People Behind a Stronger Coast: Jen White

Jen White is an ornithologist by training. She leads the USFWS’ Hurricane Sandy-funded projects at Chafee and Sachuest Point National Wildlife Refuges. “I was hired on because of the saltmarsh sparrow, with the idea that we can make the salt marshes resilient for that species as well as for the structures and people living nearby.” Credit: Steve Droter.

“When you’re looking at resiliency of the marsh, or a way that the marsh can protect people that live adjacent to the marsh, having a marsh there is good because it can slow down waves that would be heading towards homes and it’ll be a place that can absorb water,” explains White. Credit: Steve Droter.

USFWS and partners, including the Coastal Resources Management Council and The Nature Conservancy, are dredging sediment from the estuary and spraying it onto the marsh to raise the elevation of the marsh by six inches. “The type of dredging we’re doing is vertical dredging. One of the advantages of the vertical dredge is that the sand will come out drier, so it requires less time to de-water, and so it can be spread more quickly,” says White. Credit: Steve Droter.

Fishing is popular along the Narrow River, where the incoming tides bring in good fish for the fly-fishermen. “The restoration project has been well received by the community,” says White. “People are very supportive of protecting the marsh.” Credit: Steve Droter.

In the past, the area was used for agricultural purposes – there are old stone walls and ditches that were put in the marsh probably in the late 1800s. The ditches were put in to help dry out the marsh for harvesting salt marsh hay. But the ditches get clogged over time, holding water on the marsh that can kill off plants or change them over from high-marsh to low-marsh vegetation. Credit: Steve Droter.

In addition to raising the elevation of the marsh, another restoration technique is to put in runnels (pictured) – shallow, narrow ditches that help drain off impounded water. To help put in runnels, USFWS is working with Save The Bay, a group that has extensive experience putting in runnels in Rhode Island. Credit: Steve Droter.

“We have saltmarsh sparrows nesting in remnant high marsh adjacent to the 30 acres where we’re raising the elevation of the marsh,” says White. “The sparrows also nest on Sedge Island and in other areas within Chafee NWR. In some of those areas we use runnels to help drain off standing water.” Credit: Steve Droter.

According to White, the research so far indicates that Hurricane Sandy didn’t necessarily harm the saltmarsh sparrow population. But sea-level rise is a big concern. “Saltmarsh sparrows breed in the high-elevation marsh, so raising the elevation of the marsh should also help them,” says White. Credit: Steve Droter.

Kayaking, paddle-boarding and boating are popular along the Narrow River. “You see paddle-boarders out early in the morning. There’s duck hunting, too. The residents that live along the river really like the views of the marsh, the scenery,” says White. Credit: Steve Droter.

“Sea-level rise is an issue here because the marshes are all at very low elevations and it won’t take too much before the water inundates the marsh if we don’t do anything,” says White. “If we don’t put material on the marsh like this, then we’ll lose the marsh in a matter of time.” Credit: Steve Droter.

(Click on an image above to launch the photo slideshow.)

Protecting coastal resources – for the people and wildlife that depend on them – has to be a priority when you’re a state with 400 miles of coastline and one of the highest ratios of coastline-to-land in the country.

In Rhode Island, one such effort involves restoring coastal marshes.

“Having a marsh is good because it can slow down waves that would be heading toward homes,” says Jen White, a USFWS biologist in Rhode Island. “If we lose the marsh, that will all turn into open water basically and you won’t have any protection.”

White is looking out at the Narrow River estuary, where FWS and partners are working on a marsh restoration technique called “thin-layer deposition,” which has been used widely in Gulf Coast states but is just recently gaining traction in the Northeast. Last year the partners used the technique on 11 acres at Sachuest Point NWR, and now are working on 30 acres along the Narrow River at Chafee NWR.

The objective is to dredge sediment from the estuary and spray it onto the marsh, raising the elevation of the marsh enough to allow it to keep better pace with sea-level rise.

“What we’ve seen here is a switch from high-marsh grasses to low-marsh grasses, so we’re losing the high-marsh habitat in this area,” says White. “By adding material we’re hoping to bring it back to high-marsh elevation and that will hopefully allow it to last into the future.”

The partners are aiming to add six inches of elevation to the marsh, which should allow the high-marsh grass to grow through. They will also re-plant the area with about 35,000 plugs of marsh grasses in the spring.

To achieve this delicate balance of elevation, the dredging and spraying machines are equipped with computer sensors that precisely monitor the process.

“The sand will be contoured so there will be hills and valleys — the hills will be where the high marsh will grow and where water will be able to drain off the marsh so we’re not creating any impounded water anywhere,” explains White.

Marshes are widely considered valuable assets for coastal protection – they buffer wave energy and absorb water. But they also harbor an amazing diversity of species. One important creature that depends on them is the saltmarsh sparrow (Ammodramus caudacutus).

“Saltmarsh sparrows breed in the high-marsh elevation grasses, so that’s informed the restoration planning we’re doing. Willets (Tringa semipalmata) also breed at that elevation,” says White. “Sea-level rise is going to be a big issue for the saltmarsh sparrow. As sea-level rise increases, these birds will have fewer and fewer breeding opportunities. By raising the marsh we hope to provide salt marsh nesting species habitat into the future.”

White notes that researchers (Field et al. 2016) estimate the sparrow may go extinct as early as 2035, with populations having dropped sharply since the 1990s according to the Saltmarsh Habitat & Avian Research Program (SHARP), a group of academic, government and nonprofit researchers along the East Coast.

“Sea-level rise is really the main issue for marshes, whether you’re talking about the habitat they provide for the saltmarsh sparrow or their ability to protect coastal communities from inundation.”

This is the fifth in a series of photo slideshows highlighting the people who have been working to defend their coastal ecosystems against storms in the wake of Hurricane Sandy. In previous weeks we have looked at Matt Whitbeck and Miles Simmons, combating climate change in the Chesapeake Bay, Julie Devers, assessing fish barriers and culverts in Maryland,  Kevin Holcomb and Amy Ferguson building living shorelines at Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge, and Eric Schrading and Katie Conrad building living shoreline oyster reefs at Gandy’s Beach in New Jersey.

People Behind a Stronger Coast: Matt Whitbeck and Miles Simmons

“Going beyond the biological diversity argument, these salt marshes are the foundation of the food web that supports recreational fisheries, commercial fisheries, water purification, flood protection,” says Matt Whitbeck. “These coastal marshes provide some really critical ecosystem services to the human community.” Credit: Steve Droter

Miles Simmons walks through the seaside goldenrod at Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge. “We’re losing the habitat. There are a lot of marsh species that depend on these ecosystems for their habitat– their entire life cycles are spent in the marsh. Some of them are migratory birds just moving through. But if we lose those habitats we might lose those species as well.” Credit: Steve Droter

“There is a lot of day-to-day management actions. But as the land subsides and sea levels rise, some marshes are going to be able to keep pace but many are likely to succumb. They’re going to slowly drown, they’re going to fragment, they’re going to break apart and convert to open water.” Credit: Steve Droter

“Protecting the wetlands from any future development and restoring them has benefited the local area against storm surge,” says Simmons. The value of Blackwater NWR doesn’t stop there. “Tourism is huge around here. Blackwater NWR brings in a lot of people visiting the refuge for photography, wildlife observation, fishing and hunting. People come from all along the East Coast just to see Blackwater.” Credit: Steve Droter

One of the charismatic species easily seen at Blackwater NWR is the bald eagle. Over 200 individuals were counted in January and Blackwater NWR provides some of the best habitat for them. Their largest public event is the annual Eagle Fest which is held in March, attracting thousands of people that come from all over the mid-Atlantic area. Credit: Steve Droter

“We spent a lot of time thinking about what management actions we can employ that will increase the resiliency of the salt-marsh community to sea-level rise, to storm impacts and how can we do that in a way that really maximizes the benefit to the wildlife that depend on it,” says Whitbeck. Credit: Steve Droter

Blackwater NWR is currently attempting thin-layering sediment restoration. “We’re trying to build up the elevation of the marsh with local dredge material coming out of the river channel. If it’s possible to sustain the marsh for another 50 to 100 years — that will have management implications for us into the future,” says Simmons, pictured with Whitbeck. Credit: Steve Droter

By conducting vegetation surveys in meter plots, Blackwater NWR is able to track the vegetation community and determine the dominant species and grass cover in response to shoreline elevation. Common vegetation includes Spartina alterniflora (saltmarsh cordgrass), Spartina patens (salt marsh hay), and Distichlis spicata (seashore saltgrass).” Credit: Steve Droter

“My favorite wetland plant would be seaside goldenrod. You see it everywhere,” says Simmons. “It’s color in a sea of green. These flecks of yellow add to the landscape and helps create that picturesque scene that we’re so grateful to have.”

Since the refuge’s establishment in 1933, over 5,000 acres of marshland have been lost due to sea-level rise — and this trend is continuing. “A lot of people when they talk about the threats of sea-level rise, it’s very hypothetical and in the future. But it’s very real here. That’s one of the important stories I think Blackwater can tell. I think Blackwater really serves to communicate what the impacts of sea-level rise and subsidence are,” says Whitbeck. Credit: Steve Droter

Matt Whitbeck and Miles Simmons are on the front lines of dealing with climate change. Where they work along the coastline of the Chesapeake Bay, scientists say sea levels are rising at rates three to four times faster than the global average. The cause is a combination of rising waters due to global climate change and sinking land, also known as subsidence.

As the supervisory wildlife biologist at the Chesapeake Marshlands National Wildlife Refuge Complex, Whitbeck oversees the diverse habitats of Blackwater, Glenn L. Martin, Eastern Neck and Susquehanna National Wildlife Refuges.

While many may see the impacts of climate change as a looming event in the future, Whitbeck disagrees, saying, “It’s very real here.” Sea-level rise has continually shaped the landscape, turning marshes into lakes and forests into marsh grass. At the predicted rate of sea-level rise, nearly all of Blackwater’s marshes could be permanently inundated by 2100.

That could be disastrous for the refuge’s habitats, plant and animal species. Many of the species found here are uniquely adapted to survive in the refuge’s forests, marshes and shallow water habitats. “All the major taxonomic groups have a species or two that has found a way to exist in a saline environment,” says Whitbeck, such as the salt marsh skipper and the Diamondback terrapin.

“In the spirit of maintaining biological diversity, it is important to conserve salt marshes. So strictly from a conservation biology standpoint, a fish and wildlife conservation standpoint – maintaining all the parts is really the first order of business. Ensuring all these species have all the habitat they need to exist is critical,” says Whitbeck.

Yet the community benefits are equally important, especially as the threats of climate change become more evident. Salt marshes provide huge benefits as nurseries for fish, sponges for soaking up flood waters and reducing coastal erosion, and buffers from storm surge and strong waves.

Miles Simmons, a biological technician at the refuge, grew up on the Eastern Shore and has experienced the effects that storms can have on the environment, but also what kinds of effects a healthy marsh can have.

“Marshes – wetlands in particular – are critical in mitigating the effects of large storms,” he says.

When Hurricane Sandy struck the Atlantic coast in 2012, there was a lot of infrastructure that was damaged, but it could’ve been worse – specifically for the communities around Smith Island, located just south of Blackwater.

Having the healthy intact marsh systems of the Glenn L. Martin NWR along the northern part of Smith Island helped to stop shoreline erosion that was taking place on the western and northwestern shorelines. This “really helps maintain that buffer and give the community a small measure of protection,” says Whitbeck.

In June 2016, Whitbeck and team completed construction on a 21,000-foot living shoreline at Martin NWR that will dynamically benefit the surrounding local area and the environment into the future.

Following Hurricane Sandy, efforts to repair and build resiliency around these coastal communities were aided with the help of federal funding from the Hurricane Sandy Disaster Relief Appropriations Act of 2013. Refuges and communities all throughout Maryland received over $13,096,841 to put towards recovery and resiliency.

At Blackwater, as the shoreline elevation begins to shift, biological technicians like Simmons are conducting vegetation surveys to monitor the changing landscape. This is some of the first opportunities that Blackwater has had to examine the ecological changes that result from elevated water levels.

By continuing to work on the Chesapeake Bay coastline, Matt Whitbeck and Miles Simmons are not only ensuring that Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge is #StrongAfterSandy, but continue to make it resilient in the face of climate change.

This is the first in a five part series of photo slideshows highlighting the people who have been working to  defend their coastal ecosystems against storms as we approach the four year anniversary of Hurricane Sandy. You can view the continuation of this series and other news regarding our restoration and recovery projects on our website. 

Nature as protection for coastal towns in Massachusetts

The Great Marsh is a diverse ecosystem of barrier beaches, dunes, and bodies of water aptly named to recognize its nearly 10,000 acres of salt marshes — making it the largest marsh system north of Long Island, New York. Some of the largest migratory fish runs make their way through these shorelines, and the Parker River National Wildlife Refuge is a vital stop along the Atlantic Flyway Migratory route for numerous rare birds.

For surrounding towns, the marsh also provides critical protection for people and property.

The Great Marsh borders five Massachusetts coastal towns: Essex, Gloucester, Ipswich, Newbury, and Rowley. This coastal wetland acts as a natural buffer against the sea, and the towns surrounding it are recognizing the value the marsh has for public safety, tourism and revenue.

These towns have come together, joined by scientific experts, nonprofits, and partners, to create a community resiliency planning effort to facilitate strategic meetings as they work to create a long-term plan to mitigate the marsh’s vulnerabilities to flooding, storm surge and sea-level rise.

Scientists are looking for answers on how climate change will affect tidal estuaries in the Plum Island Estuary, also known as the Great Marsh.

The need to address these vulnerabilities is becoming increasingly necessary as the predicted threats of climate change begin to shape the coastline. Many coastal residents came face to face with these vulnerabilities in 2012 when Hurricane Sandy made landfall.

“A challenge,” said Taj Schottland of the National Wildlife Federation, “or area of opportunity, is the complex ownership and management [of the] landscape. All of the surrounding towns and partners own or manage land in the Great Marsh.” In order to work on the multiple projects being funded to increase resiliency in the marsh, they “had to reach out and engage stakeholders and investors.”

The integration of community planning alongside risk assessment of predicted increased future climate impacts is setting the Great Marsh community apart by linking ecological resiliency with community resiliency and emphasizing the use of nature as protection.

The Great Marsh, and other communities along the Atlantic Coast, are using nature-based measures to enhance their coastline.

Take, for instance, the challenge of erosion — one of the biggest threats to the local barrier beaches. Sea-level rise and increased storm surges are causing higher tides, leading to salinity problems in the marsh system. The deterioration of barrier beaches also threatens the security of the local community — according to Schottland, many of the neighborhoods that are built along this marsh will become inundated by 2030 if sea levels continue to rise as anticipated.

Salt marsh erosion is affecting communities all along the coast, including in Delaware Bay (pictured) as a result of sea-level rise. Extreme storms and floods are predicted to increase in the Northeast as a result of climate change. (Credit: Katie Conrad/US Fish and Wildlife Service)

A common solution to these sea-level changes would be to install gray infrastructure such as a man-made bulkhead. That could lead to “bad consequences as it degrades over time,” said Schottland. As an alternative, wildlife managers at Great Marsh are using nature-based measures such as beach nourishment and the planting of native vegetation.  By using sustainable solutions and working collaboratively, the entire North Shore community is able to benefit.

The creation of the community resiliency planning effort is only one example of the innovative solutions being brought to the Great Marsh. The restoration and reinforcement of over 325 acres of stable marshland and eelgrass vegetation is nearly complete through the use of beach nourishment and the planting of native plants.

Additional projects include the creation of a hydrodynamic model which will collect data usable by all the surrounding towns and partners to better understand sediments, salinity, and waterflow. Another collaborative effort will result in a risk analysis of the nearly 1,500 hydro-barriers such as dams and bridges in the area.

While many of the goals for restoration and resiliency are expected to be met by June 2017, these nature-based solutions and collaborative efforts will require monitoring and continued commitment from the community.

This strategy of adapting nature-based solutions in coastal resiliency extends outside of the planning done by the task force and has become a tool for innovation in the surrounding towns.

In Essex, one defining asset is the Essex River which leads to the Essex and Ipswich Bay. When the town was faced with having to dredge the river and remove the buildup of silt, the common practice was to dump the silt far offshore.

But Essex town administrator, Brendhan Zubricki — who has been an active part of the community planning effort since its inception — went in search of a nature-based solution. He and the town have been working with the Army Corp of Engineers and Massachusetts Coastal Zoning Management to create a feasibility study on how to reuse the organic material to build up new and current marshes.

As a town, he said that they “are most interested in using the natural environment to mitigate these natural effects [of coastal storms] by not having to build anything except green infrastructure.”

Coastal marshes at Parker River National Wildlife Refuge in Newburyport, Massachusetts. Credit: Kelly Fike/USFWS