Restored Mispillion Wetland of Delaware Offsets Losses from Superfund Site
October 6, 2008
Along the Mispillion River in Kent County, Del., an eroded, degraded marsh has been transformed into vital habitat for local wildlife. The 56-acre private site consists of one of the river’s original meanders and associated wetland with more than 2,000 feet of river frontage. Today, representatives from the public-private partnership that made the project possible gathered to celebrate its success with a tour of the site.
This restoration, which was completed in June, is a Natural Resource Damage Assessment and Restoration (NRDAR) project for the DuPont Newport Superfund Site located in Wilmington, Del. The Trustees, Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (US FWS), were authorized to recover damages to trust resources associated with a release of a hazardous waste at the NewPort site.
The Trustees worked cooperatively with DuPont to identify a project that would replace the resources lost at the Newport Superfund Site. The restoration site selected was one of 40 considered.
“This project proves that the public and private sectors can create a magnificent legacy when they solve environmental problems together,” said Sheryl Telford, director of the DuPont Corporate Remediation Group. “It was a pleasure working with the Trustees to select and restore this stretch of the Mispillion River.”
Over the past 50 years, this site had taken a beating. The oxbow channel had filled in. The marsh was degraded by sediment and infested with phragmites (Phragmites australis), an invasive plant. The western edge of the marsh was severely eroded due to boat wakes. All this, coupled with the highly erodible soils, meant certain death for the marsh without intervention.
The Trustees came up with a plan. In order to reopen the long-silted-in oxbow, sediment was dredged out and spread over the marsh in a thin layer. They also dredged selected mudflats that were once tidal pools, creating vital fish rearing areas.Â
To provide immediate protection from erosive forces such as boat wakes, large diameter woody debris (LWD), were anchored along the riverbank in a crisscross pattern. The LWD consisted of green hardwood trees between 12 and 25 feet long with a root ball. In addition, rows of coir logs (made of coconut fiber) were placed behind the LWD.
This less intrusive bioengineering method not only protects the river bank but also traps organic and mineral sediment while providing roosting, nesting and foraging opportunities for fish and wildlife.
“This successful cleanup and restoration is a great example of the efforts NOAA’s Damage Assessment Remediation and Restoration Program encourages,” said Robert Haddad, NOAA Chief - Assessment and Restoration Division. “Working with our partners and co-trustees, we have been able to repair a degraded marsh and restore important habitat.”
Restoration of the marsh began with the removal of phragmites. The marsh responded, and now a more diverse plant community covers 90 percent of the area, including salt marsh cordgrass (Spartina alterniflora), which began to grow on its own after the phragmites were removed. Native plants, such as pickerelweed (Pontederia cordata), arrow arum (Peltandra virginica) and salt marsh cordgrass now dominate the site. Wild rice (Zizania aquatica) also has begun to colonize areas where the soil is in thin layers.
“By removing the invasive plants, native vegetation has come back to the marsh, providing critical habitat for local and migratory birds,” said Michael Thabault, Northeast Assistant Regional Director - Ecological Services, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. “The natural materials used to protect the river bank will also enhance habitat for fish.”
The restoration site will remain in private hands, with a conservation easement held and enforced by DNREC, which will also take responsibility for the project following a five-year monitoring phase.
“We utilized the expertise of all the agencies involved to protect a river, restore a beautiful wetland, and recover resources lost at a Superfund site. This is the how the Natural Resource Damage Assessment and Restoration partnership works,” said DNREC Secretary John A. Hughes. “Working together to restore and enhance Delaware’s living resources will yield environmental benefits far into the future.”
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Governor O’Malley Announces New Citizen Oyster-Growing Program, Maryland Oyster Planting Record
September 24, 2008
State and Partners Plant Nearly One-Half Billion Oysters in 2008; Create Stewardship Project to Grow One Million Young Oysters over the Next Year
Easton, Md. — Governor Martin O’Malley today kicked off a new partnership aimed at increasing citizen involvement in oyster restoration, and announced that Maryland has planted more than 485 million oysters in the Chesapeake Bay this year, a one-year record. The Governor was joined by citizens, staff and partners as he placed the first stewardship cages at the home of Hope and Anthony Harrington along the Tred Avon River.
“The irreplaceable value and role of oysters in our Bay gives rise to the need for escalating restoration efforts. I’m very proud that Maryland’s work with the Oyster Recover Partnership and our other key partners has resulted in an historic planting effort this year,” said Governor O’Malley. “We recognize each of us must play a role to help re-establish the healthy oyster populations that are critical to the Bay’s ecology, our culture and our economy. To build on this year’s planting success, we are embarking on a pilot project to engage waterfront property owners as caretakers of young oysters during their first year of life.”
Because of oysters’ unique filtering abilities and the vital habitat for aquatic life they create, Maryland and its partners continue to enhance and improve large-scale native oyster restoration efforts. Increased hatchery capacity at the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science, Horn Point facility in Cambridge has enabled more than 1.4 billion oysters to be planted since 2000 on 1,100 acres of once-productive oyster reefs.
“Whether there are 1,000 oysters growing in an oyster cage or 100 million oysters being planted in the Choptank River, Oysters are critical to the Bay’s long-term recovery,” said Oyster Recovery Partnership Chairman Dr. Torrey C. Brown. “The strong leadership of Governor O’Malley and Department of Natural Resources Secretary John Griffin on this issue, along with the early and continuing support of Senator Barbara Mikulski, have enabled the partners to build both in-the-water and on-the-ground infrastructure and production capacity that we enjoy today.”
In its pilot stage, Marylanders Grow Oysters: Citizens Working to Restore the Chesapeake Bay, is inviting Talbot County waterfront property owners along the Tred Avon River, a tributary of the Choptank River, to grow oysters from their pier using cages built by inmates at the Eastern Correctional Institution, and young oysters provided by the partnership.
The project is designed to inspire more Marylanders do what they can in their own lives and workplaces to protect and restore the Chesapeake Bay and the rivers that feed into it.
“My husband and I are more than pleased to be part of this new State initiative to restore a healthy oyster population and, ultimately, the health of the Bay,” said Hope Harrington, the first homeowner to enroll in the program. “Active citizen involvement in this project is the key element to its success. We have widened the buffers on our shoreline to act as filters, planted a native grass and wildflower meadow to create habitat, have applied to the State for an osprey nesting platform and feel very fortunate to now be part of this terrific oyster restoration project. We hope very much that our neighbors along the Tred Avon will join us.”
The partnership hopes to enlist 250 homeowners to place 4 oyster cages each off their piers by the end of October. After a 9 to 12 month growing period, the oysters will be planted on a protected sanctuary in the Tred Avon River.
“We appreciate the willingness of homeowners who’ve already signed up to allow their pier to serve as a temporary home and provide the protection needed to give these young oysters an better chance for early survival and maximize their ecological contribution to the Bay,” said DNR Secretary John R. Griffin. “We hope that more residents along the Tred Avon River waterfront will join this effort to rejuvenate aquatic life in the river and Chesapeake Bay.”
Established by Governor O’Malley, the Marylanders Grow Oysters project, is a cooperative effort of concerned citizens, the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science, Talbot County, and the Oyster Recovery Partnership. The oyster cages were constructed by inmates under the supervision of the Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services. The Chesapeake Bay Trust provided funding for the initiative.
“This project gave inmates meaningful work that they are truly proud of, knowing that the community and Chesapeake Bay are benefiting from their work,” said DPSCS Secretary Gary Maynard.
Additional oyster restoration efforts underway in Maryland include creating structured habitat to enhance oyster reproduction; planting hatchery produced oysters on existing and historical oyster bars; prohibiting oyster harvest in some areas; and regulating the fishery to limit the number of oysters harvested annually. For more information about Marylanders Grow Oysters visit www.dnr.maryland.gov/oysterproject
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In the first two years of his Administration, Governor O’Malley strengthened Maryland’s critical areas law to ensure more adequate protection of the most environmentally sensitive and significant lands within Maryland’s Chesapeake and Coastal Bays watersheds and established BayStat to make the State’s Bay restoration and protection more efficient and effective.
Additionally, the O’Malley/Brown Administration coordinated with Virginia Governor Kaine to rebuild the Chesapeake Bay’s beleaguered blue crab population by reducing the harvest of ecologically valuable female blue crabs by 34 percent in 2008. Just yesterday, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Carlos M. Gutierrez declared a federal fishery disaster for the Chesapeake Bay blue crab, enabling relief to reach watermen who have been affected by the declining blue crab population.
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Service Seeks Proposals for 2009 Endangered Species Grants
July 28, 2008
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is seeking proposals from States and U.S. Territories interested in obtaining federal grant assistance to acquire land or conduct planning for endangered species conservation efforts. For fiscal year 2009, the President’s budget request for the Cooperative Endangered Species Conservation Fund (the Fund) would provide approximately $75.5 million in grant funding for conservation planning activities and habitat acquisition for federally protected species. Proposals must be submitted to the California and Nevada Regional Office by September 22, 2008. They can be sent to: USFWS Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration Program, 2800 Cottage Way, Suite W-2606, Sacramento, Calif., 95825.
“Conservation grants are among the Service’s most important Federal-State partnership building tools,” said Service Director H. Dale Hall. “Local involvement is the cornerstone of conservation success. These grants help to States and Territories to protect vital habitat and work with local communities, private landowners and others to conserve threatened and endangered species.”
The Fund is authorized under Section 6 of the Endangered Species Act and provides grants to States and Territories to support participation in a wide array of voluntary conservation projects for species on the Federal list of threatened and endangered species, as well as for species that are candidates or have been proposed for listing.
By law, the participating state or territory must have a current cooperative agreement with the Secretary of the Interior and contribute 25 percent of the estimated program costs of approved projects, or 10 percent when two or more States or Territories undertake a joint project. The grants are expected to be awarded soon after federal appropriations are provided for fiscal year 2009.    Â
The Service is seeking proposals for the following three grant categories under the Fund:
Recovery Land Acquisition Grants - These grants provide funds to States and Territories for acquisition of threatened and endangered species habitat in support of approved and draft species recovery plans. Acquiring habitat in order to secure long term protection is often the critical element in a comprehensive recovery effort for a listed species.
Habitat Conservation Planning Assistance Grants - This category provides funds to States and Territories to support the development of Habitat Conservation Plans (HCPs). The purpose of an HCP is to ensure adequate protection for threatened and endangered species, while at the same time providing for economic growth and development. These grants provide support for baseline surveys and inventories, document preparation, outreach, and similar planning activities.
HCP Land Acquisition Grants - These grants provide funds to States and Territories to acquire land associated with approved HCPs. Grants do not fund the mitigation required of an HCP permittee, but rather, support acquisitions by the state or local governments that complement actions associated with the HCP.
For more information about these grants and grant application requirements contact: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Division of Consultation, Habitat Conservation Planning, Recovery and State Grants, 4401 N. Fairfax Drive, Room 420, Arlington, VA 22203, 703-358-2106. Information also can be accessed at http://www.fws.gov/endangered/grants/.
The Cooperative Endangered Species Conservation Fund is identified in the Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance as number 15.615.
The mission of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is working with others to conserve, protect and enhance fish, wildlife, plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. We are both a leader and trusted partner in fish and wildlife conservation, known for our scientific excellence, stewardship of lands and natural resources, dedicated professionals and commitment to public service. For more information on our work and the people who make it happen, visit http://www.fws.gov/cno.
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