What you gotta NOTICE? What you gotta KNOW?
When you NOTICE Spartina alterniflora growing up through a street, you KNOW this area, even under all that pavement, is still trying to BE a salt marsh. It’s what it’s always been. Nature is RESILIENT and has a way of coming back! This is is one resilient plant!
You also KNOW that this area is low-lying and will always be prone to flooding, especially in this era of sea level rise. To fill and build on top of a salt marsh is to destroy critical habitat AND make flooding worse!
What can you DO with the info?
Consider joining efforts to preserve, protect, and restore existing salt marsh ecosystems.
Study the STEM of green infrastructure.
Research historical maps to learn if the area used to be part of a tidal creek system.
Don’t drive your car or walk through these areas when they flood. Get to higher ground.
Avoid filling and building on top of salt marsh!
