On October 28, the Buzzards Bay Coalition, the Fairhaven Acushnet Land Preservation Trust, various community partners, and politicians celebrated the opening of Marsh Island, a peninsula of conservation land bordering the eastern shore of New Bedford Harbor. A former granite quarry and landfill, Marsh Island comprises 11 acres, 6 of which have been restored to salt marsh habitat interspersed by a public walking trail and a meandering tidal creek, and offering stunning views of the harbor.

The Marsh Island peninsula was originally salt marsh with granite outcrops, and was separated from the mainland by tidal creeks. It now represents the largest remaining stretch of undeveloped land along New Bedford’s Inner Harbor. Historically, Marsh Island was used for recreation and picnicking in the 1800’s until it was sold to the Wamsutta Mills in 1871. It functioned as a granite quarry for several decades (granite from the quarry was used to construct the Rte. 195 New Bedford-Fairhaven bridge). From the 1930’s to the 1950’s, sediment dredged from the harbor was used to fill the old quarry, as well as marshes on the island.