Wetlands are some of the world’s most important ecological resources. Maine has the largest wetland area anywhere in New England, with four times that of the other five states combined. Since 2008, Maine has lost more than 12.5 million square feet of wetlands to development, according to an analysis of numbers by The Maine Monitor, with the greatest loss in the state’s history in 2021. The figures are also likely an underestimate, as the state only tracks projects above a certain size, and loss is likely to increase as development pressure spreads and sea levels rise, flooding wetlands that have no space to migrate.
This project will profile four wetlands. The Maine Monitor has identified sites with varied ecology, including Spurwink Marsh in Cape Elizabeth, which has shrunk over the years as the seas have risen around it and development has closed in. An introduction piece will analyze wetland loss in Maine since 2008, including a discussion on the types of development that have most impacted the state’s marshes, such as transmission lines, solar projects, and other large-scale industrial projects. Maine’s tidal wetlands are at particular risk of disappearing, as they are threatened not only by rising seas but by increasing coastal development pressure.
In this project, there will be four long-form stories, an audio segment, and short videos accompanied by still photographs (eye-level, aerial, and underwater shots) illustrating the unique ecology of each wetland and the extent to which some are increasingly surrounded by development with nowhere to migrate.
