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.
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Study the STEM of green infrastructure.
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Research historical maps to learn if the area used to be part of a tidal creek system.
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Don’t drive your car or walk through these areas when they flood. Get to higher ground.
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Avoid filling and building on top of salt marsh!
