1)
Fish
Fish are sampled using minnow traps three times during the summer.
Learn how to identify typical salt marsh fish species that use
wetland sites along the North Shore.
2)
Aquatic Macroinvertebrates
Invertebrate field sampling includes auger samples of the creek
bed, dip net samples of the vegetated creek bank edge, and quad
sampling on the top of the bank. Samples are preserved, sorted
off site and then identified under the microscope to family level.
. The presence/absence of particular family groupsas well as population
size can be used to assess the health of a wetland.
3)
Vegetation
Plants are identified generally in August to assess plant diversity
and overall health of a wetland as well as the presence or absence
of invasive species. Vegetation is sampled using established transects
and quads.
4)
Salinity
Shallow ground water wells are installed along three transects.
Eoverall health of a wetland. Refractometers and/or water quality
meters are used to take salinity measurements. This parameter
is important in explaining the dynamics of wetland water chemistry.
5)
Tidal Influence
Tidal restrictions are measured using staff gauges and tape measures
as well as how the patterns of tidal range and water depth affect
the viability of a wetland
6)
Land Use
Maps and aerial photography along with field techniques to describe
land use and the environmental characteristics of the landscape
are used to gain an overall measure of human disturbance at a
particular wetland site.
7)
Avifauna
Birds are used as bioindicators for the salt marsh habitats. The
presence/absence of certain bird species may provide clues about
the fish and invertebrate populations in the salt marsh. Field
identification is necessary.
Back
to top
Recommended
Reading
Recommended for WHAT Program Methods
Carlisle,
B.K., A.M. Donovan, A.L. Hicks, V.S. Kooken, J.P. Smith, and A.R.
Wilbur. 2002. A
Volunteer's Handbook for Monitoring New England Salt Marshes.
Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management, Boston, MA.
EPA
Approved Quality Assurance Project Plan : SSCW
WHAT QAPP
MA
CZM Wetland Assessment Program - Land
Use Index: Wetland Evaluation Area. B.K. Carlisle, Coastal Wetlands
Coordinator, 11/02 Description and Methodology
Recommended for Identification
Bertness, Mark D. 1999.
The Ecology of Atlantic Shorelines. Sinauer Associates, Inc.
Sunderland, MA.
National Geographic. 1999.
Field Guide to the Birds of North America - 3rd Edition. National
Geographic Society, Washington D.C.
Pollock, Leland W. 1998. A Practical Guide to the Marine Animals
of Northeastern North America. Rutgers University Press, New Brunswick,
N.J.
Tiner, Ralph W. Jr. 1987.
A Field Guide to Coastal Wetland Plants of the Northeastern United
States. The University of Massachusetts Press, Amherst,
MA.
Tiner, Ralph W. Jr. 1993.
Field Guide to Coastal Wetland Plants of the Southeastern United
States. The University of Massachusetts Press, Amherst,
MA.
Walton, Richard K. and
Robert Lawson. 1989. Peterson Field Guides - Eastern/Central Birding
by Ear. (audio-CD). Houghton Mifflin Company, NY.
Weiss,
Howard M., PhD. 1995. Marine Animals of Southern New England and
New York - Identification keys to common nearshore and shallow water
macro fauna. State Geological and Natural History Survey of Connecticut,
CT.
Back
to top
Fun Facts and Wetlands Related Works
Carson, Rachel. 1971.
The Rocky Coast. Houghton Mifflin Company, New York, NY.
- Not specifically about salt
marsh topics but discusses the evolution and ecology of the rocky
intertidal zones and contains beautiful photos.
Gates, David Alan, 1975.
Seasons of the Salt Marsh. Murray Printing Company, U.S.
- This Massachusetts based
author provides an easy read that describes the seasonal cycles and
formulation conditions of salt marshes. Includes illustrations of
common marsh plants and a history of human interaction with salt marshes.
Goodman, Susan E. 1999.
Ultimate Field Trip 3 - Wading In to Marine Biology. Simon
& Schuster Children's Publishing Division. New York, NY.
- A story based on a field trip taken by
middle school students to Suffolk University's Friedman Field Station
in Cobscook Bay, ME. The kids learn about the zones of a beach, the
tides, and creatures that have adapted to varying conditions. It is
a good source for fun activities to do with kids interested in marine
biology and a good storybook too.
Pomeroy, L.R. and R.G.
Wingert, ed. 1981. The Ecology of a Salt Marsh. Springer-Verlag
NY, Inc. New York, NY.
- A very technical book for those science
majors in college. Focuses on the physical and chemical environment
of a salt marsh. Includes chapters on spartina grazers, anaerobic
respiration, fermentation, etc.
Robbins, Sarah Fraser
and Clarice Yentsch. 1973. The Sea is All About Us. The Peabody
Museum of Salem and The Cape Ann Society for Marine Science, Inc.
- A great overview of marine organisms (seaweed,
fish, worms, etc.) found around Cape Ann, written as an education
tool with researchers from the University of Massachusetts marine
station in Gloucester; includes drawings and photographs.
Teal,
John and Mildred. 1969. Life and Death of the Salt Marsh. Little,
Brown and Company. U.S.
- A more in depth look at the evolution of
the salt marsh community and fifty pages devoted to a discussion of
salt marsh conservation.
Back
to top
Recommended Websites
Massachusetts
Wetlands Restoration Program
Massachusetts Wetlands
Restoration Program (WRP) in the Office of Coastal Zone Management.
Working with many federal, state, and local partners, WRP helps people
voluntarily restore the state's degraded and former coastal wetlands
and the invaluable services they provide.
Mass
Audubon Salt Marsh Science Project
Since 1996, students
in grades 5 - 12 on the North Shore have been working with Massachusetts
Audubon Society scientists to learn exciting and important information
about salt marshes and Phragmites australis (common reed), an invasive
plant that grows in salt marshes.
Maine's
Salt Marshes: Their Functions, Values, and Restoration
an
excellent 20-page resource guide. Michele Dionne, Ph.D., Wells National
Estuarine Research Reserve
Salt Marshes
of the Gulf of Maine: Long-term monitoring to assess human impacts
and ecological conditions
Gulf
of Maine Council on the Marine Environment's four-page flyer on marshes
and information on habitat monitoring protocols
Cornell
Lab of Ornithology
National Audubon Society
Back
to top
____________________________________________________________________________
We
would love to hear your book or website recommendations! Please email
Barbara Warren
about any resources you believe helpful or inspirational. Please include
a brief description.
