SumCo Eco-Contracting recently completed Phase 1 of the Nashawannuck Brook Restoration, which included access improvements.

The city acquired the 105-acre course in 2020 with the intent of re-wilding it — restoring Nashawannuck Brook and the wetlands that were drained when the land was developed for golf in the 1960s. This is the first golf course restoration to break ground in Massachusetts and is a result of a partnership between the City of Northampton, the Massachusetts Division of Ecological Restoration and Mass Audubon. The project received a Division of Ecological Restoration Priority Projects grant earlier this year.

SumCo Eco crews, led by Jeremy Sanders, removed a section of Old Wilson Road – which included the removal of a failed culvert and relocation of the City’s waterline. A new walking trail was created along with a boardwalk over Nashawannuck Brook. Other improvements included the construction of a new parking area, rain garden and emergency vehicle turnaround with associated amenities. In the lower portion of the site, crews worked with the design team and state agencies to build five new vernal pools, improve upland habitats, upgrade access and restore the brook – including floodplain reconnections, significant armoring removal, installation of grade control structures and revegetation support.

Nashawannuck Brook reopened to visitors on July 13, 2026. The restoration has drawn attention well beyond the valley, including coverage in Sierra Club Magazine. Read more at: https://www.sierraclub.org/sierra/rewilding-massachusetts-golf-course-back-wetlands