Progress 02/01/05 to 06/30/06
Outputs
The salt-marsh restoration site inventory was completed in May 2005. Information collected included the location, habitat type (i.e., salt, brackish, or freshwater intertidal marsh), proponents, restoration techniques used, monitoring protocols, and evidence of successes and failures. There are 51 sites in the catalogue. Ecological field sampling was completed in the Summer of 2005. Six sites were selected for sampling; one in the Snohomish River estuary, two on the Duwamish River, two in Commencement Bay, and one in the Nisqually River delta. The Snohomish and Nisqually sites were restored by breaching dikes and the remaining four were excavated, regraded, and planted. At each site, transects were placed perpendicular to environmental gradients and plots were used to assess vegetation cover and four environmental factors: salinity, surface elevation relative to tidal datum, sediment particle size, and proportion of organic matter in sediments.
Impacts
With the upsurge in salt marsh restoration it is important that restoration practitioners have access to necessary resources, use methods that have been proven effective, and conduct long-term monitoring to evaluate salt marsh function i.e., the development and persistence of salt marsh vegetation. This project serves to facilitate these goals.
Publications
- No publications reported this period
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Progress 10/01/04 to 10/01/05
Outputs
There are four aspects to this project: 1) an inventory of restoration sites; 2) ecological field sampling 3) a literature review and creation of annotated bibliography; 4) statistical evaluation of environmental gradients relative to species success; and, 5) a report including recommendations for marsh restoration and monitoring. The salt-marsh restoration site inventory was completed in May 2005. Information collected included the location, habitat type (i.e., salt, brackish, or freshwater intertidal marsh), proponents, restoration techniques used, monitoring protocols, and evidence of successes and failures. There are 51 sites in the catalogue. Ecological field sampling was completed in the Summer of 2005. Six sites were selected for sampling; one in the Snohomish River estuary, two on the Duwamish River, two in Commencement Bay, and one in the Nisqually River delta. The Snohomish and Nisqually sites were restored by breaching dikes and the remaining four were
excavated, regraded, and planted. At each site, transects were placed perpendicular to environmental gradients and plots were used to assess vegetation cover and four environmental factors: salinity, surface elevation relative to tidal datum, sediment particle size, and proportion of organic matter in sediments. The literature review, annotated bibliography, and report including data analysis and recommendations for marsh restoration and monitoring are in progress.
Impacts
With the upsurge in salt marsh restoration it is important that restoration practitioners have access to necessary resources, use methods that have been proven effective, and conduct long-term monitoring to evaluate salt marsh function i.e., the development and persistence of salt marsh vegetation. This project serves to facilitate these goals.
Publications
- No publications reported this period
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