Cumberland County Success Stories
(Scarborough Field Office)
Chief
Knight Joins in Celebration of Salt Marsh Restoration
The completion of the restoration of a salt marsh at Cascade Brook was
the focus of a gathering of federal, state and local conservation leaders in
Scarborough
. Among the federal officials were Chief Bruce Knight and East Regional
Assistant Chief Richard Coombe. Under sunny skies and a cool breeze, more than
50 people received a summary from many of the partners involved of the time,
money and efforts that went into the year-long project.
The event was hosted by NRCS, Friends of Scarborough Marsh, the Maine
Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service.
Cascade Brook is one of five major tributaries in the Scarborough Marsh system
and includes 100 acres of salt marsh. An
unused water control structure severely limited tidal flushing, and two
underwater berms in the channel behind the water control structure also served
as tidal constrictions. In a 1996
500-year flood, a culvert on the
Old Blue Point Road
blew out, and large quantities of spoil material smothered two acres of the
marsh surface and filled a tidal creek. In
addition, 45 large piles of peat (ranging in size from 1 cu. yd. to 100 cu. yds.)
were ripped out of the marsh during the flood, floated downstream, and came to
rest on the surface of the marsh. Non-native
Phragmites aggressively invaded the newly disturbed areas.
Following several years of preparation, the just-completed restoration
project included removal of 5,000 cubic yards of fill, increasing tidal flow,
partial removal of underwater berm, removal of peat piles, and controlling the
Phragmites. The project also
includes more than five years of pre- and post- project monitoring.
The Cascade Brook Salt Marsh Restoration Project cost $208,000 to
implement and monitor, 75% of which were WRP dollars, in addition to many
uncounted hours of technical support.
The Cascade Brook flood also took the life of a
Scarborough
fisherman, Robert Snow. The Cascade
Brook Salt Marsh Restoration Project was dedicated in his honor at the ceremony.
The group had the opportunity to tour the area and
learn the details of the restoration work following the presentations.
Two easements were signed in
Cumberland
County
to protect farmland from development – the Jordan Farm in
Cape
Elizabeth
(a 47-acre parcel) and the Meserve Farm in
Scarborough
(a 434-acre farm). With the
completion of these projects, a ceremony celebrating the protection of
nearly 500 acres of farmland was the focus of a gathering of federal, state and
local conservation leaders one day in August.
Deputy Under Secretary for Conservation Mack Gray, of USDA's Natural Resources
and Environment in
Washington
,
DC
, flew to
Maine
for the ceremony. "Partnership
is a key in addressing the preservation of farmland in
Maine
," stated Gray. "In cooperation with key state and local
government, we have been making a difference for the future of agriculture
in
Maine
. USDA is proud to be a partner in this effort."
The first part of the ceremony was held on the Jordan
Farm. To highlight the significance
of retaining productive agricultural land in southern
Maine
, volunteers harvested produce to donate to an area food bank prior to
presentations from local, state and federal officials.
Some of the participants then moved to the Meserve Farm to join others in
a tour of the farm and the farm house following a few words from the officials.
"According to the Natural Resources Inventory
conducted by NRCS,
Maine
lost over 47,000 acres of agricultural land to urban land between 1982 and
1997”, stated
Joyce Swartzendruber
. “We are pleased to be a partner
in addressing this issue by preserving productive farmland and keeping it
in agricultural use."
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