Our Story
Rescuing Ellisville Marsh
For hundreds of years, farmers and fishermen maintained the inlet to Ellisville Marsh, a picturesque piece of coastline ten miles south of Plymouth, Massachusetts. Recognized as one of the most environmentally sensitive and ecologically valuable places in the state, the salt marsh and estuary are home to a diverse array of wildlife and a range of habitats, including low-tide mudflats, a saltwater pond, intertidal zone, and fields of tall marsh grass. After agricultural and fishing activities faded away in the late twentieth century, it soon became apparent that protecting the marsh and its surroundings from development would not be enough to restore the natural equilibrium that had been lost when the inlet became blocked. Having witnessed government inaction over the years, five Ellisville neighbors founded the Friends of Ellisville Marsh in 2007 to address erosion, restore tidal flows, and revitalize fisheries and wildlife in the face of climate change. Rescuing Ellisville Marsh by Eric Cody presents a powerful case study of backyard activism, telling the story of a community that bonded with a natural place and decided to fight for it.
Available for purchase through University of Massachusetts Press. Get a 30% discount using promo code MAS068
Reviews
“Ellisville Marsh is the environmental gem of New England’s oldest town,” writes Eric P. Cody in his new book Rescuing Ellisville Marsh: The Long Fight to Restore Lost Connections (Bright Leaf). Spanning 70 shifting acres 10 miles south of the center of Plymouth, the marsh and its tidal inlet for centuries were maintained by locals who farmed and fished. That maintenance gave way as development increased and livelihoods changed; erosion and flooding tides rapidly shifted the complex and delicate ecosystem. As Cody explains, what began in the early 2000s as an effort to save private property evolved into a community crusade to “restore the vitality of fisheries and wildlife” in this salt marsh. Cody, in detailing the efforts and introducing us to the varied people who got involved — lawyers and botanists, sea mossers and lobstermen, a tribal chairperson, engineers, environmentalists, and a big dog named Veda — creates a moving and compelling ode, to a place, to a natural history, to people and the power that comes from focusing efforts and working with an environment. As Cody writes, the book is “a story about reaching into the past and delving deeply into the present to understand what defines a natural place, uncovering what truly matters, and learning how to live more closely with nature.” Cody’s deep and reverent attention to the natural world reminds us of its rewards, personally and environmentally.
Nina McLaughlin, Boston Globe
At a time when preventing climate change can seem daunting to the point of paralysis, stories about local, individual action appreciate in value. The author, a consultant to electric utilities, buys a piece of coastal property on the Massachusetts South Shore and finds himself joining with neighbors to protect and then restore a salt marsh inlet. A fine-grained account of what is entailed in addressing the problems humans have caused as the built environment has “stranded the natural places.”
Harvard Magazine
“Cody offers an intimate portrait of this place, its history and people, and the natural life in and around the marsh. The side stories of the community near Ellisville Marsh, the joys of monitoring work on the marsh, and the battles to win permits and keep the inlet open, are compelling.”
Tim Traver, author of Sippewissett: Or, Life on a Salt Marsh