Biddeford salt marshes are important habitats for birds and aquatic life. Contributed / UNE

Over $1.2 million in funding from the Maine Natural Resource Conservation Program was awarded for three projects that are expected to restore and enhance freshwater and coastal wetlands in Kennebunkport and Biddeford. Enhancing the wetlands will improve climate resiliency, enhance wildlife habitat, and reduce flooding impacts.

In Kennebunkport, the funding will be used to restore 9 acres of former agricultural field within the 1,200 acre Edwin Smith Preserve to the forested and scrub-shrub wetland it once was.

Tom Bradbury, executive director of the Kennebunkport Conservation Trust, said the project will help mitigate the effects of flooding during heavy rain events, sequester carbon in the soil, reintroduce bird and animal species to the property, and provide an important habitat for rare turtles that have been observed in the area.

“It will also become an important part of our well-established education programs,” Bradbury said. “We are excited.”

Funding from the Maine Natural Resource Conservation Program will help restore wetlands and salt marshes along the coast. Contributed / Kennebunkport Conservation Trust

The Kennebunk Conservation Trust has a long-standing partnership with the University of New England, and the Edwin Smith Preserve is often included in educational programs at the university.

University of New England professor Pam Morgan submitted the funding proposal because of this collaboration.

“Students taking a variety of courses, in addition to summer interns, can all learn from the project and participate in monitoring,” Morgan said.

Flycatcher, LLC, will perform the restoration planning, oversee sitework, and collaborate with Kennebunkport Conservation Trust on volunteer labor and monitoring.

Site work will include reconnecting ditches and creating pit and mound microtopography to restore hydrology, exploring if tile drains are present, and managing invasive species in the area.

“Restoring the back portion of the hayfields to wetland will help mitigate the effects of the Batson River’s flooding during heavy rain events,” Morgan said. “These are anticipated to be more frequent and severe due to climate change.”

In Biddeford, the funding will be used for a salt marsh enhancement program that will rectify past agricultural impacts to the marsh and improve habitat for saltmarsh sparrows.

According to UNE, salt marshes are essential ecosystems that lessen the violent impacts of storms and provide habitats for birds and aquatic organisms.

Restoring the salt marshes in Biddeford is important in improving climate resiliency along the coast.

The Maine Natural Resource Conservation Program, according to a news release, is an important funding source for wetland restoration and conservation projects in the state. Since it began in 2008, the program has awarded over $33 million for 175 wetland restoration and conservation projects, and will continue to do so.

“We are delighted and grateful to be the recipient of a Maine Natural Resource Conservation Program grant,” Bradbury said.

The next round of applications for conservation funding is expected to begin in May, and the program is prioritizing wetland restoration projects.