Little River Salt Marsh North Hampton, New Hampshire
This project, located off route 1A in North Hampton, involved numerous partners including the NH Coastal Program, the National Resources Conservation Service, US Fish and Wildlife Service, Audubon Society of NH and the towns of Hampton and North Hampton. This 107-acre salt marsh has a long history of disturbance and alteration dating back to the 17th century when it was used by colonists as livestock forage. By 1890 a culvert was placed to allow for highway development; it was replaced by a 48-inch culvert in 1942. Two additional roads were constructed to reach islands within the marsh to allow for residential development. All of these activites significantly reduced tidal flow into the marsh, greatly altering its ecosystem and allowing for the invasion of phragmities, a non-native plant with little value to wildlife.
To restore the marsh the old culvert was replaced with a four-foot by eight-foot concrete box culvert-bridge that effectively returned sufficient tidal flow to the area. In addition, excavation to open up closed tidal channels was initiated to further enchance the marsh ecosystem. The project carried a heafty $1.2 million dollar price tag. DU contributed $5,000.
