Monitoring Overview

Monitoring is a critical component of all wetland restoration projects. Without it, there is no way to evaluate the progress of a site under restoration. A project monitoring program measures and documents the changes that occur at a site over time in response to restoration treatments. This information is used to assess the progression of site conditions toward pre-defined goals and, if necessary, to develop and implement post-treatment corrections.

Monitoring allows restoration partners to determine the success of restoration treatments by comparing data collected from the project site to pre-treatment baseline conditions and to data collected from nearby reference sites. This comparison tracks changing wetland conditions and helps demonstrate the achievement of restoration goals. It also provides science-based information to interested parties and can help refine techniques that improve future restoration efforts.

There are four primary controlling factors for restoring wetland health: hydrology (extent and duration of flooding/saturation), water quality, and the characteristics of soil and vegetation. Monitoring programs use simple measures as indicators for each of these factors. Typical measures for salt marsh restoration projects include tidal hydrology, vegetation, soil porewater salinity, water chemistry, and site use by fish and birds. Project sites are monitored prior to construction and for several years after construction. Once enough data are collected, comparisons can be made between pre- and post-construction site conditions and between the restored wetland and a nearby reference wetland.

DER project sites are usually monitored by project sponsors, school groups, volunteers, and/or DER staff. DER-assisted projects have benefited greatly from monitoring data collected by Mass. Audubon's Salt Marsh Science Project, Salem Sound Coastwatch's WHAT Project, and the Association for the Preservation of Cape Cod's volunteer salt marsh monitoring program.