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1) Milton Harbor Tidal Wetland (Rye Country Club, City of Rye) Salt Marsh Restoration Milton
Harbor’s tidal wetlands, or salt marshes, are home to a variety of
plants and animals. The marsh at Marshlands Conservancy and Rye Golf
Club - the largest of its kind in Westchester - covers much of the
harbor’s northeast shore. It especially attracts birds, which come to
feed, breed, build nests and look for shelter.
Common reed (Phragmites
australis)
is a highly invasive plant capable of degrading tidal ecosystems,
including those in and around the harbor.
Once established, reeds can quickly take over, forcing out native
vegetation and disrupting delicate ecological balances. Nutrient-rich
stormwater runoff contributed to the reeds’ relatively rapid
encroachment into the Conservancy and Golf Club wetlands.
Other research shows that reeds do poorly or die in highly saline
environments. To battle this species, two drainage channels were
constructed through part of the marsh. The channels divert
nutrient-laden stormwater away from the marsh. They also allow salt
water from the harbor to better infiltrate it to reduce the density and
slow the spread of Phragmites,
thereby restoring and maintaining the integrity of the existing marsh.
A small amount of reeds also were removed, replaced by smooth
cordgrass, a native grass used by fish, shellfish and wading birds. To View The Site: The best spot to view the salt marshes nex to Milton Harbor is at Marshlands Conservancy on the Boston Post Road in the City of Rye. From the parking lot, follow the trails through woodlands and/or a meadow to the salt marshes. The project site is next to Marshlands at the Rye Golf Club. |