The first coastal residents were the indigenous hunters and gatherers who relied on the natural resources of the region’s forests, marshes, and coastline. Many cultural artifacts of these people are preserved in the region’s shell middens – accumulations of shells, bones, and artifacts – and these middens are critical to understanding the history of the people who lived here before us.

Unfortunately, shell middens are disappearing as a result of a number of factors. As sea levels rise, the water reaches higher and higher, gradually washing away coastal bluffs and middens. Cycles of freezing and thawing in the colder months break apart the midden surfaces. Collectors who dig into the middens looking for artifacts contribute to erosion, as do visitors who walk on the middens.

The first step in protecting this cultural and historical resource is to document how changes are occurring over time. That is the goal of Maine Midden Minders, a new initiative working with a network of individuals and conservation groups, including Coastal Rivers Conservation Trust, to develop a database of erosion conditions at middens around the state.

Volunteer Midden Minders are needed to make regular visits to one or more of Coastal Rivers’ many middens to take measurements and record changes through observations and photographs. Volunteers will also document storm impacts, which helps researchers and resource managers understand threats to the middens and plan for data rescue and conservation. Volunteers must be able to visit their midden or middens at least twice a month during the warmer months.

Based at the University of Maine and funded by Maine Sea Grant, Midden Minders is managed by geoarchaeologist Dr. Alice Kelly, who initiated the program. Kelly is an instructor at the University of Maine School of Earth and Climate Sciences and a Research Associate Professor with the Climate Change Institute. Coastal Rivers has been a local leader in establishing this effort.