PLUM ISLAND — The channel where the Merrimack River meets the Atlantic Ocean has been relatively stable for decades — but it wasn't always.
Salisbury Selectman Jerry Klima has been researching old maps and charts and even newspaper accounts to put together a presentation on the changing facets of Salisbury Beach and Plum Island, the northern and southern borders respectively of that channel.
Klima will present his conclusions in a slide show Wednesday evening at 7 at Plum Island Taxpayers and Associates Hall on Plum Island Boulevard.
The presentation is free and open to the public.
Klima researched documents as far back as 1826 and found that the natural ebb and flow deposited large quantities of sand on the shorelines surrounding the Merrimack — and eroded those beaches as well.
Man-made structures, including the north and south jetties that jut out from Salisbury and Plum Island, have also contributed to the changing contours of the land.
The result, Klima said, "is a remarkable story about how much has changed on Plum Island and Salisbury."
