On the trail through the marsh.

Steven Jump

One thing I felt that the field trip addressed that the class has not yet looked very in-depth at was that there are right ways to go about restoration and there are less right ways. Ultimately, any action is better than none, but the efficacy of that action depends on a number of variables. We saw an example of this in the Rumney Marsh Reservation. Actions, such as extensive surveys (as exemplified in our map), are being taken to work to restore the area and future plans to incorporate the nearby landfill into the project aim to kill two birds with one stone.

However, despite these efforts, there are a few fundamental issues with the project. Firstly, the physical location of the marsh is unideal. Separated from the coast by rows of housing, these communities lack the possible benefits of having a marsh between them and the sea in terms of storm surge protection. This also eliminates the marshes ability to prevent the furthering of coastal erosion and as well as the possibility of it filtering any runoff from those establishments. Another point raised by Craig and addressed by Dr. Webster was that because it is situated so far from the ocean, the marsh actually experiences very little tidal flow as well as diminished saltwater intrusion. Because of this,  I assume the environment created through the project is probably markedly different than that of what was originally there. The whole marsh could also benefit greatly from a trash clean up given the large quantities of plastics lining the banks that we observed.

The prevention of most of these spatial issues could have been accomplished through either the managed retreat principle or possibly the utilization of marine spatial planning to evaluate the ecosystem benefits of having the marsh adjacent to the ocean as opposed to housing.

Teata Nanpooya

I viewed the fieldtrip as examples of three major tactics of environmental policy. The first, the New England Aquarium, was an example of informing/educating the public of marine ecosystems and issues. The second, the Nahant Tide Pools, was an example of both a Marine Protected Area (MPA) and a research facility. The third, Rumney Marsh, was a realistic application of environmental policy and the rehabilitation of wetlands/ soft measures. All these tactics were things that we had covered in our readings, especially the establishment of protected marshlands. Although I really enjoyed visiting the Aquarium and Tidal pools, I thought that the visit to the marshlands was the most impactful. The Marshlands really showcased the effect of misguided environmental policy. Upon our visit to the Marshland, we discovered that the location was in-between the city and an island containing a major road and multiple houses. Thus, negating the beneficial effects of the marshland such as: acting as a nutrient sink, preventing coastal erosion, and protecting against storm surge. Moreover, the preservation of the marshland was subpar in that there was garbage everywhere, multiple tire tracts, and a section of the marshland was used for storage for construction work containing paint and cement buffers. Personally, I thought that it was clear that the marshland was a result of the warm glow effect, where it was established to make people feel good about attempting to protect the environment but only out of convince. As we covered in class the warm glow effect undermines the betterment of the environment because it diminishes political will by allowing the public to believe that the marine problem is managed and no longer pertinent. Another negative side effect of ineffective marine policy is that the public begins to view said policy as pointless even though it would have worked better if applied correctly.

Chris Suh

A saltwater marsh located in Massachusetts State Park, Rumney Marsh is considered to be one of the most biologically significant ecosystems surrounding Boston (mass.gov). The marsh acts as a nursery for numerous fish and birds, and it was designated as as an Area of Critical Environmental Concern in 1988 (saugusriver.org). Unfortunately, over the past several decades, Rumney Marsh has suffered greatly from dumping and erosion (Reiner). In order to function properly as protected areas from waves and floodwaters, preventive measures must be taken to ensure that its functions do not become disabled.

In addition to dumping and erosion, the construction from the abandoned I-95 embankment has restricted or drained over 444 acres of formerly functional land (Reiner). This resulted in a loss of habitat and biodiversity that has decreased the number of fish and aquatic organisms that originally called this place home. Additionally, this has greatly reduced drainage land that allowed the Rumney Marshes to provide flood protection. Because this area is such a significant marsh, the negative effects of modernization have attracted the attention of the US Environmental Protection Agency.

In recent years, ten innovate self-regulating tidegates have replaced broken standard type tidegates in Revere, Massachusetts, restoring tidal flow to 45 acres in the area (saugusriver.org). The I-95 embankment is slowly being removed and restored to its original purpose as clam flat and salt marsh habitat (saugusriver.org).

Since these protective measures, the Rumney Marshes now have over 50 acres of salt marsh with better tidal flow and freshwater drainage. There are additional restoration plans currently in use or being planned that aim to restore over 200 acres of salt marsh (saugusriver.org). Although there has been much damage done, Rumney Marsh is slowly improving to become a healthy and effective salt marsh again.

Albert Mitchell

Marshes are areas of high biodiversity giving saltwater fish a refuge from the open ocean. Also present in many marshes are various types of grasses these hold the soil together and prevent the soil from washing away when the tide rises. In the case of Rumney marsh there is also a coastal formation known as a barrier beach, which similar is to a spit or a beach bar in that in the area directly behind the beach there is a very delicate ecosystem for both freshwater and saltwater animals. Development to the Rumney Marsh area including the construction of roads as well as using it as a landfill site caused reduction to the biodiversity of the ecosystem of the marsh.

Not only is the reduction of flora and fauna bad from an ecological standpoint but the saltmarsh serves the purpose of being a barrier between the ocean tides and the land behind. From at least the 1970’s the land behind the marsh has been inhabited by home owners. The damage of the marsh limits its ability to absorb tidal power and increases the risk of flooding to the home owners. This has led to some political will being generated to try and restore the marsh.

Work has mainly been focused on the beach front creating tidal gates to limit the effect of the larger tides at the point of impact, as well as just behind the road and the main estuary of the river to allow for a buffer zone which can be flooded in times of need. However, most of the work has been very formulated and does not restore the marsh to what it would be if it was left untouched by humans.

More political will needs to be created to restore the marsh to its natural state, to get rid of invasive species of grass which limit the native species ability to bounce back and to reintroduce species of wildlife which are endemic to the area. However, the political will at this time is mainly based upon the economic factors like house prices.

The hotels and other development between the marsh and the ocean.