Friends of Scarborough Marsh

A coalition of private
citizens and organizations pledged to conserve, protect, restore, and enhance the Scarborough Marsh Watershed.



PARTNERS
Maine Dept. Inland Fisheries & Wildlife
Ducks Unlimited
Maine Audubon Society
Scarborough Marsh Nature Center
Scarborough Conservation Commisssion
Scarborough Pollution Committee
Scarborough Land Conservation Trust
Maine Dept. Transportation
Maine Turnpike Authority
US Fish and Wildlife Service

Protection & Restoration Strategy
for the Scarborough Marsh Watershed

Prepared for
FRIENDS OF SCARBOROUGH MARSH
by
NORMANDEAU ASSOCIATES, INC.
and Terence J. Dewan & Associates

January 2002

INTRODUCTION

The goal of this report is to provide the Friends of Scarborough Marsh (FSM) with an inventory of key areas for restoration, enhancement and acquisition within the Scarborough Marsh and its water-shed. These key areas include salt marsh sites suitable for restoration or at risk of degradation, impor-tant wildlife habitats, open space around the marsh, enlargement of existing conservation areas, and potential public access and education sites. An important second piece of the project was to develop priorities for ranking the key areas within several categories, including salt marsh restoration and en-hancement, wildlife habitat enhancement, and land acquisition. At each stage of the project, exten-sive input from FSM was incorporated into the final product. Many meetings and assistance in data collection and verification by FSM members greatly contributed to the accuracy of this report and its associated maps.

The final products to FSM consist of this document, which includes the background, analysis, and data from the inventory and prioritization work; and an ESRI-based GIS package, which provides electronic maps of the various data layers for use in ArcExplorer and ArcInfo, and sites proposed for restoration, enhancement and acquisition. This database will permit FSM to manipulate the informa-tion collected during this project and assess different and new aspects of the study area. Each layer is annotated with the essential information regarding its contents (date, author, original source, etc) and should be utilized only within the constraints of its accuracy.

  • This report is available at the Scarborough Public Library. It is now posted to our website, as a pdf document (about 60 pages).

    TABLE OF CONTENTS

      1.0 INTRODUCTION 1

      2.0 SITE DESCRIPTION 2

      3.0 SALT MARSH RESTORATION STRATEGY 4
      3.1 Introduction 4
      3.2 Site Identification 5
      3.3 Site Assessment 15
      3.4 Site Prioritization 15
      3.5 Other Salt Marsh Improvement Efforts 17
      3.5.1 Invasive Plant Species Watch 17
      3.5.2 Citizen Awareness 18

      4.0 WATERSHED PROTECTION PRIORITIES 19
      4.1 Introduction 19
      4.2 Physical Studies 20
      4.2.1 Methodology 20
      4.2.2 Impervious Surfaces 20
      4.2.3 Results 22
      4.2.4 Discussion 24
      4.3 Wildlife Habitats And Travel Corridors 25
      4.3.1 Identification of Wildlife Corridors 26
      4.3.2 Protection Of Wildlife Corridors 26
      4.4 Land Acquisition Prioritization around Scarborough Marsh 28

      5.0 WILDLIFE ENHANCEMENT OPPORTUNITIES 30
      5.1 Pools and Pannes in Marsh 30
      5.2 Potholes in Jones Creek 31
      5.3 Enhance Dug Ponds in Subdivisions 31
      5.4 Reduce Cutting of Vegetated Buffer along Marsh and Streams 32
      5.5 Protect/Maintain Open Fields 32
      5.6 Wildlife Road Crossings 33

      6.0 INVENTORY OF RECREATION AND EDUCATION FACILITIES 34
      6.1 Scarborough Marsh/Wildlife Management Area 34
      6.2 Initial Steps 34
      6.2.1 Scarborough Marsh Nature Center 35

      7.0 ESSENTIAL DATA NEEDS FOR SPECIFIC PROJECTS 36
      7.1 Libby River Ditch Plugging and Hay Road Removal (Project 32) 36
      7.2 Assessing The Extent Of Tidal Restriction At The Guilford Rail Line (Project 29) 37
      7.3 Plug Ditches West of Industrial Park (Project 10) 39
      7.4 Excavation of Pools in Jones Creek Wetland 40
      7.5 Enhancement of Dug Pond on Old Neck Road 41

      8.0 COST ESTIMATES FOR RECOMMENDED PROJECTS 43
      8.1 Libby River Ditch Plugging and Hay Road Removal (Project 32) 43
      8.2 Assessing The Extent Of Tidal Restriction At The Guilford Rail Line (Project 29) 43
      8.3 Plug Ditches West of Industrial Park (Project 10) 44
      8.4 Excavation of Pools in Jones Creek Wetland 44
      8.5 Enhancement of Dug Pond on Old Neck Road 44

      9.0 FUNDING SOURCES 45
      9.1 FEDERAL FUNDS 45
      9.2 STATE FUNDS 51
      9.3 PRIVATE FUNDING SOURCES 51

      10.0 BIBLIOGRAPHY 54

      Personnal Communications 56

      Internet Resources 58


    ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

    FSM would like to recognize those entities which were major supporters of the effort to produce this report.


      U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service - Gulf of Maine Program
    • Maine Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife
    • State Planning Office
    • Maine Outdoor Heritage Fund
    • Maine Audubon Society
    • Oakhurst Diary
    • Maine Turnpike Authority
    • Scarborough Conservation Commission
    • Scarborough Land Conservation Trust
    • Maine Community Foundation
    • Davis Conservation Foundation
    • John Sage Foundation
    • And innumerable private businesses and individuals