On March 11, 2026, Great Bay NERR hosted a workshop on Strategies for Facilitating Marsh Migration. A summary report and recordings of workshop presentations are now available to share knowledge and lessons learned from the emerging field of marsh migration facilitation:
- Strategies for Facilitating Marsh Migration Workshop Summary (PDF)
- Video recordings of presentations (YouTube Playlist)
Helping Marshes Migrate
Over the past decade, the Great Bay NERR has been leading efforts locally and nationally to monitor coastal habitat change, assess the resilience of salt marshes, and model the impacts of sea level rise, including a 2024 literature review by the University of New Hampshire (UNH), a new NH Marsh Migration Monitoring Protocol, and the Pathways to Salt Marsh Resilience Project, which identified priority places to protect marsh migration pathways in New Hampshire. It has become increasingly clear that salt marshes in many parts of the country are threatened by future sea level rise and increased coastal development. Without the space to migrate inland, salt marshes may drown and get squeezed out of existence.
To protect salt marshes, we can conserve important marsh migration space, improve the health of existing marshes through restoration activities, and try to facilitate marsh migration through active management. This last strategy is an emerging field that includes land management techniques at the marsh-upland boundary such as: re-grading slopes to create a more gentle transition; managing vegetation, especially for invasive Phragmites; removing or breaching barriers, such as agricultural berms; or modifying the hydrology to promote flow of tidal waters into the upland.
Workshop to Learn From Scientists and Land Managers
Great Bay NERR’s recent projects on salt marsh migration identified a need in the region to learn more about facilitating marsh migration because it has not been a significant part of local restoration activities. New Hampshire salt marsh restoration practitioners and land managers expressed an interest in knowing what techniques had been tried by others working in the field and, most importantly, what lessons had been learned.
To address this need, the Great Bay NERR hosted the Strategies for Facilitating Marsh Migration Workshop, which convened salt marsh restoration practitioners and researchers to share lessons learned from planning and implementing approaches for facilitating marsh migration. Over 130 people joined the virtual workshop, including coastal habitat restoration practitioners, land managers, applied researchers, technical consultants, federal, state and local government representatives, and concerned citizens. The workshop featured seven short case-based presentations, followed by a facilitated discussion and group brainstorm session using Chapman’s Landing Marsh in Stratham as a hypothetical site for facilitating migration.
Images of salt marsh migration happening around the Chesapeake Bay area as shared by workshop presenters Keryn Gedan (left) and Matthew Kirwan (right)
Workshop Summary & Presentations
A workshop summary was created to capture key insights and references from the event and to serve as a resource for future projects that are considering facilitating marsh migration. A synopsis of each speaker’s presentation was provided, followed by highlights from the structured discussion that took place about Chapman’s Landing. In addition, the workshop summary includes a compilation of reports, resources, and academic references that address the emerging science and management implications of facilitating salt marsh migration.
The final report, references, and key findings are now available to share knowledge and lessons learned from the emerging field of marsh migration facilitation: Strategies for Facilitating Marsh Migration Workshop Summary (PDF)
The workshop featured presentations from experts working at the forefront of facilitating marsh migration in Rhode Island, Chesapeake Bay, and Delaware. All the speaker presentations are included collectively in this Strategies for Facilitation Marsh Migration YouTube Playlist and their individual presentations are linked below:
- Grant McKown, University of New Hampshire:
- Bart Wilson, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service:
- Jaclyn Reifeiss, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service:
- Wenley Ferguson, Save The Bay, Rhode Island:
- Joel Carr, U.S. Geological Survey:
- Keryn Gedan, George Washington University:
- Matthew Kirwan, Virginia Institute of Marine Science:
- Chris Peter, Great Bay NERR:
Case Study to Inform Restoration on Great Bay
Chapman’s Landing Marsh was selected as the case study for the workshop because it is owned and managed by Great Bay NERR and partners recently secured two restoration planning grants for this site and nearby Lubberland Creek Preserve, owned by The Nature Conservancy. In addition, Chapman’s Landing was selected because it is an important breeding site for Saltmarsh Sparrows, it includes rare plants, and has an active boat launch that is important to boaters, anglers and duck hunters.
Implementation funds have not yet been obtained for restoration work, allowing time to think strategically about how to facilitate marsh migration – or if it is wise to do so. One of the goals of the the workshop was to gather advice and ideas from participants to inform this planning process.
Map showing the approximate project area for Chapman’s Landing Marsh, as well as existing marsh in green and predicted marsh migration space in orange. See Great Bay NERR’s marsh migration mapping tool to learn more.
Chapman’s Landing Marsh, Stratham NH.
Funding
This work was funded through award NA25NOSX473C0086 provided by the Coastal Zone Management Act of 1972, as amended, administered by the Office for Coastal Management, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Contact
For additional information about this workshop or about salt marsh projects at the Great Bay NERR, please contact Great Bay NERR’s Training & Engagement Coordinator, Lynn Vaccaro (Lynn.E.Vaccaro@wildlife.nh.gov), or the Research Coordinator, Chris Peter (Christopher.R.Peter@wildlif.nh.gov).
