Spreading sand to save a Maine salt marsh

This story appears as part of a collaboration to strengthen investigative journalism in Maine between the BDN and The Maine Monitor. Read more about the partnership .

On a humid August morning, the Webhannet salt marsh in Wells was a sea of tousled, neon-green grass. But at the marsh’s northern edge, one spot stood out — about two acres of glittering white sand with only a few plants breaking through. Late last winter, excavators spread sand dredged from the nearby harbor there, in a bid to save the sinking marsh and protect the birds that rely on it.

The marsh is a test site for a type of restoration never before tried in Maine, known as the “beneficial use of dredged materials.” The method involves spreading a thin layer of sand and sediment to raise the marsh surface, helping it