Two large culverts have been installed under the Black Point Road to restore tidal hydrology, minimize invasive species and provide fish passage to the upper Libby River salt marsh, part of Scarborough Marsh State Wildlife Management Area in Maine. Photo by ME Dept. of Transportation, Nov., 2006

Scarborough Marsh restoration partners continue to work together, and have just completed the fourth major salt marsh restoration project in Scarborough Marsh Wildlife Management Area in four years. This most recent project promises to help restore the ecological health of the 114 acre section of the Libby River Marsh upstream from Black Point Road (Route 207). According to CD Armstrong, the president of Friends of Scarborough Marsh, "The Libby River Marsh has been threatened for years by an undersized road culvert on the Black Point Road that limited upstream tidal flow by one-third and starved the marsh of needed tidal waters. More recently, problems on the Marsh were aggravated by excessive freshwater run-off from increased residential development." Consequently, phragmites, a non-native invasive reed which thrives in low salinity waters and degraded salt marshes, has been spreading further and further onto the Libby River Marsh, ultimately covering 30 acres. Also known as common reed, phragmites is a perennial, aggressive wetland grass that outcompetes native wetland plants and displaces native wetland animals. It is easily recognized by its height and its distinctive fronds of fluffy seedheads.

To restore tidal flow and increase upstream salinity, restoration partners installed two new large culverts under Black Point Road. "Although the most obvious work of installing the new culverts was completed this November and December, the restoration project actually started years ago and will continue for at least five more years," commented Sandra Lary, senior biologist at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's Gulf of Maine Coastal Program. In 2005, pre-restoration monitoring was completed. Since then, restoration partners have been planning, designing, modeling, obtaining permits, fundraising, and conducting outreach. In addition, post-restoration monitoring will be carried out in the first, third and fifth years after construction. According to Wayne Munroe, district conservationist for the USDA --Natural Resources Conservation Service , "This important restoration project provides marvelous benefits for the Libby River's tidal wetlands and will provide for greater fish and wildlife value, as well as invasive species control."

Gulf of Maine Coastal Program provided technical assistance on the project design, planning, permitting, and funding. Other key partners involved in planning and implementing the restoration project include USDA -- Natural Resources Conservation Service, Maine Dept. of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, Maine Dept. of Transportation, NOAA, Ducks Unlimited, and Friends of Scarborough Marsh, a locally based coalition of organizations committed to protecting and restoring the Marsh. Restoration monitoring is being conducted by Normandeau Associates, Inc.