Have you noticed salt marshes getting wetter, plant community shifts, or large algal blooms in marshes? Conservation organizations in the Great Marsh (Great Marsh Coalition) have been monitoring these changes in salt marsh habitats and trying to understand the scope of the problem, its underlying causes, and potential future consequences.  We have identified two related manifestations of concern: (1) increased impounding of water on marsh surfaces, and (2) excessive draining. Both result in marsh subsidence and loss of vegetation; thereby impairing the ability of the tidal marsh to keep up with the rapidly increasing rate of sea level rise. The US Fish and Wildlife Service and partners have piloted a few promising techniques to address these impairments.

Artificial impounding is wide spread throughout the Great Marsh, covering hundreds of acres in the Great Marsh and other New England marshes. The scale of this impairment and the rapid pace of change observed in other New England states and in some parts of the Great Marsh necessitate a coordinated big-picture, long-term strategy. We believe the window of opportunity to address these impairments is narrow.

The Great Marsh Coalition is interested building a multi-discipline team that will work towards restoring more natural wetting-drying hydrology to tidal marshes.  In this first informational meeting, we hope to:

• Publicize the scale and severity of impairment and consequences and need for action
• Better define the consequences of artificial impounding and excessive draining
• Identify interested parties, resources, partners in documenting history and extent of issue {How did we get here? How big is the problem?}
• Identify potential areas of research need, resources, and interested collaborators.
• Discuss with regulators and experts in tidal marsh hydrology, biology, geochemistry, restoration ecology, the effectiveness and any unforeseen consequence of piloted restoration strategies.
• Obtain initial reaction from regulators of proposed restoration techniques and discuss permitting process, and suggested project approach.

Please join us to learn of these issues and help us brainstorm and pursue potential strategies.

Please pre-register via email to denise_lacroix@fws.gov by May 26. 

Please note that the afternoon session is intended for regulators and organizations involved in restoration. We want to keep this working group small to facilitate good discussion. If you can contribute to this discussion, please email me at nancy_pau@fws.gov

Best, Nancy Pau,  On behalf of the Great Marsh Coalition