Nature
Alewife Brook Reservation is a Massachusetts state park in Cambridge, Arlington, and Somerville that preserves a vital corridor of wetlands, ponds, meadow, and wooded upland along Alewife Brook. Established in 1900, it protects notable wildlife habitat, especially for birds and anadromous herring that spawn in its ponds after returning from the Atlantic through the Mystic River. The landscape evolved from the Great Swamp, a tidal wetland known for alewife runs in the 1600s, into farmland, industry, landfill, and rail corridors. Planned within the Metropolitan Park District, it remains one of Greater Boston’s most important urban wetlands while also serving transportation, recreation, and stormwater management needs.
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Cambridge, Massachusetts · United States
