Habitat Restoration and Protection to Enhance Salt Marsh Resilience to Sea Level Rise in the Wells Research Reserve

A group of people in field gear stand conversing in marsh grass with a forest in the distance.
Wells NERR stewardship team at work in the Drakes Island Marsh in Wells, Maine.

Recipient: Town of Wells, Wells National Estuarine Research Reserve

Project Type: Conservation and Restoration

Recommended Funding Amount: $2,879,117

Congressional District(s): ME-01

A road crosses over a small inlet into the salt marsh.
Undersized tidal crossings like this one restrict the flow of water and are less resilient to climate change impacts.

Summary: This project will acquire a conservation easement for 9.5 acres of salt marsh and 8.5 acres of freshwater wetlands and uplands and restore the marsh’s tidal hydrology. The Town of Wells and the Wells National Estuarine Research Reserve will partner to restore the protected marsh by replacing a failing and undersized municipal roadway crossing. The new bridge will be more resilient to extreme storm events, improve safety for motorists and pedestrians, and allow for the migration of tidal marsh as sea level rise progresses.

For more information on the Office for Coastal Management grant program funding this project, please visit the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law webpage.

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