Brief Description: 618 acre Ralph Waldo Tyler Wildlife Management Area is owned and managed by Maine Dept. of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife and includes most of the upstream section of the Weskeag Marsh. The downstream section of the Weskeag estuary includes an additional 740 acres of salt marsh. Thirty species of mammals, 102 species of birds, 17 species of reptiles and amphibians and 7 species of fish that frequent the area, including eagles, osprey, wading birds, migratory and wintering waterfowl have been identified here, and Weskeag Marsh ranks as the most productive shorebird rooting and feeding site in the Muscongus Bay region. Three phases of salt marsh restoration work focusing on ditch plugging have already been completed at Weskeag, and additional work is planned for Phase IV, where a tidal constriction, man-made ditches, and small patches of invasive Phragmites threaten biological integrity. Engineering work needs to be conducted to design and estimate cost to replace and enlarge an undersized culvert. Man-made ditches also need to be plugged with an estimated 33 ditch plugs to prevent excessive drainage of the marsh, and an estimated 66 small sumps need to be constructed to provide ditch plug material. Ditch plugs will prevent excessive drainage and permit the re-establishment of permanent pool habitat on the marsh surface -- which will to attract a suite of species - aquatic plants, invertebrates, fish, shorebirds, wading birds and waterfowl - that depend on permanent water on the high marsh. In addition, Phragmites needs to be removed to prevent it from overtaking the natural marsh vegetation. This restoration effort will include pre- and post-restoration monitoring and, through the Georges River Land Trust and other partners, will incorporate an outreach component (newsletters, media coverage, outreach signs) designed to develop community awareness and appreciation for the value of salt marsh restoration in mid-coast Maine.

Resource Values: Hydrology will be restored on an estimated 137 acres.

Schedule: Engineering work needed to develop cost estimates and design plan for removing tidal constriction is needed now. All other funding sources (cash and in-kind) need to be confirmed soon (1-2 months) so that permit revisions can be finalized and approved (1 month). Pre-restoration monitoring work could be conducted this fall, and Phragmites removal/ditch plugging work will be scheduled in 2002.

Permit Status: Permit application has already been approved for ditch plugging and sump construction. Once all funding has been finalized, permit may need to be modified to open the tidal constriction. We anticipate ready approval for removing the tidal constriction at this location.

List of Partners: Ducks Unlimited, Inc., FishAmerica Foundation, Maine Dept. of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, Natural Resources Conservation Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Gulf of Maine Program

What is requested from the ME-CWRP: $26,000 in cash or in-kind services for the following items, or to contribute to the overall cost of the restoration effort:

1. Biological/engineering design work is needed now to develop a plan and cost estimates for removing the tidal constriction (topographic survey, hydrologic modeling). Estimated value = $10,000.
2. Gather all pre-restoration monitoring data, create base map, complete written annual report and conduct one meeting for restoration partners, following established monitoring protocol. Estimated value = $10,000.
3. Donate two data loggers that automatically monitor water height and how it changes throughout the tidal cycle and collect data on water quality parameters. Data loggers will be needed at the restoration site for four years of monitoring - pre, and post one, three and five years. Estimated purchase price = $6,000.

Point of Contact: Jim Connolly, 207-547-5318

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