The salt marsh at the end of the road is under water. 

It is high tide, and a flooded salt marsh is not entirely atypical, but wetlands scientist Tom Kutcher said sea level rise is having a very real, very negative impact on salt marshes across Barrington, the rest of the Ocean State, and beyond. 

Kutcher shared a detailed presentation with Barrington officials earlier this month. He said more frequent flooding of salt marshes is stunting marsh grass growth, softening the ground, and destroying the grass along the marsh edges. Thousands of years of marshland growth is eroding at a rapid rate, Kutcher told Barrington leaders. In the last 50 years, the state has lost nearly 12 percent of its salt marshes, he said, adding that the salt marshes are critical to the ecosystem, and they are in critical condition. 

But there is hope. 

Kutcher, who works with the Rhode Island Natural History Survey organization, discussed some of the work coastal communities can do to counter the impacts of sea level rise, including establishing “marsh migration pathways.” He said a well-conceived longterm management plan can focus on replacing eroding marsh with suitable property farther inland. Kutcher said part of that process can include expanding land easements and property acquisition to accommodate the marsh migration pathways. 

Barrington Town Planner Herb Durfee said marsh migration offers benefits to coastal communities as they cope with sea level rise.

“…I see protecting, restoring, and expanding Barrington's saltmarshes as a smart, practical investment in the community's future infrastructure,” Durfee wrote in a message to the Barrington Times. “Instead of relying more heavily on barriers, for instance, made of concrete, natural wetlands can act as storm buffers that absorb floodwaters and protect coastal roads, homes, and businesses. Anticipating future inundated areas and expanding green spaces into these areas not only keeps the Town safer from rising tides but also likely boosts local property values while keeping Barrington a beautiful place to live."

Historically unappreciated

Marshes can get a bad rap at times. They are muddy and buggy, and at low tide can give off a certain smell. 

Kutcher, during his recent presentation, said people historically felt that marshes were not important. He said people often went to great lengths to find alternative uses for marsh-land — they filled them in, farmers used them for grazing their livestock, and towns laced them with ditches in an effort to drain them. During the presentation, Kutcher showed an old map that detailed how the Woonasquatucket River area in Providence had once been a thriving marsh. Today it has been covered in concrete and buildings and all that remains is a channeled river. 

But salt marshes are incredibly important to the ecosystem, Kutcher told officials from the local land trust, conservation commission, planning board, and other groups. In addition to providing a buffer for storms and flooding, marshes serve as key breeding grounds for fish and other wildlife, Kutcher said. Sea level rise, he said, is threatening the marshes and everything they provide, but scientists have found that a key strategy to countering the erosion of marshes is fostering and promoting salt marsh migration farther inland. 

Kutcher spoke about the rapid assessment of properties to see if they are ideal for marsh migration. Kutcher told Barrington officials that he has secured funding to assess 10 parcels of land — he plans to conduct the assessments from the middle of September to the end of October. Kutcher said the assessments will be done on a first come, first served basis, and there is no matching funding required by the town.

Once the assessments are completed, town officials can begin to identify which parcels or groups of parcels are best suited for marsh migration pathways, and should be considered for acquisition or easements. The agenda for the recent marsh meeting in town summarized the process, which includes reviewing “priority conservation parcels in Barrington” and discussing strategies and funding sources to secure the migration pathways. 

Durfee said public engagement will be key to the process. Town officials also planned to provide a list of parcels that Kutcher could assess. 

Fragile ecosystems

Cindy Elder is president of the Barrington Land Conservation Trust. She attended the recent marsh migration meeting and shared her support for the initiative. 

“We've been observing the effect of sea level rise across our coastal conservation lands over the last several years,” she wrote in a message to the Barrington Times. “It's led to trail closures, washed-out bridges, and paths that used to be dry but which now require wooden bog walks. We're also keenly aware that as sea levels rise, the marshes need to move further inland. These fragile ecosystems serve as natural barriers against storms, but they also provide habitat for marine life and birds. Consider the salt marsh sparrow, whose nests, built in the salt marshes, are so frequently being flooded out. This native species depends on healthy salt marshes. According to the Salt Marsh Sparrow Initiative, 75% of the population has been lost since 1990, and they are at serious risk of becoming extinct by 2040 due to flooding and habitat loss.

“At the Barrington Land Conservation Trust, we preserve land with the long view in mind. We have to look beyond the present day and envision the landscape decades from now. As a community, we need to begin exploring ways to make room for what we know is coming -- rising sea levels. And that means making room for the salt marsh which will naturally migrate to higher ground if we give it room. There are things we can all do to help on our own properties as well as on public lands and conservation properties. The Land Trust wants to be part of the effort to engage the public in a discussion of possible solutions and then move to concrete actions that will make a difference to future generations.”

During the meeting, Elder asked Durfee if the town had an appetite for exploring a more assertive approach to securing land easements. She also offered a possible outcome of the increased outreach: Residents who agree to have their land be part of marsh migration pathways may share that information with neighbors: “Hey, we just got a great tax break,” she said. 

Elder referenced the loss of taxable land as town officials accumulate parcels for the marsh pathways. She said the town could have more properties than it initially desired, and less tax revenue than expected. 

Elder also spoke about a list of 19 properties that may fit the needs of the marsh migration in Barrington. 

Jen West, the training and engagement coordinator with the Narragansett Bay Research Reserve, said the recent presentation was a starting point. She said the idea was to share information with local boards and commissions and offer assistance if they decide to pursue the work. 

West and Kutcher told Barrington officials that funding and technical assistance was available, including money for land acquisition. The list of sources includes the USDA, FEMA, HUD, NOAA, the National Coastal Resilience Fund, and other federal and state organizations. Technical assistance sources include RIDEM, Save The Bay, Narragansett Bay National Estuarine Research, and RI Salt Marsh Restoration, Assessment and Monitoring Program.