Scarborough Marsh is a 3,200-acre saltwater marsh owned by the state of Maine and managed by the state's Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife as a wildlife management area. [1] It is situated in southern Maine, in the town of Scarborough, in Cumberland County. [2]
Known as the largest saltwater marsh in the world, the marsh is fed by four rivers and several creeks. Three of the rivers in the Scarborough Marsh feed into and create the Scarborough River, which flows into Saco Bay and the Gulf of Maine. [1]
The main waterways in the marsh are the Libby River, Nonesuch River, Dunstan River, Scarborough River, Jones Creek, Mill Brook, Phillips Brook, Finnerd Brook, and Cascade Brook. There are many other minor creeks that feed the main waterways. [3]
Salt marshes filter pollution from the water and provide food and shelter for numerous species of birds, fish, mammals, and shellfish. Given the wildlife productivity and habitat diversity in this area, Scarborough Marsh is considered by the state of Maine as the most significant of Maine's coastal Focus Areas. [4] It is the largest salt marsh in the state.
Before the marsh was protected by the state ownership, there was considerable construction on some of the higher lands in and around the marsh, which stretches from Old Orchard Beach, south of Scarborough, nearly to Cape Elizabeth, to the town's north.
The acreage of the Scarborough Marsh Wildlife Management Area continues to grow as a result of organizations such as the Friends of Scarborough Marsh and the Scarborough Land Trust and the town of Scarborough, buying or taking donated ownership of privately held land within or bordering the marshland. [5]
U.S. Route 1 cuts through a section of the marsh in what was formerly referred to as the Dunstan Corner section of the town. [3]
There are two commercial oyster farms and hundreds of commercial and recreational clammers operating in the marsh. Commercial lobstermen dock their boats in one of the rivers. The town provides a limited number of recreational boat tie-ups.
The marsh is a stopover on the Atlantic Flyway, so a myriad of waterfowl can be spotted on the way to Canada in the spring and south to their wintering areas in the fall. Seals or an occasional porpoise on the hunt for food can be seen in the Scarborough River.
The majority of Scarborough Marsh, Maine's largest saltwater marsh complex, has been negatively impacted by man-made ditches, which have been used to drain the marsh, lowering the natural water table and reducing the number of permanent pools on the high marsh. Since early 2000, with the creation of the Friends of Scarborough Marsh, hundreds of acres of open water habitat have been restored by plugging existing ditches and re-creating pools. The new permanent pools on the high marsh again became home for cordgrass, aquatic invertebrates, mosquito-eating saltmarsh fish and waterbirds including black ducks and glossy ibis. [6]
This is the first of many saltmarsh restoration projects to be completed by the Friends of Scarborough Marsh and its partners including Ducks Unlimited Inc., Maine's Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Maine Audubon Society. [7]
In the past, it was believed that by draining marshes, mosquitoes could be eliminated, when, in fact, the opposite occurred. By draining marshes, the aquatic life that consumed mosquitoes disappeared.
Additionally, in the 1800s, settlers created the ditches that redirected water flow so that they could maximize the farming of salt grasses.
Abenaki Indians called the marsh Owascoag, meaning "a place of much grass." [8] In 1658, the Massachusetts General Court incorporated all the villages around the marsh as one town and renamed them Scarborough, after the city in Yorkshire, England. At that time, Maine was part of Massachusetts.
The town's Pine Point Beach, Western Beach and Ferry Beach abut the marsh with frontage on Saco Bay.
The Eastern Trail, on right-of-way of the former Portland, Saco & Portsmouth Railroad, provides a path for walking, biking, cross-country skiing and bird watching. The Eastern Trail is the southern Maine section of the East Coast Greenway.
The town marina, on King Street at the end of Pine Point, provides a place for boaters to put in their water craft, with the marsh on the northwest and Saco Bay on the southeast. The town's harbor master has an office just off the marina. On the opposite side of the Scarborough River is another launch ramp for boaters. [9] It is accessed through the Ferry Beach parking lot. A gravel launch into the Nonesuch River is at the end of Winnocks Neck.
Maine Audubon operates a nature center on Pine Point Road and provides canoes for use on the Dunstan and Scarborough rivers. [10]
In the marsh itself, many species of fish feed in the rivers and, consequently, many fishermen can be found there. Hunting is permitted, as well.
An observation tower is a short walk from the IF&W-maintained parking area off Manson Libby Road. The tower, a former cell tower on what was until recently land owned by the Gervais family, provides a view of the Dunstan River weaving through marshland.
Saco Bay is a small curved embayment of the Gulf of Maine on the Atlantic coast of Maine in the United States.
Biddeford Pool is a large tidal pool, located off Saco Bay south of the mouth of the Saco River on the south coast of Maine. It is approximately 6 miles southeast of downtown Biddeford, to which it is connected via State Route 208. The town of Kennebunkport is 3 miles southwest, connected via State Route 9.
The Nonesuch River is a 24.9-mile-long (40.1 km) river in southern Maine in the United States. It rises in Saco and travels northeast, then east, then southwest through the town of Scarborough, becoming the primary source of fresh water to the Scarborough Marsh and the Scarborough River. It has several brooks as tributaries.
The Atlantic Flyway is a major north-south flyway for migratory birds in North America. The route generally starts in Greenland, then follows the Atlantic coast of Canada, then south down the Atlantic Coast of the United States to the tropical areas of South America and the Caribbean. Every year, migratory birds travel up and down this route following food sources, heading to breeding grounds, or traveling to overwintering sites.
The Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge is a 9,125-acre (37 km2) National Wildlife Refuge made up of several parcels of land along 50 miles (80 km) of Maine's southern coast. Created in 1966, it is named for environmentalist and author Rachel Carson, whose book Silent Spring raised public awareness of the effects of DDT on migratory songbirds, and of other environmental issues.
Scarborough River is a 3.7-mile-long (6.0 km) coastal estuary and river draining through the Scarborough Marsh in Scarborough, Maine. It empties into Saco Bay between Pine Point Beach and Western Beach and marks the bay's northern end. The main tributaries are the Nonesuch River, Dunstan River, and Libby River, as well as smaller brooks and streams.
Scarborough is a town in Cumberland County on the southern coast of the U.S. state of Maine. Located about 7 miles (11 km) south of Portland, Scarborough is part of the Portland–South Portland–Biddeford, Maine metropolitan statistical area. The population was 22,135 at the 2020 census, making it the most populous town in Maine.
The Fish River is a 69.9-mile-long (112.5 km) river in northern Maine in the United States. It is a tributary of the Saint John River, which flows to the Bay of Fundy in New Brunswick, Canada.
Parker River National Wildlife Refuge is a wildlife sanctuary encompassing the majority of Plum Island in northeastern Essex County, Massachusetts, 5 miles southeast of Newburyport. It was established in 1942 primarily to provide feeding, resting, and nesting habitats for migratory birds. Located along the Atlantic Flyway, the refuge is of vital stopover significance to waterfowl, shorebirds, and songbirds during migratory periods.
Sachuest Point is a wildlife refuge in the southeasternmost part of the Town of Middletown, Rhode Island, on a peninsula between the Sakonnet River and Rhode Island Sound, the 242-acre (0.98 km2). It is visited by over 65,000 annual people each year.
Pass a Loutre Wildlife Management Area (WMA) is a 115,000-acre (47,000 ha) protected wetland in Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana, United States. The WMA is located due south and bordering the 48,000 acre Delta National Wildlife Refuge, accessible only by air or boat, contains the Pass A L'Outre Lighthouse, and Port Eads is within the boundary.
Seboeis Lake extends from Lake View Plantation, Maine, north into Maine township 4, range 9. The lake is enclosed by rocky headlands and sandy beaches and contains several pine-covered islands. The inlet at the north end receives several tributaries from Long A township including Dean Brook, Jordan Brook, and West Seboeis Stream. Bear Brook flows into the northwest corner of the lake, and Northwest Pond overflows into the west side of the Lake. West Branch Sebois Stream overflows the east side of the lake through Dudley Rips into Endless Lake; and Endless Lake overflow reaches the Piscataquis River 15 miles (24 km) downstream, just 3 miles (4.8 km) upstream of the Piscataquis and Penobscot River confluence at Howland.
Upper Richardson Lake and Lower Richardson Lake are impounded as a single reservoir by Middle Dam at the outlet to Rapid River on the western shore of the lower lake. Rapid River flows 5 miles (8.0 km) to Umbagog Lake headwaters of the Androscoggin River. Upper Richardson Lake is in the western portion of Richardsontown township, and the lower lake is on the border of Magalloway and Maine Township C. Primary inflow is discharge over Upper Dam on Mooselookmeguntic Lake on the eastern shore of the upper lake. Smaller tributaries entering the north end of the upper lake include Mill Brook draining the Richardson Ponds, Fish Brook draining Fish Pond, and Beaver Brook draining Beaver Pond, Little Beaver Pond, and Aziscohos Pond. Other small tributaries include Rand Brook on the western shore, and Mosquito Brook, Metallak Brook, and Bailey Brook on the eastern shore. The lake offers excellent habitat for adult trout, but with dams on the outlet and major inlet, fish populations are limited by the insufficient spawning and nursery areas of these small tributaries. The public boat launch area at the north end of the upper lake is 1 mile (1.6 km) off Maine State Route 16; and the boat launch area at the south end of the lower lake is accessed by driving 12 miles (19 km) north of Andover on South Arm Road.
The Fish River chain of lakes is a series of five lakes in the North Maine Woods region of northern Maine, in a tributary stream to the Fish River. The lakes are an important northern Maine recreation area providing habitat for wildlife including rainbow smelt, brook trout, lake trout, and land-locked Atlantic salmon.
The Belgrade Lakes are a chain of lakes around Belgrade, Maine. The flow sequence is from East Pond to North Pond to Great Pond to Long Pond to Messalonskee Lake and thence via Messalonskee Stream to the Kennebec River at Waterville. The lakes have long been an important resort area for fishing, boating, and swimming; and shoreline development includes residences for individuals employed in the cities of Waterville and Augusta.
Hancock Brook is an east-bank tributary to the Saco River at Hiram, Maine. The brook originates in eastern Denmark and flows through a chain of ponds along the border between Hiram and Sebago. The narrow-gauge Bridgton and Saco River Railroad was built along the brook in 1882, and operated until 1941.
China Lake is a lake in Kennebec County, Maine. Located northeast of the state capital of Augusta, China Lake is situated in the towns of China and Vassalboro. China Lake has two large basins connected by a narrow neck. The elongated eastern basin with an average depth of less than 30 feet (9.1 m) is entirely within the town of China, and has an irregular shoreline heavily developed with residences and seasonal cottages. The more nearly circular western basin extending into East Vassalboro is as deep as 85 feet (26 m), and shoreline development around the western basin has been discouraged to allow use as a water supply for Waterville and Winslow. The western basin overflows into Outlet Stream in the town of Vassalboro. Outlet Stream flows 7 miles (11 km) north to discharge into the Sebasticook River in Winslow 1 mile (1.6 km) upstream of the Kennebec River.
The Great Marsh is a long, continuous saltmarsh in eastern New England extending from Cape Ann in northeastern Massachusetts to the southeastern coast of New Hampshire. It includes roughly 20,000–30,000 acres of saltwater marsh, mudflats, islands, sandy beaches, dunes, rivers, and other water bodies. The Great Marsh comprises much of the northeastern half of Essex County, Massachusetts, and touches the towns and cities of Gloucester, Essex, Ipswich, Rowley, Newbury, Newburyport, and Salisbury in Massachusetts as well as the towns of Seabrook and Hampton in New Hampshire. It is a designated Important Bird Area.
Charles E. Wheeler Wildlife Management Area is a 625-acre (253 ha) brackish tidal marsh, nature preserve and hunting area owned by the state of Connecticut located in Devon (village), Milford, New Haven County, Connecticut.
Dunstan is a census-designated place (CDP) in the town of Scarborough, Cumberland County, Maine, United States. Also known as West Scarborough, the community is in the southwest part of the town, along U.S. Route 1. Maine State Route 9 runs northward from Dunstan with US 1 towards Portland but leads southeastward out of the community as Pine Point Road, towards Old Orchard Beach. Interstate 95 forms the northwestern edge of the CDP, and the York County line is the southwestern border, with the city of Saco directly adjacent to Dunstan. The northeast edge of the CDP is the Dunstan River, an arm of the tidal Scarborough River.