Reversing the ravages of time--for the Tides.

• Position: Maine - Salt marsh conservation - Brief Article

CLF-Maine is part of "Return the Tides," a project that has developed an inventory of Maine salt marshes that are degraded or at risk of loss because natural tidal flows have been blocked by road crossings and other human interferences. Two restorations are currently underway, in Scarborough and Wells. Each uses funding from Restore America's Estuaries, a national group CLF helped launch, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Our involvement consists primarily of distributing funds from those organizations to the various restoration projects.

The Scarborough Wildlife Management Area is Maine's largest salt marsh, and the project there is restoring tidal function to approximately 106 acres. An outbreak of the invasive plant Phragmites australis (common reed) was threatening to infest other parts of the marsh, but it's been controlled, and approximately 2,500 cubic yards of flood-related spoil is being removed. A weir believed to be restricting tidal...