Protecting Rumney Marsh starts with knowing what’s here.
Most people pass it without knowing what it is.
Most people drive or ride the train past Rumney Marsh without realizing its scale, history, beauty, or importance.
Rumney Marsh covers over 2,200 acres just north of Boston. It has been designated an Area of Critical Environmental Concern because of its quality, uniqueness, and significance. It supports fish, shellfish, birds, coastal habitat, flood storage, public recreation, and open space in one of the most densely developed parts of Massachusetts.
Rumney Marsh Conservancy exists to help people see the marsh clearly, understand what has happened here, and support better stewardship going forward.
There are threats.
Rumney Marsh is not just scenic open space. It is a working, stressed, and historically altered coastal ecosystem. It sits beside an aging trash incinerator, a legacy ash landfill, stormwater outfalls, broken tide gates, undersized or damaged culverts, rail lines, roads, and the abandoned I-95 embankment.
These pressures affect tidal flow, habitat, water quality, public access, and nearby neighborhoods. Protecting the marsh starts with understanding the full picture.