There's a salt marsh in Boston where you can see more than 200 species of birds

CBS News

18 hours ago

Did you know there is great spot in East Boston for bird watching where you can also enjoy nature? Belle Isle Marsh Reservation is the largest remaining salt marsh in the city.
"You can be out there on the main street then you come in here and you're in a different place in a different time," said Heather Famico of the Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR).
"It's a place you can come to look at birds. We have over 200 species. You can come for a walk. You can look at the skyline. You can look at the planes overhead if that's your type of bird" Famico said.
Much of Boston used to be marshland like this, including the Back Bay, South Bay, Mill Pond and more. Those areas were filled in, and Belle Isle almost suffered the same fate in the 1980s.
"This area was looked at to be developed, and the people of East Boston said 'no we don't want that,'" said Kannan Thiruvengadam with the non-profit organization Friends of Belle Isle.
Why are salt marshes important?
Salt marshes provide a buffer against storm surge and coastal erosion. They also provide other benefits.
"Along with climate crisis and a loss of biodiversity we have a rising mental health crisis in our society. You come to a space like this, you calm down, you destress, you feel better" Thiruvengadam said.
Despite the public benefit and conservation status, the marsh is under constant threat.
"Between the rising seas and rising buildings, what is the marsh supposed to do? It goes through what we call a coastal squeeze or coastal pinch. Eventually we will not have a Belle Isle Marsh, we will have a Belle Isle Bay," Thiruvengadam said.
While DCR maintains the marsh, Thiruvengadam said the best way for the public to get involved is to visit.
"It's a cool oasis in a hot city. We need this. We need to be out here, enjoying, appreciating, advocating and learning what it is that we need so we can then protect it," Thiruvengadam said.
DCR offers programming at the reservation. For more information, click here.