Months before the town began discussing salt marsh migration pathways, members of the Barrington Resilience and Energy Committee collaborated on an educational exhibit titled “Barrington Shorelines.”

Committee members partnered with Julia Lazarus and others from the Barrington 250th Committee on the exhibit, which was shared at Barrington Middle School and Barrington Public Library. 

“Our goal was to provide students with a museum-like experience that encourages learning, curiosity, and discussion across disciplines, while prompting reflection on the past, present, and future of our town,” wrote Katie Hyams, a member of the Barrington Resilience and Energy Committee, in a message to the Barrington Times. 

The exhibit weaves together Barrington’s coastal history with the town’s ongoing efforts to mitigate and adapt to increased flooding and rising tides, stated a press release.

“It specifically focuses on how a warming climate affects our shorelines and informs students on how they can get involved,” stated the release. 

The exhibit offered multidisciplinary opportunities for classroom integration:

• History — Teachers can use the historical timeline to explore the town’s past.

• Science — The content supports discussions on climate versus weather, thermal expansion, greenhouse gases, the greenhouse effect, and renewable energy.

• English Language Arts — Reflective questions throughout the exhibit can serve as writing prompts. 

Marsh migration

The town recently hosted a special presentation focused on marsh migration pathways. Tom Kutcher, a wetlands scientist, told town officials that sea level rise was leading to more frequent flooding of salt marshes, which is stunting marsh grass growth, softening the ground, and destroying the grass along the marsh edges. He said thousands of years of marshland growth is eroding at a rapid rate, adding that in the last 50 years, the state has lost nearly 12 percent of its salt marshes. He said salt marshes are critical to the ecosystem, and they are in critical condition.