The Natural History Survey has led efforts to assess and monitor the condition of wetlands across Rhode Island since 2007. This initiative utilizes existing tier 1 (remote) methods and develops new, rapid (tier 2) methods and intensive (tier 3) methods.
Methods for assessing salt marshes and freshwater wetlands, including rare types such as Atlantic White Cedar swamps, graminoid fens, vernal pools, and tidal freshwater wetlands, are developed using existing models, innovative new approaches, and practical experience gained through fieldwork.
Methods are validated against diverse existing data sets as well as new field data. The real world application of methods and the nature of actual data outputs are assessed against needs and expectations at a range of spatial and temporal scales. In addition to RIDEM and USEPA, the Survey’s partners include CRMC, Narragansett Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, Save the Bay, Audubon Society of Rhode Island, and others, and they are involved at all stages of methods development, testing, and promulgation.
Once implemented, these methods will yield accurate, well-understood data of great value for planning and management at national, state, and local levels.
This program is funded by the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management Office of Water Resources using funds from USEPA’s competitive Wetland Program Development Grants.
For more information contact program coordinator and RINHS Wetland Scientist Tom Kutcher.
This program develops large numbers of documents of potential interest to others in Rhode Island and beyond. They are available here:
| Title | Author(s) | Year | Source/Publisher | Keyword(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Quality Assurance Project Plan (QAPP) for the Assessment of Salt Marsh Elevation Enhancement Projects Using Sediment Placement | State of Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management Office of Water Resources and Narragansett Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve | 2025 | RINHS | wetland, salt marsh, EPA, monitoring, methodology, QAPP |
| Quality Assurance Project Plan (QAPP) for the Assessment of Parcels for Marsh Migration Potential in Rhode Island | State of Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management Office of Water Resources and Narragansett Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve | 2025 | RINHS | wetland, salt marsh, EPA, monitoring, methodology, QAPP |
| Quality Assurance Project Plan (QAPP) for Nine Salt Marsh Monitoring and Assessment Methods | State of Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management Office of Water Resources and Narragansett Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve | 2024 | RINHS | wetland, salt marsh, EPA, monitoring, methodology, QAPP |
| Long-term Salt Marsh Monitoring Site Expansion and Baseline Data Collection in Rhode Island | Thomas E. Kutcher | 2024 | RINHS | wetland, salt marsh, monitoring, methodology, EPA |
| Developing and Piloting the Salt Marsh Rapid Assessment Method, MarshRAM | Thomas E. Kutcher | 2018 | RINHS | wetland, salt marsh, monitoring, methodology, EPA |
| Salt Marsh Rapid Assessment Method, MarshRAM: Expanding a multi-marsh reference sample to support salt marsh management in Rhode Island | Thomas E. Kutcher | 2022 | RINHS | wetland, salt marsh, monitoring, methodology, EPA |
| MarshRAM User's Guide: Detailed instructions on how to conduct and interpret the Salt Marsh Rapid Assessment Method, MarshRAM | Thomas E. Kutcher | 2022 | RINHS | handbook, wetland, salt marsh, monitoring, methodology, EPA |
| Long-term outcomes of salt marsh tidal restorations in Rhode Island | Thomas E. Kutcher, Kenneth B. Raposa | 2021 | RINHS | wetland, salt marsh, report, restoration, NBNERR |
| Salt Marsh Rapid Assessment Method, MarshRAM: Analysis and Application | Thomas E. Kutcher | 2019 | RINHS | wetland, salt marsh, monitoring, methodology, EPA |
| A framework for prioritizing salt marsh restoration and conservation activities in Rhode Island: An addendum to the Rhode Island coastal wetland restoration strategy (Kutcher et al. 2018) | Thomas E. Kutcher, Caitlin Chaffee | 2021 | RINHS | wetland, salt marsh, report, restoration, NBNERR |
| Factors Contributing to Ecological Value of Wetlands in Rhode Island: With a Protocol for Identifying Wetlands of High Ecological Value | Hope D. Leeson, Thomas E. Kutcher, David W. Gregg | 2018 | RINHS | wetland, freshwater, methodology, plants, report, rare, EPA |
| Unfragmented Freshwater Wetlands of Rhode Island | Thomas E. Kutcher | 2017 | RINHS | wetland, freshwater, methodology, inventory, EPA |
| Rapid assessment of high-ecological-value freshwater wetlands in Rhode Island | Thomas E. Kutcher | 2019 | RINHS | wetland, freshwater, methodology, plants, report, rare, EPA |