Dingley Island
Encyclopedia
Dingley Island is a small island in Casco Bay
, not far from Brunswick
, off the coast of Maine
in the United States
.
In the 1750s, the island was known as Bateman’s Island, and later Indian Island. However, in 1788, Captain Levi Dingley purchased the south 50 acres (202,343 m²) and in 1792 built a house there; it has been known as Dingley Island ever since.
The island was until recently connected to adjacent Great Island by a solid, 200 ft (61 m). causeway that had been constructed around 1954. However, the resulting build up of silt in Dingley Cove, in the area adjacent to the causeway, was by the mid 1990s threatening to turn the area into a salt marsh. Such a transformation would have had a significant negative impact on the important clam harvest in this area and on associated livelihoods. The island's 45 acres (182,108.7 m²) of clam flats generate an average annual harvest of some $225,000.
In response to this growing environmental concern, residents and neighbors of Dingley Island began in 1996 to investigate the possibility of replacing a portion of the causeway with a bridge that would allow the restoration of normal tidal flows to the cove. Over the next several years, various partners were brought on board, including the Town of Harpswell
, the US Navy Innovative Readiness Training Program (IRT), Bowdoin College
students and faculty, the New Meadows River Watershed Project, the Maine Corporate Wetlands Restoration Partnership and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
(NOAA). These partners, led by Harpswell Resident Elsa Martz, worked together to develop and finance the bridge construction project, which cost approximately $174,000. On October 1, 2003, the community and its partners, along with Governor John Baldacci
, celebrated the opening of the new bridge.
Casco Bay
Casco Bay is an inlet of the Gulf of Maine on the southern coast of Maine, New England, United States. Its easternmost approach is Cape Small and its westernmost approach is Two Lights in Cape Elizabeth...
, not far from Brunswick
Brunswick, Maine
Brunswick is a town in Cumberland County, Maine, United States. The population was 20,278 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Portland-South Portland-Biddeford metropolitan area. Brunswick is home to Bowdoin College, the Bowdoin College Museum of Art, the Peary-MacMillan Arctic Museum, , and the...
, off the coast of Maine
Maine
Maine is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and south, New Hampshire to the west, and the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast. Maine is both the northernmost and easternmost...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
In the 1750s, the island was known as Bateman’s Island, and later Indian Island. However, in 1788, Captain Levi Dingley purchased the south 50 acres (202,343 m²) and in 1792 built a house there; it has been known as Dingley Island ever since.
The island was until recently connected to adjacent Great Island by a solid, 200 ft (61 m). causeway that had been constructed around 1954. However, the resulting build up of silt in Dingley Cove, in the area adjacent to the causeway, was by the mid 1990s threatening to turn the area into a salt marsh. Such a transformation would have had a significant negative impact on the important clam harvest in this area and on associated livelihoods. The island's 45 acres (182,108.7 m²) of clam flats generate an average annual harvest of some $225,000.
In response to this growing environmental concern, residents and neighbors of Dingley Island began in 1996 to investigate the possibility of replacing a portion of the causeway with a bridge that would allow the restoration of normal tidal flows to the cove. Over the next several years, various partners were brought on board, including the Town of Harpswell
Harpswell, Maine
Harpswell is a town in Cumberland County, Maine, which is geographically within Casco Bay in the Gulf of Maine. The population was 5,239 at the 2000 census. Harpswell is composed of land contiguous with the rest of Cumberland County, called Harpswell Neck, as well as several large and small...
, the US Navy Innovative Readiness Training Program (IRT), Bowdoin College
Bowdoin College
Bowdoin College , founded in 1794, is an elite private liberal arts college located in the coastal Maine town of Brunswick, Maine. As of 2011, U.S. News and World Report ranks Bowdoin 6th among liberal arts colleges in the United States. At times, it was ranked as high as 4th in the country. It is...
students and faculty, the New Meadows River Watershed Project, the Maine Corporate Wetlands Restoration Partnership and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration , pronounced , like "noah", is a scientific agency within the United States Department of Commerce focused on the conditions of the oceans and the atmosphere...
(NOAA). These partners, led by Harpswell Resident Elsa Martz, worked together to develop and finance the bridge construction project, which cost approximately $174,000. On October 1, 2003, the community and its partners, along with Governor John Baldacci
John Baldacci
John Elias Baldacci is an American politician who served as the 73rd Governor of the U.S. state of Maine from 2003 until 2011. A Democrat, he also served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from 1995 to 2003....
, celebrated the opening of the new bridge.