Leveraging Nature to Save the Great Marsh

The Great Marsh, at 28,000 acres, is the largest salt marsh system north of New Jersey, but is under threat from sea level rise, storm surge, and historical alterations from agricultural and mosquito abatement practices.  Wildlife Biologist Nancy Pau will talk about how scientists came together to understand the alarming changes we observed, and developed nature-based solutions to make the marsh healthier and more resiliency.  Together, the Great Marsh Partners are working to restore over 5,000 acres of salt marsh in the next 5 years.  She will also discuss how a similar process can be used to understand and develop nature-based solutions to address vulnerabilities of River Road.

As Wildlife Biologist at Parker River NWR, Nancy Pau helped to developed the innovative techniques being used in the Great Marsh and have been working to build support and capacity for landscape level restoration work.  Nancy is a resident of West Newbury and a member of the West Newbury Garden Club, Resiliency Committee, and West Newbury Wild and Native.