Maine Beach Mapping Program - Taking Place in Kittery This Summer

This summer, Maine Geological Survey (MGS) geologists will be collecting positions and elevations of key features (mean high water line, dune line, and edges of seawalls) along Kittery's beaches and other beaches throughout the state.  This information is collected annually using very precise global positioning systems (GPS), and is compiled and analyzed as part of an ongoing Maine Beach Mapping Program (MBMAP) and is also summarized every 2 years in a State of Maine’s Beaches report. 

Residents and visitors may see MGS geologists working along the beach, in vegetated dune areas and within roped-off nesting bird areas, as work is completed.  While completing field work, geologists will be traveling in vehicles with distinct signs that include the MGS logos to identify themselves.

Data has been collected by the MBMAP for more than a decade, and is essential to assessing the health of Maine’s beach systems and their responses to storms and rising sea level.  Among other things, MGS's work helps identify erosional hot spots that might benefit from beach replenishment or dune restoration.   

For more information on these mapping efforts, please visit:

Maine Beach Mapping Website: https://www.maine.gov/dacf/mgs/hazards/beach_mapping/index.shtml

State of Maine’s Beaches in 2022:  https://digitalmaine.com/mgs_publications/618/