Discovering Coastal Resilience in the Great Marsh

Back in the early autumn of 2024, staff from the National Wildlife Federation (NWF) led a guided trip for wildlife champions to the Great Marsh outside of Boston, MA. This was an opportunity for them to see the on-the-ground work NWF engages in with the support of donations like theirs. As a member of NWF’s Digital Engagement team, I had the opportunity to grab a camera and join the trip to document the experience.

I haven’t spent much time by the ocean, growing up in the midwest, so I was expecting the Great Marsh to be a strange new landscape for me to discover. And in some aspects it was, with what looks like rolling fields of grasses situated in the middle of salty ocean water instead of the farm fields and grasslands I’m used to passing by. 

But upon arrival to Massachusetts’ North Shore, I was immediately reminded of a place closer to home with the same name: Minnesota’s North Shore along Lake Superior. Waves crashing against rocky outcroppings, fresh air and a cool breeze, colorful and unique vegetation – I was brought back to my many excursions hiking and enjoying time outside with loved ones back home. And I wasn’t the only one who connected with the Great Marsh on our trip, as I heard each member of our group tell me their own stories and reflections upon seeing and learning about the marsh themselves. 

What is the Great Marsh?

First, what is the Great Marsh, and what makes it so important? 

The Great Marsh is New England’s largest salt marsh, stretching 25,000 acres up the coast from Cape Ann, Massachusetts, to the southern edge of New Hampshire. It is home to thousands of species including egrets, herons, gulls, piping plover, saltmarsh sparrow, least tern, and more. Sitting on the Atlantic Flyway, the Great Marsh is a stopping point for hundreds of species of birds on their annual migrations.

Ten years ago the National Wildlife Federation played a major role in conserving this beautiful ecosystem, recognizing that it was one of the only remaining healthy salt marshes in the country. NWF pulled together a coalition of organizations and government agencies engaged in on-the-ground work in the marsh, and working together that coalition created a conservation plan. NWF led the efforts working directly with the coastal communities around the Great Marsh to conserve and restore it for the benefit of wildlife and to build coastal resilience for all the surrounding communities that love and rely on the marsh. 

Why Coastal Resilience Matters

The United States is losing roughly 80,000 acres of coastal wetlands every year, approximately seven football fields every hour. NWF works to restore and build the resilience of our coastlines in the face of more extreme weather brought on by a changing climate. Coastal resilience is built through conserving and connecting wetland ecosystems that serve as wildlife habitat and natural floodplains. Communities benefit from flood mitigation as well as increased job opportunities in fishing, transportation, and tourism. We work directly with coastal communities across the country in places like the Great Marsh to mitigate the impact of climate change.

The Coastal Resilience Growth Fund is a multi-year, 10-billion dollar commitment to building coastal resilience. Learn more.

Our Trip to the Great Marsh

The first night, after arriving in Cape Ann, the NWF staff and longtime supporters all met each other over dinner at a local restaurant. Sitting at a long table we heard about one couple’s adventures visiting all the country’s national parks, while another woman shared her photos taken on a trip to Africa to see the local wildlife. Our conversations covered everything from the National Park Service’s Fat Bear Week to Aldo Leopold’s conservation ethic in A Sand County Almanac. It was clear to me on night one that each member of this trip was deeply invested in understanding and caring for wildlife and the ecosystems we all rely on.

The next day we met early in the morning, all piled into the trip van, and drove out to Plum Island’s nature center. This is where NWF’s Director of the Northeast Coastal Resilience Program Chris Hilke and Assistant Naturalist Braelei Hardt taught us all about the ecology and importance of the Great Marsh. Afterwards, despite a potentially bleak forecast of rain, we all trekked out to see the marsh on foot at a couple observation towers. We watched egrets and herons, just a fraction of the marsh’s beautiful wildlife. The day ended with dinner at the famous Woodman’s restaurant, renowned for their fried clams and other seafood. 

We ended the trip on a bright sunny morning the next day with a boat tour of the marsh. We separated into two boats where we were able to learn from local boat captains about the marsh and ongoing efforts to conserve it. A personal favorite discovery for me was the plant with the common name glasswort, which sticks up in alien-looking spiny tendrils throughout the salt marsh and turns a fluorescent red in the fall.

A Legacy of Conservation

A lasting take-away from our guided excursions into the Great Marsh is that conservation is not a task that can be accomplished in one go. It is a responsibility passed down from teacher to student, parent to child, generation to generation. This only became more clear to me as we learned on the boat that one of our captains for the day was the grandson of the namesake for one of the very observation towers we had taken in the Great Marsh from the day before. His family have long been passionate stewards for the land and waters around their home. 

The wildlife champions that joined us on this trip knew this lesson all too well. Their support of NWF is a driving force that allows us to continue our mission through very tangible efforts that we saw in the Great Marsh for years to come. 

Click here to learn how you can become a champion for wildlife with the National Wildlife Federation.