UNE students and locals plant 20,000 dune-grass stalks to restore Biddeford Pool beach

After the 2024 storms stripped dunes from Biddeford Pool beach and inflicted an estimated $90 million in damage along Maine’s coast, University of New England students returned in March 2026 to plant 20,000 dune-grass stalks across about 20,000 square feet. The effort, organized with the Biddeford Pool Conservation Trust, increased the amount of grass purchased by 66 % compared with the previous year. Participants dug holes and positioned the stalks either 12 or 18 inches apart, creating four test sections that will be examined with drone imagery to determine the most effective spacing.

A newly installed anemometer will feed real-time wind data into a broader monitoring network that also tracks wave height and water quality. Project leaders, including assistant professor Will Kochtitzky, aim to understand how wind, sand movement, and vegetation interact to rebuild the dunes. Students such as Sophie Cronin and John Montenegro highlighted the value of hands-on work with residents and the chance to study rapid coastal change firsthand.