Web-Based Water Trails Map of the Great Marsh
Eight Towns and the Bay is developing a "Kayakers' Guide to the Great Marsh Area". A coordinated system of identified trails and access points within the coastal marshes and estuaries of the Essex County's Upper North Shore to encourage recreational kayakers, canoeists, and other non-motorized boat users to take advantage of natural, historical and cultural resources of the area. Kayakers and canoeists will be informed via a web-based map, which will include photographs and descriptions of unique ecological, geological, and historical features, of access locations, scenic routes, estimated travel times, boating safety considerations, environmental attributes, and tide/current-related issues.
Photography and fieldwork was completed over the summer and fall with the final product to be completed next spring. In addition to facilitating the passive boating use of the Great Marsh region, one goal of this project is to promote stewardship and encourage public interest in the ecological health and historical significance of this region. A hard-copy brochure/map will be produced for distribution as well.
