THE PRIMARY FOCUS AND GOAL OF THIS PROJECT IS THE REMOVAL OF THE BURKE?S POND DAM LOCATED ON SUCKER BROOK IN PEPPERELL, MASSACHUSETTS TO COMPLETE CONNECTIVITY RESTORATION FROM THE HEADWATERS OF THE BROOK TO ITS MOUTH AT THE NISSITISSIT RIVER. BURKE?S POND DAM IS LOCATED WITHIN MIDDLESEX COUNTY IN THE TOWN OF PEPPERELL, MASSACHUSETTS ON SUCKER BROOK, UPSTREAM OF SHEFFIELD STREET AND DOWNSTREAM FROM HEALD STREET. THE PROJECT AREA IS GENERALLY THE RUN OF THE BROOK FROM 800 FEET UPSTREAM OF BURKE?S POND DAM (NATIONAL ID: MA03346) TO A SMALL DISTANCE DOWNSTREAM (150 FEET) OF THE DAM. THE HEADWATERS OF SUCKER BROOK BEGIN APPROXIMATELY 10,300 FEET UPSTREAM OF BURKE?S POND DAM. SUCKER BROOK FLOWS MAINLY WEST TO EAST THROUGH THE PROJECT AREA, ULTIMATELY JOINING THE NISSITISSIT RIVER APPROXIMATELY 2 MILES DOWNSTREAM OF BURKE?S POND, JUST BEYOND BROOKLINE STREET. THE NISSITISSIT IS A TRIBUTARY TO THE NASHUA RIVER, FLOWING TO THE MERRIMACK RIVER WHICH CONNECTS TO THE ATLANTIC OCEAN. THE MASSACHUSETTS OFFICE OF DAM SAFETY HAS INSPECTED BURKE?S POND DAM RATING THE DAM HAZARD CLASS AS ?SIGNIFICANT? AND DAM CONDITION AS ?POOR?. SUCKER BROOK HAS BEEN THE FOCUS OF THE SQUAN-A-TISSIT CHAPTER WITH MULTIPLE RESTORATION ACTIVITIES AMONG PROJECT PARTNERS FOR OVER 30 YEARS. THIS HAS INCLUDED EROSION MITIGATION, WOODY MATERIALS AUGMENTATION, NATIVE PLANTS RESTORATION, AND ENDANGERED SPECIES HABITAT PROTECTION. VERY RECENTLY, THIS HAS INCLUDED THE REMOVAL OF A STONE DAM AND REPLACEMENT OF A FAILING/UNDERSIZED CULVERT IN THE KEYES PARKER CONSERVATION AREA IN 2021 AND THE REPLACEMENT OF A CULVERT ALONG HEALD STREET. BURKE?S POND DAM IS THE ONLY REMAINING PERMANENT BARRIER TO THE MIGRATION OF FISH AND OTHER AQUATIC SPECIES ALONG SUCKER BROOK. PROJECT WILL REMOVE BURKE'S POND DAM, OPENING AN ADDITIONAL 1.1 MILE OF SUCKER BROOK UPSTREAM (4 MILES TOTAL RECONNECTED), AND IMPROVE PUBLIC SAFETY. BEYOND THIS GRANT SCOPE, BUT INCLUDED IN THE LARGER PROJECT SCOPE, PARTNERS WILL ADD LARGE INSTREAM WOOD, RESTORE 2-3 ACRES RIPARIAN HABITAT, RELOCATE BROOK TROUT TO THE STREAM FROM NEARBY GULF BROOK, AND MONITOR BROOK TROUT POPULATIONS AND STREAM TEMPERATURES.