ORONO — When Laura Garey wades into tidal marshes at sunrise to survey saltmarsh sparrows, the University of Maine graduate student also spies deflated balloons, trash and pollutants. Tidal marshes — reservoirs at the intersection of land and sea — also are increasingly being damaged by coastal development, sea-level rise and more frequent storm surges.
read more Saltmarsh sparrow population plummets, UMaine scientists say