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Salem Sound Coastwatch
is a regional coordinator of the Massachusetts Bays Program
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Salt Marshes

Two-thirds of the Salem Sound’s salt marshes were lost
between 1965 and 1998. Protecting the remaining salt marshes of Salem Sound is critical for the ecological health of the Sound.


The Role of Salt Marshes

Salt Marshes are one of the most biologically and ecologically productive natural ecosystems on earth. They are important because they:

  • Provide a critical habitat for many species of plant, bird and marine life
  • Provide breeding grounds and protection for fish and other marine animals
    in various stages of development
  • Protect shorelines from erosion and flooding
  • Improve water quality by filtering water


Salem Sound Coastwatch has monitored pre- and post- restoration salt marshes for over 10 years using the Wetland Habitat Assessment Toolbox. Volunteers are trained to become citizen marsh scientists assisting the SSCW in recording the plants, fish and macroinvertebrates that live in the marshes as well measuring the salinity in the creeks and the marsh soils.

Salem Sound Coastwatch Projects

Pickman Park, Salem - Phragmites australis Eradication Pilot Project

Thissel Marsh, Beverly - Restoration and Monitoring

Eastern Point, Gloucester - Monitoring

Newman Road, Newbury - Monitoring

Read about it in the Boston Globe: April 27, 2008 - State Grants Aimed at Boosting Marshlands
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Recommended Websites

Recommended for WHAT Program Methods

Recommended for Identification

Books of Fun Facts and Wetlands Related Works

 

Wetland Health Assessment Toolbox (WHAT)

Includes seven different biological and chemical parameters.

Contact us if you want to help us monitor salt marshes during the summer.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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

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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.

 
   

Salem Sound Coastwatch
201 Washington Street, Suite 9  Salem, Massachusetts 01970 | 978-741-7900