The Hockomock Swamp, the largest freshwater wetland in Massachusetts, is 16,800 acres in size. Home to 17 state-listed species, the Hockomock is designated as an Area of Critical Environmental Concern (ACEC) by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and a priority wetland by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
Unfortunately, the Hockomock is in danger: the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA), a state agency, proposes to bisect the Hockomock with a commuter rail line to bring people from New Bedford and Fall River to Boston. The MBTA proposes to construct this rail line on an abandoned right-of-way that has not been used by trains since 1960. No tracks remain, and all that is left of the right-of-way is a flooded dirt path through the vast forest.
Read the August 30, 2002 Hockomock Swamp Statement by Kyla Bennett, Director of New England PEER
Read PEER's white paper: Science Derailed: Massachusetts' Hockomock Swamp is headed for an Ecological Trainwreck