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Management Plan - National Estuarine Research Reserve System

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Figure XI.5. The Stewardship Program helps build the capacity of land conservation organizations byproviding workshops and technical assistance.Harbor ParkThe Town of Wells owns a 40-acre parcel nearthe Webhannet Marsh on Harbor Road. The siteincludes a spoil island created when Wells Harborwas dredged in the 1960’s. The spoil deposits buried27 acres of tidal wetland, of which 10 acres are subjectto a conservation easement held by the Wells<strong>Reserve</strong>. Part of the conservation land has beencolonized by Phragmites, putting nearby marshareas at risk. The Wells <strong>Reserve</strong> will work with U.S.Fish and Wildlife Service and the Town to examinethe feasibility of restoring the 10 acres to salt marsh.In addition to creating valuable salt marsh, restorationwill reduce the threat of Phragmites spreadingto adjacent marshes.Beaches and DunesNear the southwestern edge of Laudholm Beachis a half-acre dune owned and managed by Wells<strong>Reserve</strong> and the Town of Wells. Sandwichedbetween homes, this parcel provides boardwalkaccess to the beach for <strong>Reserve</strong> visitors. Despite thepresence of a boardwalk, people have walked onthe dune, reducing its natural vegetative cover. Inaddition, wave action has eroded the dune. Wells<strong>Reserve</strong> and the Town of Wells have restored dunevegetation and are developing a fence that will keeppeople off the dune while withstanding the winterwinds that have damaged fences in the past. Thenortheast end of Laudholm Beach has also eroded.This erosion has been linked to the jetties thatprotect Wells Harbor. The jetties, which extendseaward about 2,000 feet, interrupt sand transportand deprive Laudholm Beach of a sand source. TheWells <strong>Reserve</strong> supports and encourages studiesor actions meant to alleviate or reverse the jetties’erosive effect on Laudholm Beach, providing theyare not detrimental to other <strong>Reserve</strong> habitats.Wells HarborWells Harbor was first dredged in 1964 by theArmy Corps of Engineers. It was partially dredgedin 1974, but sediment continued to fill the harbor’sFederal Navigation Channel, so it was dredgedagain in 2000-2001. In 1998, the Wells <strong>Reserve</strong>began a multi-year project to monitor the effects ofWells Harbor dredging on salt marshes. Pre- andpost-dredge data are being used to assess the effectsof dredging on salt marsh accretion and erosion inthe context of natural events and processes.94 Wells <strong>National</strong> <strong>Estuarine</strong> <strong>Research</strong> <strong>Reserve</strong>

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