TIMES RECORD • July 3, 2024
Last winter, high water levels and erosive waves flattened the dunes along Popham Beach State Park, diminishing a front-line defense for upland habitats. The Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry and Maine Geological Survey devised a plan to rebuild beach elevation using recycled Christmas trees. By late March, 450 trees were lined up in four rows, stretching along 2,000 feet of the beach in Phippsburg. Endangered “pipers are threatened along the Atlantic coast,” said Sean Vaillancourt, Popham Beach State Park manager. “It’s been great to see a few take refuge” in the trees. Vaillancourt advised beachgoers to avoid walking on the dunes. “This is a fragile ecosystem,” he said. “Tread lightly and avoid disturbing coastal vegetation.”