Our Vision
“To facilitate restoration and resilience efforts in the estuary that increase the ability of people, organisms, and ecosystems to prepare for, withstand, respond, adapt, and transform in the face of climate change, disasters, and other hazards.”
Maine has 3,500 miles of coastline, more than any other state. It also has 5 million acres of wetlands, making up 25% of all the land. Our coastal watershed includes 32,000 miles of flowing water - with diverse habitats such as headwaters, estuaries, rivers, streams, salt marshes, and the open ocean. The Kennebec Estuary contains more than 20% of Maine’s tidal marshes.
Restoration includes:
Site visits and date collection.
Water level monitoring.
Animal and vegetation surveys.
Spatial mapping and design.
Ditch remediation on compromised salt marshes.
Culvert replacement.
Improved fish passage.
Dam removal.
Marine debris removal.
Seed collection and planting.
Community outreach and collaboration.
Why is Restoration Important?
“Ecological restoration is the process of assisting the recovery of an ecosystem that has been degraded, damaged, or destroyed. ”
At the heart of our restoration program is connection. Connecting species to their habitats, connecting ecosystems to one another, connecting humans to each other and resources.
Habitat Restoration Supports
Fish Passage Restoration & Stream Connectivity
“Millions of aging, obsolete, or poorly designed dams, roads, and levees are causing widespread ecological damage and putting communities at risk. These barriers trap fish, preventing them from finding food, shelter, and habitat to spawn. Outdated and aging infrastructure affects us too: it degrades water quality, can heighten flood risk, and creates dangers for recreational users. Fortunately, restoring aquatic connectivity offers a win-win solution for both people and nature. ”
Agricultural Remediation
When white colonizers first arrived in Maine, they were met with a forested landscape that was not conducive to their agricultural practices. Their solution was utilizing the only exposed land: marshes. Farmers began altering their environment to encourage the production of salt hay. Tiers of embankments and ditches were created to retain water, allowing areas to stay untouched by the tides.
Using data collected from aerial imagery, vegetation monitoring, temperature, salinity, and water depth - we can see these environmental alterations in lines and patterns just out of visibility from our roadside view.
Current remediation strategies designed by the SMARTeam (Jeff Wilson, David Burdeck, and Sue Adamowicz) include filling ditches with hay, removing culverts, and runneling out mega pools by taking off top soil and making a drainage path.
Salt marshes are vital ecosystems, and are only becoming more important as we adapt to a changing climate. They sequester 50 times more carbon than a forest. They also act as giant sponges, soaking up ocean water during high tide events, large storms, or as sea levels rise. They lessen the impact of coastal erosion, and are the first line of defense in protecting coastal towns. If a salt marsh is unhealthy, however, there can be drastic consequences. As sea levels rise, marshes that are not properly draining then take on too much water and it is impossible for them to build up sediment. A marsh that was once a carbon sink, quickly becomes a carbon bomb - releasing all the carbon dioxide it had been trapping for centuries.
Tidal Crossing Restoration
“Tidal crossings increase vulnerabilities by depriving marshes of sediment, reducing salinity, increasing flooding of vegetation, and limiting fish passage. Tidal crossings are often also sites of road flooding vulnerability.”
As people developed the coast of Maine over the past few hundred years, many roads, dams and causeways were built across the surface of Maine’s marshes and waterways. The splintering of these ecologically-rich habitats impacted not only plants and animals but also people. KELT participates in restoration projects because it is in our mission: restoring lands and waters that benefit people and wildlife in the estuary region. Removing unnecessary causeways or installing culverts and bridges to allow for free movement of inland and tidal waters (along with animals) aides in restoring a fractured habitat. It allows this habitat to serve our built and natural communities today and in the future.
