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UNE students assist Biddeford nonprofit in making local beaches more climate resilient
For the second year, University of New England students helped the Biddeford Pool Conservation Trust plant dune grass along their beach to make it more climate resilient.
On March 10, more than 16 students from Assistant Professor Will Kochtitzky’s Geographic Information System (GIS) course hammered holes in the beach and buried dune grass stalks purchased by the trust, which turned out nearly 30 volunteers for the effort.
The Biddeford Pool Conservation Trust planted dune grass last year with help from UNE students to address the dune loss that resulted from the 2024 back-to-back January storms that caused an estimated $90 million in damages along the Maine coast, according to the state.
This year, the Conservation Trust purchased 66% more dune grass: 20,000 stalks that will cover an estimated 20,000 square feet of beach. The dune-grass planting effort also launched two new UNE studies.
Stalks were planted in four separate sections where the dune grass was spaced either 18 inches apart or 12 inches apart, two different approaches that Kochtitzky’s classes will study using drone analysis to determine the most effective method.
In addition, Kochtitzky installed an anemometer on the trust’s land to measure wind speed and direction near the dunes, part of an interconnected monitoring network he’s compiled around Biddeford Pool to help measure extreme weather events. A buoy that measures wave height is located off the Biddeford Pool coast, and a third monitoring station in a nearby pond measures water quality.
“We will see wind speeds in real time, which is important because with the dunes you primarily have a lot of wind erosion,” said Kochtitzky in the School of Marine and Environmental Programs. “We're starting to fully understand almost every variable in the (weather) system. We're trying to put all of this together to better understand how these dunes are changing and evolving.”
Sophie Cronin (Environmental Studies, ’26) said she was drawn to the project specifically because it involved working alongside local residents and helping to provide natural resilience along the coast through a green solution was also a point of pride for her.
“It’s meaningful,” Cronin said of the experience. “The community has been so supportive of us helping, because I think everyone recognizes that we really have an issue, and we want to try and find the best solutions.
“I think that 2024 was kind of a wake-up call — especially for students who aren’t from Maine — that this is a very real thing and it can really be very jarring how quickly (natural ecosystems) can change.”
John Montenegro (Environmental Science, ’27), who hails from Houston, appreciated working side-by-side with locals on a conservation project because it made him feel more of a part of the Maine community.
“It’s pretty special to see this and be able to chat with them about why they’re passionate about this. To be out here also kind of shows them that it matters to us, too. I think that’s important to any community,” Montenegro said.
Biddeford Pool Conservation Trust President Lucie Fontein turned to look at some 1,200 feet of newly planted dune grass that reached down the beach and pointed at the far back row where last year’s dune grass could be seen. The stalks were much shorter because the older stalks were covered by sand this past winter.
But, Fontein said: That’s the whole point.
“The sand is supposed to come in and get trapped and then the grass grows taller and, as a result, it traps more sand. Ultimately, the idea is for the dunes to get taller,” she said.