The Massachusetts

Massachusetts

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...

 Area of Critical Environmental Concern (ACEC) Program is a list of state-designated places within the Commonwealth that receive special attention due to their natural and cultural resources. The program was established in 1975 and includes a list of thirty ACECs covering over 268,000 acres in seventy six communities throughout the state. The ACEC Program is administerd by the Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR)

Department of Conservation and Recreation (Massachusetts)

The Department of Conservation and Recreation is a state agency of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, situated in the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs. It is best known for its parks and parkways. As of May 24, 2011 the Commissioner of the DCR is Edward M. Lambert, Jr...

 on behalf of the Secretary of and Environmental Affairs

Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs (Massachusetts)

The Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairsconsists of the Department of Agricultural Resources, the Department of Conservation and Recreation, the Department of Environmental Protection, the Department of Energy Resources, the Department of Fish and Game, the ...

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List of ACEC's in Massachusetts

Ref#	ACEC Name	Image	Area (acres)	Designated	Location	Notes
1	Bourne Back River Back River (Buzzards Bay) The Back River is a small tidal estuary in Bourne, Massachusetts on the eastern shore of Buzzards Bay. It lies just south of the Cape Cod Canal near the village of Monument Beach. It is separated from Buzzards Bay by Phinneys Harbor...		1,850	1989	Bourne
2	Canoe River Aquifer and Associated Areas Canoe River The Canoe River is a river in southeastern Massachusetts. It is long and part of the Taunton River watershed.The Canoe River arises from headwaters near Lake Massapoag in Sharon, and meanders generally southwards through the towns of Sharon, Foxborough, Mansfield, and Easton to empty into...		17,200	1991	Easton, Foxborough, Mansfield, Norton, Sharon, and Taunton	Includes Watson Pond Watson Pond Watson Pond is a small freshwater lake within Watson Pond State Park, in Taunton, Massachusetts, USA. The lake is connected to Lake Sabbatia and much of its coastline is forested. There are several residential homes located on the lake's coastline... , Lake Sabbatia Lake Sabbatia Lake Sabbatia is a freshwater lake in Taunton, Massachusetts, near Watson Pond State Park. The lake is where Mill River begins and the Snake River ends. It is the largest lake in the city of Taunton and the most popularly used. There are several coves and an island within the lake. Parts of its... , and the Snake River Snake River (Massachusetts) The Snake River is a small river in Bristol County, Massachusetts. It flows fromWinnecunnet Pond to Lake Sabbatia in the northern part of Taunton, Massachusetts....
3	Cedar Swamp Cedar Swamp Archeological District Cedar Swamp Archeological District is a historic district in eastern Westborough, Massachusetts, and extending into the northwest corner of Hopkinton.The district was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1988....		1,650	1975	Hopkinton and Westborough
4	Central Nashua River Valley Nashua River The Nashua River, long, is a tributary of the Merrimack River in Massachusetts and New Hampshire in the United States. It is formed in eastern Worcester County, Massachusetts, by junction of its north and south branches near Lancaster, and flows generally north-northeast past Groton to join the...		12,900	1996	Bolton, Harvard, Lancaster, and Leominster
5	Cranberry Brook Watershed		1,050	1983	Braintree and Holbrook
6	Ellisville Harbor Ellisville Harbor State Park Ellisville Harbor State Park is a Massachusetts state park located in the village of Ellisville in Plymouth. The park is managed by the Department of Conservation and Recreation .-Description:...	100px	600	1980	Plymouth
7	Fowl Meadow and Ponkapoag Bog		8,350	1992	Boston, Canton, Dedham, Milton, Norwood, Randolph, Sharon, and Westwood
8	Golden Hills		500	1987	Melrose, Saugus, and Wakefield
9	Great Marsh		25,500	1979	Essex, Gloucester, Ipswich, Newbury, and Rowley	originally designated as Parker River/Essex Bay
10	Herring River Watershed		4,450	1991	Bourne and Plymouth
11	Hinsdale Flats Watershed		14,500	1992	Dalton, Hinsdale, Peru, and Washington
12	Hockomock Swamp Hockomock Swamp The Hockomock Swamp is a vast wetland encompassing much of the northern part of southeastern Massachusetts. This land is considered the second largest wetland in the state...		16,950	1990	Bridgewater, Easton, Norton, Raynham, Taunton, and West Bridgewater
13	Inner Cape Cod Bay Cape Cod Bay Cape Cod Bay is a large bay of the Atlantic Ocean adjacent to the U.S. state of Massachusetts. Measuring below a line drawn from Brant Rock in Marshfield to Race Point in Provincetown, Massachusetts, it is enclosed by Cape Cod to the south and east, and Plymouth County, Massachusetts, to the west....		2,600	1985	Brewster, Eastham, and Orleans
14	Kampoosa Bog Drainage Basin		1,350	1995	Lee and Stockbridge
15	Karner Brook Watershed		7,000	1992	Egremont and Mount Washington
16	Miscoe, Warren, and Whitehall Watersheds		8,700	2000	Grafton, Hopkinton, and Upton
17	Neponset River Estuary Neponset River The Neponset River is a river in eastern Massachusetts in the United States. The headwaters of the Neponset are at the Neponset Reservoir in Foxborough, near the Gillette Stadium...		1,300	1995	Boston, Milton, and Quincy
18	Petapawag		25,680	2002	Ayer, Dunstable, Groton, Pepperell, and Tyngsborough	Lower Nashua River Nashua River The Nashua River, long, is a tributary of the Merrimack River in Massachusetts and New Hampshire in the United States. It is formed in eastern Worcester County, Massachusetts, by junction of its north and south branches near Lancaster, and flows generally north-northeast past Groton to join the...  and Salmon Brook Salmon Brook (Merrimack River) Salmon Brook is one of the 6 major tributaries of the Merrimack River in northeastern Massachusetts in the United States. Its watershed is and is one of the 14 subwatersheds of the Merrimack River. It passes through Groton, Dunstable, and Tyngsborough, Massachusetts, and then through Nashua, New...  areas.
19	Pleasant Bay Pleasant Bay, Cape Cod Pleasant Bay, Cape Cod is a section of beach located in Orleans, Massachusetts. It is located at Route 28 and harbors of saltwater when the tide is in.- History :...		9,240	1987	Brewster, Chatham, Harwich, and Orleans
20	Pocasset River		160	1980	Bourne
21	Rumney Marshes		2,800	1988	Boston, Lynn, Revere, Saugus, and Winthrop
22	Sandy Neck Barrier Beach System Sandy Neck Cultural Resources District Sandy Neck Cultural Resources District is a historic district in Barnstable, Massachusetts.The district was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1987....		9,130	1978	Barnstable and Sandwich
23	Schenob Brook Drainage Basin		13,750	1990	Mount Washington and Sheffield
24	Squannassit		37,420	2002	Ashby, Ayer, Groton, Harvard, Lancaster, Lunenburg, Pepperell, Shirley, and Townsend	Squannacook River Squannacook River The Squannacook River is a river in northern Massachusetts. It is a tributary of the Nashua River and part of the Merrimack River watershed flowing to the Atlantic Ocean....  and Mulpus Brook areas.
25	Three Mile River Watershed Three Mile River The Three Mile River or Threemile River is a river in Bristol County, Massachusetts. It is formed by the junction of the Rumford and Wading rivers in the town of Norton...		14,280	2008	Dighton, Norton, Taunton
26	Upper Housatonic River		12,280	2009	Lee, Lenox, Pittsfield, Washington
27	Waquoit Bay Waquoit Bay Waquoit Bay is a small landlocked tidal bay on the south shore of Cape Cod in the US state of Massachusetts. The bay is connected with Nantucket Sound and separates the towns of Mashpee and Falmouth.In the early 1960s Norwegian researcher Johannes Kr...		2,580	1979	Falmouth and Mashpee
28	Weir River Weir River (Massachusetts) Weir River is a short stream and estuary that empties into Hingham Bay, part of Boston Harbor in Massachusetts, United States. The name is attributed to the location of a fishing weir in the stream...		950	1986	Cohasset, Hingham, and Hull
29	Wellfleet Harbor		12,480	1989	Eastham, Truro, and Wellfleet
30	Weymouth Back River		800	1982	Hingham and Weymouth