Wetland Restoration
at the Salt Bay Farm

Plans for restoration of freshwater wetlands at the Salt Bay Farm were realized in the summer of 1997.  In earlier days, when this was a working farm, a large freshwater marsh below the farm house was ditched and drained to increase the acreage available for growing crops.  However, removal of much of the water greatly diminished the value of the wetland as wildlife habitat.


     A naturally shaped berm was built separating  the remnants of the freshwater wetland from an adjoining tidal saltmarsh.  This will have the effect of raising fresh water levels to increase both the depth and size of the wetland. Beneficiaries will include many species of birds and waterfowl, including Great Blue Heron, American Bittern, Virginia Rail, several species of ducks including Black Duck, Wood Duck, and Hooded Merganser, as well as migrating shorebirds and Red-winged Blackbirds.  Mammals that will also benefit are expected to include deer, muskrats, beaver, mink, river otters, and perhaps others.

     Financial support for this restoration project was provided by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Ducks Unlimited, and the DRA.  The Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife contributed technical assistance and helped develop a management plan for the rejuvenated wetland and its wildlife.