by Dr. Lenore Tedesco, Executive Director
In an effort to continue to showcase the importance and possibilities of innovative solutions that increase resilience, reduce coastal risk, and provide benefits to wildlife and people, TWI is in the process of planning for a second project: to raise the elevation of the Salt Marsh Trail at TWI, restore five additional acres of marsh, and create habitat for nesting diamondback terrapins and marsh-dependent birds.
In 2000, our trail flooded twice; in the last 5 years, it has flooded more than 330 times – an average of 67 times per year! This not only impacts access and educational programs but also kills the trees along the path and floods nesting areas used by diamondback terrapins and coastal birds.
The project design calls for raising the elevation of the Salt Marsh Trail by two to three feet; widening the trail to better accommodate educational programs; replacing the boat house with a modest structure; and creating new high marsh and transitional upland habitat specifically to support nesting terrapins and coastal birds. It will be replanted with native plants designed to maximize the benefit to the marsh ecosystem and the plants and animals that depend on it. The planning phase of this project will be completed early this summer.
Once completed, we will also have created an important barrier to storm waves, conferring additional resilience to the Institute campus. When combined with the Scotch Bonnet Marsh Enhancement Project, we will have added storm protections from wave attack from both the south and east, the primary vulnerabilities for our marsh campus.