Protecting and Restoring Goodwin Marsh
Project Summary
In 2021 the Wells Reserve started working with the Town of Wells and the Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge to plan for the replacement of the wooden bridge on Drakes Island Road in Wells, Maine which is in need of significant repairs. The deteriorating condition of the bridge, which has been in place since 1938, means that a replacement is needed soon in order to avoid posted weight limits or even sudden failure. This bridge is the only roadway on or off of Drakes Island, and a failure could prohibit emergency responses and evacuation efforts during coastal storms.
A primary goal of the partnership is to improve the health of the salt marsh upstream of the bridge by restoring tidal flow in and out of the marsh. These improvements will lead to greater resilience of the marsh to rising sea levels and sustain the ecological functioning of the marsh into the future.
Replacement of the bridge will allow the increasing tidal flow from sea level rise to reach further into the upstream marsh, and over time, will lead to the expansion of the marsh into the surrounding undeveloped upland and freshwater wetland areas. To facilitate this marsh migration, a final goal of the project is the protection of the marsh migration corridor through the purchase of a conservation easement on 18.6 acres of land that abuts the Wells Reserve and the National Wildlife Refuge.
In 2023 the Wells Reserve sponsored a funding proposal by the Town of Wells to the NERRS Coastal Habitat Protection and Restoration Program, a competitive grant program funded through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) with the goal of protecting and restoring coastal habitat within the National Estuarine Research Reserves and their host communities. The application, titled “Habitat Restoration and Protection to Enhance Salt Marsh Resilience to Sea Level Rise in the Wells National Estuarine Research Reserve”, was approved, and in 2024 the Town was awarded 2.8 million dollars to advance the project through design and construction. As part of this grant the Wells Reserve received a sub-award to oversee the purchase of the conservation easement and the design and implementation of habitat restoration in the conserved marsh.
The Wells Reserve worked with Wells residents Susan O’Connell and Charles Bashaw to purchase a conservation easement on their portion of the marsh and adjacent areas, totaling 18.6 acres. In May 2025 the Wells Reserve closed on the easement, and the marsh was renamed “Goodwin Marsh” in acknowledgment of the family that had lived and farmed this parcel of land for five generations before Susan and Charlie took ownership. This easement will now be managed and protected by the Wells Reserve in perpetuity.
Objectives
Obtain a conservation easement on 18.6 acres of tidal marsh, upland, and freshwater wetlands.
Enhance marsh surface hydrology through small scale modifications (i.e. runnels, remediated ditches) to improve drainage, encourage revegetation of oversaturated marsh soils, and stop the spread of invasive phragmites.
Replace the failing and undersized Drakes Island Road Bridge with a configuration that will allow for full tidal flow and be able to accommodate projected sea level rise and storm surge during the structure's expected service life.
Project Period
2024 - Present
Project Timeline and Milestones
Completed
NOAA BIL funding secured (April 2024)
Conservation easement purchased (May 2025)
Ongoing
Pre-restoration monitoring (Summer/Fall 2025)
Restoration design (Fall 2025)
Environmental permitting (Fall/Winter 2025)
Community outreach (Fall 2025 - ongoing)
Upcoming
Salt marsh restoration implementation (Winter/Spring 2026)
Bridge replacement (Winter 2026/2027)
Post-restoration monitoring and adaptive management (2027-2028)
Primary Partners
Town of Wells
Wells National Estuarine Research Reserve
Additional Collaborators
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge
Drakes Island and Wells community members
Cottage in the Lane
SMARTeams
Northeast Wetland Restoration
CMA Engineers
GZA GeoEnvironmental, Inc
Funding
This project was funded in part by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Office for Coastal Management, through the Coastal Zone Management Act of 1972, as amended, under Award No. NA24NOSX473C0077, “Habitat Restoration and Protection to Enhance Salt Marsh Resilience to Sea Level Rise in the Wells National Estuarine Research Reserve”, through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
Project Contact
Jacob Aman
Stewardship Director, Wells National Estuarine Research Reserve
342 Laudholm Farm Road, Wells, ME 04090
207-646-1555 x112
jaman@wellsnerr.org
Additional Resources
Town of Wells Drakes Island Road Bridge Replacement Project Webpage
Farmers in the Marsh: Lessons from History and Case Studies for the Future
