UNIVERSITY OF NEW ENGLAND • March 12, 2026
For the second year, University of New England students helped the Biddeford Pool Conservation Trust plant dune grass along their beach to make it more climate resilient. On March 10, more than 16 students from Assistant Professor Will Kochtitzky’s Geographic Information System (GIS) course hammered holes in the beach and buried dune grass stalks purchased by the trust, which turned out nearly 30 volunteers for the effort. The Biddeford Pool Conservation Trust planted dune grass last year with help from UNE students to address the dune loss that resulted from the 2024 back-to-back January storms that caused an estimated $90 million in damages along the Maine coast, according to the state.