Herring River

The Chequessett Neck Road dike, which has choked the river of tidal flow for more than a century, will be removed.

The four students traveled to Cape Cod earlier this month to learn about the massive restoration project on the Herring River in Wellfleet. They hoped to see how Cape Codders gathered community support — and how to inspire similar work on a heavily polluted lake back home.

New growth of glasswort and salt marsh spike grass in the Wellfleet marsh follows the clearing of 80 acres of dead trees and other upland vegetation.

After decades of planning, hands-on work has begun to restore natural tidal flow to the Herring River and bring back hundreds of acres of salt marsh. It’s the state’s largest-ever repair of a damaged estuary.

The biggest element of the project is the removal of the Chequessett Neck Road Dike, which has blocked tidal inflow since 1909.