The Challenge
The 3,100-acre Scarborough Marsh Wildlife Management Area, owned and managed by the State of Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, includes approximately 2,700 acres of salt marsh, five tidal rivers, several smaller streams, some coastal freshwater marsh, tidal flats, and less than 200 acres of upland habitat.
The long-range management objective for the Scarborough Marsh is to provide suitable habitat for optimum levels of all wildlife species and to provide maximum utilization of the area by sportsmen and other individuals seeking outdoor recreation. The marsh is Maine ’s largest and most renowned salt marsh and is recognized for high biological productivity and diversity. The marsh provides habitat for estuarine and catadromous fish species, and supports state and federally-listed threatened or endangered species.
Restriction of the natural tidal flow by railroads, and public and private roads, historical salt hay production drainage ditches and farm roads had created tidal restrictions and excessive drainage. This had caused loss of natural tidal pools, ecosystem functions and values and had allowed invasive vegetation to alter the marshes, reducing their value as a habitat and as a resource for the marine environment.
The long-range management objective for the Scarborough Marsh is to provide suitable habitat for optimum levels of all wildlife species and to provide maximum utilization of the area by sportsmen and other individuals seeking outdoor recreation. The marsh is Maine ’s largest and most renowned salt marsh and is recognized for high biological productivity and diversity. The marsh provides habitat for estuarine and catadromous fish species, and supports state and federally-listed threatened or endangered species.
Restriction of the natural tidal flow by railroads, and public and private roads, historical salt hay production drainage ditches and farm roads had created tidal restrictions and excessive drainage. This had caused loss of natural tidal pools, ecosystem functions and values and had allowed invasive vegetation to alter the marshes, reducing their value as a habitat and as a resource for the marine environment.
The project was divided into five phases, and the Friends of Scarborough Marsh are the group that pulls together the community support, facilitates the leverage of financial resources, and leads the monitoring program.
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