Students Take Action: Salt Marsh Restoration Project on Mount Desert Island Connects Science, Community, and Climate Solutions

In the fall of 2024, students at Tremont Consolidated School (TCS) embarked on an exciting, real-world science project just steps from their classroom—a Salt Marsh Restoration Project, focused on restoring and protecting the fragile coastal ecosystem that borders their school on Mount Desert Island, Maine.

This year, seventh and eighth grade students are exploring how sea level rise is affecting coastal communities, tying this real-world challenge into their Maine Forest Collaborative project. They are investigating how salt marsh restoration efforts can help to mitigate the effects of rising seas, reduce damage to coastal infrastructure, and how to take meaningful, local action to support climate resilience.

As part of this initiative, TCS educator Mrs. Prentice has been having her middle school science students unbox 1,000 native salt marsh grass plugs this spring. While most will be replanted in a degraded section of the marsh, a portion is being used in student-designed experiments to determine optimal growing conditions.

The students are diving into authentic scientific research—collecting and analyzing water quality data, mapping plant biodiversity, and tracking seasonal changes to better understand the ecological impact of their efforts over time.

This project, which launched in September 2024, will continue throughout the school year, integrating seasonal monitoring, scientific reflection, and presentation of findings. It ties directly into the students’ classroom studies in Life and Earth Systems, as they learn about topics such as ecology, biodiversity, climate change, and the human impact on ecosystems.

The salt marsh—just across the street from TCS and bordering Bass Harbor near Acadia National Park—serves as a natural outdoor classroom and living laboratory.

This inspiring initiative is made possible thanks to powerful community collaboration. TCS students and teachers are working alongside the Maine Forest Collaborative, through the Rural Aspirations Project; Maine Coast Heritage Trust; Acadia National Park; the Gulf of Maine Research Institute; and A Climate to Thrive.

These partners have provided resources, expertise, and support to ensure students are not just studying science but living it. Salt marshes are vital ecosystems that offer flood protection, water filtration, wildlife habitat, and carbon sequestration. With the impacts of climate change and rising seas, these areas are increasingly at risk. By restoring a section of the local marsh, students are actively contributing to solutions and becoming solutionary thinkers—young leaders who understand complex problems and take informed, compassionate action in response.

This project is about more than science—it’s about empowering students to realize they can make a real difference in their community.

“Our students aren’t just learning from books,” Prentice said. “They’re working alongside experts, getting their hands dirty, and developing the skills and confidence to be future leaders in sustainability. They’re learning that their voices and actions matter when it comes to protecting the places they love.”

This story was submitted by Tremont Consolidated School. To submit a good news story to the Maine DOE, please fill out the good news submission form.