Over time historic ditching processes have compromised the resilience of the Great Marsh by destroying its natural draining process, leaving it increasingly vulnerable to floods. The Trustees and partners are working to fortify 330 acres of the marsh in Newbury, Essex, and Ipswich using an innovative nature-based method of “ditch remediation” that, to date, has only been piloted on a very limited basis on the neighboring USFWS Parker River Wildlife Refuge.
Brilliant waves of green high marsh hay stand out against gray morning fog over Newman Road and Old Town Hill in Newbury, a high marsh habitat (Photo courtesy Coco McCabe).