Salt Marsh Protection and Expanded Community Access to a Beloved Southern Maine Preserve Converge as Climate Threats Intensify and People Seek Connection with Nature

“Meet the Marsh” Features Marsh Education, Future Trail Initiative at Cousins River Fields & Marsh Preserve in Yarmouth October 18

Yarmouth, Maine — October 6, 2026 — As Maine faces rising seas, stronger storms, and rapidly shifting coastal conditions, Maine Coast Heritage Trust (MCHT) is accelerating its coastwide effort to protect and restore salt marshes — ecosystems that are essential to fisheries health, coastal biodiversity, and climate resilience. Simultaneously, recognizing that people are curious about Maine’s natural places and enjoy being able to access them, MCHT is bringing education, community, and public access together at a celebratory gathering in Yarmouth at Meet the Marsh.

In the last decade, Maine has experienced a measurable increase in coastal storm intensity, including multiple once‑in‑a‑century surge events occurring within just a few years — a trend scientists attribute to shifting storm tracks and warming oceans. According to the Maine Climate Council, the Gulf of Maine is warming faster than 97% of the world’s ocean surface.

Salt marshes buffer storm surge, absorb rising seas, filter pollutants, and support nursery habitats that sustain Maine’s fisheries and coastal wildlife. When marshes remain intact and have space to migrate inland, they can continue to function effectively.

“Marshes have long been underappreciated, but are now recognized as one of the most threatened yet important resources in our response to climate change,” said Tatia Bauer, MCHT marsh restoration program manager. She added, “MCHT protects low‑lying coastal lands adjacent to marshes because these vulnerable areas will experience the most severe flooding and they also have the greatest potential to support new saltmarsh habitat. Combining that protection with restoration on today’s degraded tidal marshes means salt marshes will persist and thrive into the future.”

Through coastwide planning and partnerships, MCHT is working to safeguard existing marshes and ensure they have upland areas in which to migrate. Protecting these places requires long‑term land conservation efforts and sustained investment.

MCHT currently has 27 active marsh migration projects and eight restoration projects underway. Collectively, these projects are part of MCHT’s work to conserve 67 priority marshes identified for protection statewide. Three marshes serve as signature conservation priorities for MCHT: Cousins River Marsh, a highly visible and climate‑resilient southern Maine marsh; Babson Creek Marsh, an important site for marsh and tidal research near Acadia National Park; and Flat Bay Marsh, one of Washington County’s largest intact marsh systems.

Cousins River Fields & Marsh Preserve: Conservation, Community, and Public Access

MCHT purchased Cousins River Fields & Marsh Preserve in 2023 with support from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s North American Wetlands Conservation Grants Program, the Town of Yarmouth, and many generous private donors. The purchase was part of a partnership conservation project involving the Freeport Conservation Trust and the Royal River Conservation Trust. As MCHT’s southernmost preserve, it represents one of Maine’s most prominent marsh protection efforts.

The conserved 220‑acre marsh system is highly visible from the I‑295 corridor and provides recreational, educational, and flood‑protection benefits to Yarmouth and Freeport. With a new accessible trail in the planning phases, the preserve will become a community gathering place where visitors can learn about marsh ecology, understand climate resilience, and experience Maine’s coastline in an accessible and welcoming setting.

To welcome visitors of all abilities to the preserve, MCHT is developing an accessible trail built to meet or exceed accessible standards as determined by the U.S. Forest Service Trail Accessibility Guidelines and the American Architectural Barriers ACT. The trail will feature:

Over a mile of universally accessible trail with new seating and gathering spaces

Wide, flat, durable surfaces suitable for strollers, wheelchairs, and mobility devices

Slope grades targeted under 8% for comfortable navigation

Rest areas at the top and bottom of slopes

Clear wayfinding and interpretive signage

Benches and picnic tables

Improved parking and information access

“When we acquired this land, it was with the intention of making this an easy place for lots of people to have an experience in the outdoors,” said Andrew Deci, MCHT Southern Maine regional stewardship manager. “Increasing access and connection for all to coastal lands and waters is part of our vision, and with initiatives like this, that vision is becoming a reality.”

Deci added, “When you design for all people, you’re getting a better experience for all people.”

Meet the Marsh Event — October 18 from 11:00 am to 3:00 pm

To deepen public understanding of marsh protection, climate‑ready planning, and the vision for future accessible trail design, MCHT and the Cousins River Marsh Collaborative will host “Meet the Marsh,” a public event on October 18 at Cousins River Fields & Marsh Preserve in Yarmouth (221 Granite Street, Yarmouth).

The event will feature hands‑on, family‑friendly activities designed to help visitors connect with the marsh as both an ecological system and a community gathering place. Visitors will experience firsthand how marsh restoration, climate‑ready planning, and accessible trail design come together to support a resilient future for the Cousins River estuary. Activities will illustrate the essential role marshes play in coastal resilience and community life.

The event will feature:

Marsh Walking Tours

Community Campfire

Live Music

Interactive Printmaking with a Local Artist

Free Raffle Prizes

Animal Demonstrations

Food Trucks & Local Apples

Community Vendors

Details about Meet the Marsh are available at mcht.org/event/meet-the-marsh/.

The Cousins River Collaborative is a partnership between MCHT, Freeport Conservation Trust, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Gulf of Maine Coastal Program, Northeast Climate Adaptation Science Center, UMass Amherst, the Casco Bay Estuary Partnership, YCARE – Yarmouth Community Alliance for Racial Equity, and Royal River Conservation Trust. It was formed in 2023 to restore and study the salt marshes of Cousins River. Tidal marshes along the Atlantic coast have been heavily altered by past agricultural practices and need restoration to be able to adapt to sea-level-rise. This collaborative, focused on restoration, education and partnership, was awarded nearly $250,000 by Restoring America’s Estuaries and the Environmental Protection Agency to restore 99 acres of Cousins River Marsh. Major activities will begin in the fall of 2026.

About Maine Coast Heritage Trust

Maine Coast Heritage Trust (MCHT) advances the conservation of lands and waters in Maine to ensure ecological wellbeing and foster thriving communities. Since 1970, we have worked to guide the conservation movement and support a network of more than 80 land trusts. Together with partners, we’ve protected over 200,000 acres and 341 coastal islands, supporting the needs of people, plants, animals, and ecosystems across the coast. We’re dedicated to ensuring that our natural areas can mitigate the effects of climate change and support all people and life for generations to come. Learn more about our work and get involved at mcht.org.  

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Media Contacts:

Linda Lidov – Director of Communications, Maine Coast Heritage Trust  
llidov@mcht.org  207-607-4574  

Betta Stothart – MCHT Communications bstothart@gmail.com 207‑400‑0015