Great Meadows National Wildlife Refuge
Great Meadows is a large wetland/river system in a suburban area. In addition to large portions of it being in a National Wildlife Refuge, it is easily accessible for recreation (boating and fishing); provides opportunities for education (close proximity to public and private schools); supports multiple state-listed/protected wetland species (plant and animal); is identified on Massachusetts' BioMap2 as being Core Habitat with some Critical Natural Landscape; includes Priority Natural Communities, most of it is mapped as habitat for Species of Conservation Concern, and includes a large area of Forest Core which is a Landscape Block; and includes numerous state-certified vernal pools.
Exemplary Ecosystem Services
Maintains ecological connectivity/cohesion
Aesthetic/Cultural Heritage Value/Provisioning
Recreation (birdwatching, ecotourism)
Storm abatement
Flood storage/mitigation
Water quality improvement
Education
Conservation Status and Threats
Conservation status
Federal Protection Partial non-federal ownership however majority within National Wildlife RefugeAdjacent land use
Residential - medium densityApproximate natural buffer width
> 100 ftOther Information
The water quality in the river is dependent on land use upstream and much of that is heavily suburbanized and has been for decades, or even centuries.
Ecology
Approximate size (ha):
Approximately 1,600 ha (wetlands)General wetland characterization:
Inland Fresh Seasonally Flooded Basin/Flat, Inland Fresh Meadow, Inland Shallow Fresh Marsh, Inland Deep Fresh Marsh, Inland Open Fresh Water, Inland Fresh Shrub Swamp, Inland Fresh Wooded SwampAdjacent water bod(ies)
StreamApproximate stream order
Name of body of water
Concord RiverSurficial geology
Swamp deposits (muck, peat, silt and sand). Reference: Surficial Geology of the Concord Quadrangle, MA (USGS circa 1962)
Soils
Numerous due to expansive size. Highlights from NRCS websoil survey: Freetown muck, ponded; Saco mucky silt loam; Hinckley loamy sand
Flora and Fauna
Dominant flora
"Extensive buttonbush-dominated wetlands reflect long-term vegetational changes along both rivers. In many areas, invasive species, such as water chestnut or purple loosestrife have displaced plant species of high waterfowl value, such as bur-reed and bulrush." (USFWS website)Unique flora
Engelmann’s Umbrella-sedge (Cyperus engelmannii, state Threatened) and Few-seeded Sedge (Carex oligosperma, state Endangered),Dominant fauna
Muskrat, great blue heron and numerous other terrestrial and avian species (migratory and residential)Rare fauna
American Bittern, Blanding’s Turtle, Common Moorhen, Least Bittern, Umber Shadowdragon, Pied-billed Grebe, and King Rail
