Protecting and Restoring Goodwin Marsh

The Goodwin Marsh project is a partnership between the Wells Reserve, Town of Wells, Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge, and local landowners to improve both community resilience and salt marsh health near Drakes Island Road in Wells. The project began with the need to replace the aging wooden bridge on Drakes Island Road, the only road access to and from Drakes Island and an important route for emergency response during coastal storms. With NOAA funding awarded to the Town of Wells, the project combines bridge replacement, salt marsh restoration, and long-term land protection. Replacing the bridge will improve public safety and allow tidal flow to better reach the upstream marsh, while restoration work in the newly conserved Goodwin Marsh will improve marsh hydrology, support native vegetation, and help the marsh remain resilient as sea levels rise.

In May 2025, the Wells Reserve completed a conservation easement on 18.6 acres of marsh, freshwater wetland, and adjacent upland owned by Susan O’Connell and Charles Bashaw; the marsh was renamed Goodwin Marsh in recognition of the family that lived on and farmed the land for five generations. In March 2026, the first phase of marsh restoration was implemented in the conserved marsh. Join Wells Reserve Stewardship Director Jacob Aman for a presentation and discussion of this exciting new project.