The document outlines various restoration strategies for salt marshes, emphasizing approaches to facilitate marsh migration and improve drainage. It details current projects, funding sources, and partnerships involved in restoring critical wetlands, such as the Narrow River Estuary and Ninigret Pond. Additionally, it highlights the importance of project prioritization and planning in the context of climate change resilience.

1. Methods, Partnerships and Resources
SLAMM Municipal Workshop
October 26 & 28, 2014

2. Adaptation Strategies
 Upland
 Changing / moving land use activities that inhibit marsh
migration
 Adopting activities that facilitate marsh migration
 Removal of physical barriers
 In-Marsh
 Drainage improvements (runnel / creek excavation)
 Elevation enhancement
 Erosion control along marsh edge

3. Elevation enhancement using dredged
materials
photo: USACE

5. photo: DNREC
Elevation enhancement using dredged
materials

6. Living Shorelines
 Use of “soft” materials to reduce erosion of marsh bank
Photo: The Nature
Conservancy

7. Image Source: NC Department of Environment and Natural Resources

8. How can SLAMM Results inform
Restoration?
 Project Prioritization
 Critical wetlands analysis
 Restoration Strategy Development
 Where should we invest now? Which habitats are in danger
of disappearing? Which will persist?
 Illustration of the “do nothing” alternative
 Important for permitting process, project design and
evaluation

9. From “Blackwater 2100: A Strategy for Salt
Marsh Persistence in an Era of Climate
Change”

11. Current Projects
 Narrow River Estuary Restoration--$1.8M
 Post-Sandy Dept. of the Interior funding to US Fish
and Wildlife Service Refuge System
 Project team developed recommendations for
restoration actions within Narrow River Estuary
 Project includes
 Beneficial Re-use / Thin Layer Deposition
 Micro-creek / runnel excavation
 Marsh edge enhancement via living shoreline
techniques

13. SLAMM Results for Middlebridge
on Narrow River at 3’ SLR

14. Current Projects
 Salt Ponds Region Salt Marsh Restoration--$3.25M
 Dept. of the Interior Competitive post-Sandy grants
program
 Partners: CRMC, USFWS, Salt Ponds Coalition,
Towns of Charlestown and Westerly, Save The Bay
 Beneficial reuse for marsh restoration at Ninigret
Pond, planning for projects in Quonochontaug and
Winnapaug Ponds
 Multiple benefits to ecosystem and recreational
use

16. SLAMM Results for Ninigret Marsh at 3’ SLR

17. Funding Sources
 RI Coastal and Estuarine Habitat Restoration Trust
Fund
 Pre-proposals currently being accepted
 Coastal resiliency focus for FY2015
 Typical awards $5000 to $50,000
 www.crmc.ri.gov/habitatrestoration.html
 Federal Resiliency Funding
 Multiple sources (NOAA, DOI, FEMA)

18. cchaffee@crmc.ri.gov
wferguson@savebay.org