URI scientists contribute to book on salt marsh restoration

NARRAGANSETT – University of Rhode Island scientists were contributing authors and editors of a new book on the restoration of salt marshes, which includes case studies based on URI research, the school announced Wednesday.

The new book – “Tidal Marsh Restoration: A Synthesis of Science and Management” – was edited by Charles Roman and David Burdick. Roman is a coastal science ecologist for the National Park Service and professor-in-residence at URI’s Graduate School of Oceanography and Burdick is a research associate professor at the University of New Hampshire.

The book, which was published by Island Press, includes chapters written by several other scientists affiliated with URI.

A chapter on the affect of salt marsh restoration on invasive Phragmites was co-written by URI Associate Professor Laura Meyerson and her graduate student Kimberly Dibble. Professor Peter Paton, Professor Emeritus Frank Golet and Adjunct Professor Brian Tefft contributed to a chapter about the restoration of the Galilee Bird Sanctuary in Narragansett. URI alumni Kenneth Raposa, Susan Adamowicz and Dennis Myshrall also co-authored chapters in the book.

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“We looked for the best people in the region to be co-authors, and many of them turned out to be here at URI,” Roman said in prepared remarks.

The book is designed to provide the scientific foundation and practical guidance to reverse the degradation of salt marshes in the Northeast.

“New England is ahead of the curve on restoring these marsh systems, perhaps because we’re in a region where the coastline is highly developed,” said Roman in a statement. “Because of the intensity of tidal restrictions to our coastal areas, it was a logical event for scientists and managers to begin to restore these systems, and moreover, to bring them together in this book to report on their findings and help guide future marsh restoration efforts.”

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