Advocating for tidal estuary restoration.

• Position: Maine

When the Maine Department of Transportation constructed the old Route 1 in 1934, it erected a dam on the Marsh River, over which the road passed until the present-day Route 1 bridge was built above the dam. The dam's construction blocked off a section of tidal marsh and created what is now known as Sherman Lake in Edgecomb, Maine. This fall, heavy rains toppled the dam, draining the lake and returning the area to its original state.

A debate has ensued as to whether DOT should reconstruct the dam and restore a freshwater lake or leave the tidal marsh as is, restoring the natural ecosystem of the area. CLF is advocating against dam reconstruction, arguing that DOT should promote tidal marsh restoration. Since the dam's collapse, the area will...