Advancing Restoration Science: Case Studies

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Wild Birds Help Seagrass Restoration, Florida Keys
Salt Marsh Restoration Techniques in Chesapeake Bay, Maryland

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CASE STUDY: Wild Birds Help Restore Seagrass in the Florida Keys

Roosting seagulls provide fertilizer to new seagrass growing beneath the stakes.

In the Florida Keys, NOAA is restoring seagrass meadows with the help of wild birds. Bird stakes -- vertical PVC pipes topped by wooden blocks -- are placed over injured areas. The stakes attract cormorants and other seabirds, whose droppings fertilize the area below and speed the growth of natural and planted seagrass. Shoal grass is typically the first colonizer of barren areas, preparing the way for other species, such as turtle grass and manatee grass, to regrow. NOAA scientists, building on years of seagrass research, developed this innovative but simple restoration approach. Researchers learned that seagrass recovery in the Florida Keys is often limited by a lack of nutrients. The use of bird stakes ensures that an ongoing supply of fertilizer is provided directly to the injured areas, providing a faster, efficient restoration alternative to an otherwise slow and uncertain recovery.

Shoal grass (Halodule wrightii) is bundled together with a thin wire. The wire is pushed like a staple into the injured area to begin the regrowth process.

The Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary protects 2,900 square nautical miles, including seagrass meadows that provide both nursery and feeding grounds for fish and other marine life. Seagrass also filters and stabilizes sediments, helping create the clear waters for which the Florida Keys are known. On average, more than 600 vessel groundings are reported in the sanctuary each year, many of which injure seagrass habitat. The use of bird stakes and associated monitoring efforts will help injured seagrass meadows to thrive once again.

For more information, contact:

Sean Meehan
e-mail: sean.meehan@noaa.gov

Jud Kenworthy
e-mail: jud.kenworthy@noaa.gov

CASE STUDY: Salt Marsh Restoration Techniques in Chesapeake Bay, Maryland

Several different planting techniques were used at Eastern Neck National Wildlife Refuge on the Chesapeake Bay.

In 1998, NOAA and several partners began to restore habitat in the Eastern Neck National Wildlife Refuge at the mouth of the Chester River in the Chesapeake Bay. The refuge is a regional treasure, teeming with diverse wildlife species valuable to the area's ecology and economy. The refuge is eroding at a rapid rate, however. To reverse this trend, NOAA and its partners created a four-acre marsh using material dredged at the Kent Narrows navigation channel. This project helped solve two problems -- the erosion of a critical habitat and the disposal of dredged material.

By the spring of 2002, NOAA scientists had developed an experimental design to test various planting techniques to stabilize the new wetland. Volunteers, NOAA scientists, and Baltimore Aquarium staff planted the native marsh plant Spartina alterniflora in a series of experimental plots, with controlled variations in density, intertidal elevation, and planting methods. Volunteers and Aquarium staff received training to monitor the success of the plantings, and

Volunteers plant smooth cordgrass (partina alerniflora) as part of the restoration work at the refuge.

learned how to collect data on fish and wildlife use. The results of the study will provide important information about effective planting patterns and techniques in erosion-prone areas, and will help measure the value of the restored area to its resident creatures.

NOAA's partners in this project include the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, National Aquarium in Baltimore, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, Friends of Eastern Neck, Chesapeake Bay Trust, Shared Earth Foundation, and Curtis and Edith Munson Foundation.

For more information, contact:

Rich Takacs
e-mail: rich.takacs@noaa.gov

Dave Meyer
e-mail: dave.meyer@noaa.gov

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