How do you feel?

[s2ary]

Based on what you know about how salt marshes function, how do you feel when they are mismanaged? The following is a portion of a longer paper based on how conservationists feel.

How do Conservationists feel about Open Water Marsh Management? Well, generally perplexed, after all the techniques used for Open Water Marsh Management (OWMM) were developed in the 1960’s only then the name was Open Marsh Water Management (OMWM). During the 1980’s as the Mid Atlantic States began banning the use of Open Marsh Water Management because of their adverse impacts to salt marsh ecology, the program was reborn as Open Water Marsh Management. Currently the program is undergoing its third name change in response to criticisms from many directions including the termination of the program by the US Fish and Wildlife Service at their National Wildlife Refuges. The new name is Integrated Marsh Management (IMM) and when asked what the difference is between the three methodologies, even the original developers / promoters can not define any significant changes between the three methodologies.

Many things are very concerning about OWMM, OMWM, and IMM techniques. For instance these methodologies are labeled as a Marsh Restoration Technique yet, the core of these techniques revolve around restricting tidal flow and excavating pools where there is no evidence of these natural features ever existing before. To Resource Managers and Conservationist this does not meet the definition of resource restoration which is to return a resource to a former, original, normal, or unimpaired condition. At a recent site review in Rye, NH, the Town of Rye’s mosquito control contractor felt that since all of the marshes in the area had been altered by men there was no need to restore these areas back to their original state. As innocent a statement as this may seem it defines the same misguided management that mosquito control agencies used to grid ditch the marshes a half century ago. We would like to point out that the sole purpose for OWMM, OMWM, and IMM techniques is to undue the adverse ecological effects of grid ditching.

[Oncorhynchus]

I am a consutling wetland scientist based in Newmarket NH and I have seen first hand salt marsh areas re-verting to freshwater wetlands as well as saltmarsh restoration projects.

In my opinion, salt marsh areas that are slowly becoming freshwatwer wetlands are so due to the restriction of saltwater intrusion. Most restrictions consist of culverts that supply water to these areas that have been installed underneath roads adjacent to the saltmarsh areas. Over time, the culverts become blocked or they heave under winter conditions, increasing the elevation, and therefore decrease water flow. I see it as simple as that. Most of the struggling salt marshes I see need increased salinity, not decreased salinity.

I am in favor of trying to restore these areas, but it is expensive and time consuming. I am aware of the areas in Rye which you are referring to, and they do not appear to be doing very well, IMO. Why, I'm not sure? I think that salt marsh restoration is difficult for the following reasons: they differ from freshwater wetlands in that the soil chemistry is very complex, the plant communities that rely on that chemistry is complex, and the massive amount of organic matter within the soil is difficult to duplicate-at least quickly, such as a restoration effort. What most do not realize is that there are several different types of salt marshes, classified upon elevation, halinity/salinity, and the vegetation communites that exist. To try to re-create that exact situation with all of those variables on an altered lanscape is difficult.

The biggest negative that I see with freshwater wetland encroachment on these areas is the proliferation of invasive species. Any vegetated wetland provides functions and values, so there are worse things in life, but I would rather not see phragmites or purple loostrife come into these areas.

As far as the mosquito control contractor, most are hired by towns to spray and control mosquitos, no matter where they live, freshwater or saltwater. I'd be willing to bet that person does not own the company because the more saltmarsh you have, the more mosquitos you have, the more money that the contractors make. Simple supply and demand! Those people have come to hate mosquitos so they would rather see less of them, but they forget that's why they have a job. Also, I believe that farmers installed the grid ditching to allow the machinery to cut "saltmarsh hay", which was a common practice 40-50 years ago.

[OTTER]

Last year I toured a restoration project at the western ( ?) end of Odiorne State Park with a group of lay people and lead by the head of the project; A man of great integraty, knowledge and life long dedication to salt marsh restoration.

One of the things he pointed out, as did the Onchorhynchus, was that a restoration area takes decades to reach a mature equilibrium state. There is a succession of plants that populate the new area. The first of which are not those which will be there when the process is complete.

It is a bit like a forest where first blackberries grow, then birches and aspens, then maples and oaks and finally after 100 plus years conifers dominate. I may not be exact here but the point is it takes time for a forest or marsh to become mature after it has been destroyed.

And yes, the twice a day flooding and transfer of nutrients and depositing of sediments from salt water flooding over and receding is essential. I am not in any degree an expert. Just repeating as best I remember what was said.

I know nothing about the Hampton Area restoration projects.

[s2ary]

I am a consutling wetland scientist based in Newmarket NH


Also, I believe that farmers installed the grid ditching to allow the machinery to cut "saltmarsh hay", which was a common practice 40-50 years ago.

NH Soils?

Farmers cut the first ditches of sorts. The first ditches were natural rills that farmers straightened them. They were small and not much because farmers didn't have time to ditch the heck out of the marshes. Sure they expanded some. The next round of ditching came with the WPA in the thirties. They deepened and widened the farmers ditches. After the WPA the mosquito control was born, they went willy nilly crossing ditches and panne to ditch type stuff. There is a lot of debate about that, but farmers had to get there horses across the marsh with bog shoes on. Draft style horses with 12 -14 inch wooden boards on there feet do not jump ditches, so a farmer never crossed a ditch. Farmers also hunted peeps and ducks and sold their hunting rights to market gunners, so tell me if you think it would make sense that a farmer drained his salt pannes. A lot of the popular accounts are myths and legends to try and difflect blame. Farmers even know about sweet water springs in marshes where they would take there horses to drink.

[s2ary]

Last year I toured a restoration project at the western ( ?) end of Odiorne State Park with a group of lay people and lead by the head of the project; A man of great integraty, knowledge and life long dedication to salt marsh restoration.

If it is the guy I'm thinking of he must not be older than 10 to have a lifelong dedication to salt marshes. :lol:

But we'll leave the contractors out of it because this is an industry wide problem.

Two things I'd bet you were not told on this tour is that this was the secound attempt at restoring this marsh and that the State is looking at how best to undue the damages at that very site.

The second is that if you had been on the very same tour 7-8 years ago you would have gone to a site called landing road in Hampton. Now that this site has a little age on it, the primay salt pond that had been at the location since the sixties has breeched in at least two locations, phragmites has advanced over 100 feet to the very edge of the panne complex, and is actually establishing a satalite stand in the middle of the panne complex. And, you guesed it :), I heard the state had a meeting this morning on how to redue this site as well.

[s2ary]

Hey Otter,

I just reread my post and I hope I didn’t sound like a wise guy. I don’t mean too. My point is that these methodologies are devastating to marsh ecology.

Another thing that I’ll share is that the State just finished assessing the 5 mosquito control projects in the state and they are not happy at all. All of them are in various degrees crashing with Phragmites growing on the plugs. This includes the one that is only a few years old. They also just realized that the projects in Maine are in the same shape. All I can say is things move slow but serious issues are brewing behind the curtains.

[OTTER]

s2ary,

Thanks for the post. I really don't know much about salt water marshes, just what I hear from other folks like you. Your comment on the "life long" committment of the fellow I attempted to quote was correct. (He is not an employee of the State of NH.) To be precise I should ask him when he started to get involved with a salt marsh but it is of no consequence. I have also heard ( as you mentioned) from him and other people that some of the so called marsh restoration has been seriously messed up in the recent and not so recent past.

[s2ary]

Hey Otter,

It is the industry and to a degree the funding agencies that need to be held responsable. Like any other type of work, some people are better at it than others, so it is tough to say one person is good or bad.

After 40 or so years of funding projects there should be the ability to determin what works and what doesn't. Like anything else, new advances come along, but when things are found to be detrimental you stop doing them.

If your doctor was attempting to use these new water worms to suck out your bad blood, you would say "Those are leeches, what do you live in the dark ages?" For some reason that's not happening with marsh restoration, and we need to change that.