Salt Marsh Monitoring Program
Recognizing the need for information about the ecological health of salt marshes, APCC launched its Salt Marsh Monitoring Program for Cape Cod in 2003. The program, led by APCC staff biologist Tara Nye, depends on the hard work of dozens of volunteers who monitor marshes across Cape Cod for a variety of ecological indicators of salt marsh health. Local and regional collaborators include Barnstable County AmeriCorps~Cape Cod, Elder Services' Senior Environment Corps, the Massachusetts Offices of Coastal Zone Management and Massachusetts Bays Program.
The goals of APCC’s Salt Marsh Monitoring Program are to protect and restore coastal and marine habitats, protect ecosystem integrity, and encourage salt marsh stewardship. The salt marsh program was initiated to accomplish the following objectives:
Increase awareness and stewardship of salt marshes through direct study of ecology and function;
Build and maintain a skilled base of volunteer monitors;
Obtain scientifically useful and relevant information on key indicators of salt marsh health;
Document the need for and effectiveness of restoration.
