Ditching the Marshes

Ever wonder what those ditches are in the marshes, and how old they are? This book answers these questions and more. The book explores the history of ditching, ditches' roles in fighting mosquito breeding grounds, and today's threats to our salt marshes. Sea level rise and perhaps some of those ditches threaten this vital natural and ecological resource. The book has an extensive bibliography with hotlinks to important sources of information on these key issues, including recent ecological and other scientific studies.

English colonists dug ditches in the salt marshes of northeast North America to help feed their livestock with salt marsh hay. Then in the early 1900s, even before the Depression years of the 1930s, ditches were dug in marshes to eliminate mosquito breeding grounds. Most marshes are covered by these ditches.

This book is presented by a historian who lives close to salt marshes and appreciates their contribution to our world.