Much of this loss has been the result of the historical
'reclaiming' of salt marshes for agriculture (dykes and aboiteax),
a practice that has strong cultural and economic significance and
value. However, an equally significant and much more preventable
cause of habitat loss has been, and continues to be, the
construction and maintenance of roads and causeways with
insufficiently sized and placed tidal openings (culverts and
bridges).
Other ongoing threats to salt marshes include dams, ditches,
dredging, infilling, urban and industrial development, pollution
and invasion by non-native plants and animals. Salt marshes are a
very important part of the NS coastal landscape and are amongst the
most productive ecosystems in the world.
Great Blue
Heron.
Salt marshes develop in that narrow band between the land and
sea known as the intertidal zone and serve as the transition zone
between the two. Recognizable for their characteristic plants, cord
grass (Spartina alterniflora) in the low marsh and salt meadow hay
(Spartina patens) in the high marsh, they have the appearance of a
grassy meadow and have often been referred to as the prairies of
the Maritimes.
In recent decades have we begun to grasp the true significance
and range of valuable functions that salt marshes perform for us
and the environment.
Wildlife Habitat - salt marshes are the primary habitat for many
plant and animal species and provide vital feeding, breeding,
nursery and staging areas for many more year round and migratory
species.
Fisheries Protection - Fish species such as alewife, American
eel, Atlantic Salmon, flounder, herring, sea trout, shad, and smelt
use coastal marshes or inland wetlands for spawning and/or nursery
grounds. Salt marshes produce tremendous amounts of decaying
organic matter, detritus (dead plant material), which many small
invertebrates and fish feed upon. The creeks, pannes and grass
plains provide habitat and refuge for small and juvenile fishes,
many of them of commercial and recreational values.
Shellfish Habitat - salt marshes, mudflats and estuaries are
home to many commercial shellfish species and other smaller filter
feeding organisms. The vast amounts of decaying marsh vegetation
provide a steady source of food.
Flood & Storm Control - salt marshes act as important
buffers between the terrestrial and aquatic environments by
protecting uplands from the ravages of waves and storms and the
aquatic through the absorption and slow release of floodwaters.
Water Quality - salt marshes are natures 'kidneys', filtering
and trapping sediments and excess nutrients, and chemical and
organic wastes (fertilizers, pesticides, heavy metals, human and
animal waste) which are taken up into the tissues of many marsh
plants.
Links: www.ecologyaction.ca http://www.ducks.ca Ducks unlimited
http://www.ns.ec.gc.ca/wildlife/salt_marsh/toc_e.html
To claim credit for this Earthcache please answer the following
3 questions:
Question #1 How many acres(educated guess with 100 acres) is the
Cole Harbor salt marsh?
Question #2 What is the scientific name for Smooth
Cordgrass?
Question #3 Name one animal or plant that call the Salt Marsh
home?
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