A couple heading out on the Nature Trail at Scarborough Marsh the other day was delighted to read about the marsh and some of the inhabitants on an interpretive sign they came across at the trailhead. Little did they know, they were the very first people to see the new sign installed! Frequent visitors to the area, they said, “We had no idea this trail was here!”
Now, thanks to trail improvements including signage along Route 9 and at the trailhead, new boardwalks, and sign holders with rotating content, visitors will be much more aware of both the trail and the marsh, its ecological value, and ways they can help protect marsh habitat. The trail improvements were made possible thanks to grants from the Scarborough Rotary Club and Prouts Neck Association.
The sign holders are currently displaying pages from the picture book A Secret Bay by Kim Ridley, illustrated by Rebekah Raye (published by Tilbury House). Pages describe marsh habitat, fish, plants, and birds. In the future, Scarborough Marsh Director Linda Woodard says she envisions displaying content created by schoolchildren who visit the marsh, and write and draw their own nature observations and interpretations.
Other accomplishments include: assembling and installing (50) ten-foot bog bridges, removing about 40 pieces of old degraded bog bridging, putting timbers in place for the assembly of a new 25′ footbridge.
The trail is across the street from the Nature Center, and can be accessed from dawn to dusk. The Visitor Center and boat rentals open on Memorial Day Weekend, May 27-29, 2023. It will be open on weekends, June 3-4 and June 10-11, and then open daily from June 17 through Labor Day weekend.
