025, LO and a group of volunteers conducted an experimental planting of Atlantic white cedar at the Upper Coonamessett River Wetlands Complex Restoration Project. Each tree will be monitored over time, about their growth and survival will inform future planting guidance and restoration strategies for these rare sentinels and the unique ecosystems they support.

In January 2025, Adrian Wiegman, joined Living Observatory as Learning Coordinator and Data Specialist. He’s connecting the community through dialogs, surveys, fieldwork, project planning, and more. Want to get involved or share feedback? Reach out to Adrian or take the LO member survey today.

Living Observatory has developed a sister site, OneWater, under an MVP grant to the Town of Plymouth. The site highlights new work to model the risk of salt water intrusion to Plymouth’s coastal communities.

On July 28 2023, Living Observatory in collaboration with Mass Audubon, InterFluve, and SumCo Environmental hosted an event to learn from the site 7 years post restoration. Updates are posted to Making Meaning at Tidmarsh

Recent publications have moved here.