Tuesday, October 29, 2013

Marsh Makers do some heavy lifting

On the anniversary of "Superstorm" Sandy the Student Conservation Association worked together with Recovery and Resilliency to carry out some heavy debris that had been waiting in large piles for removal.

Student Conservation Association members visited Rocky Point Marsh regularly during the summer months. The result of their hard work has allowed the marsh to flourish in a way that it probably hasn't in several decades. The native grasses are thick and tall, high tides are flooding the marsh, and wading birds are frequent visitors, and some may have even nested there this summer.

Rocky Point Marsh is a fringe marsh on the bayside of Rockaway peninsula in the Gateway National Recreation Area. This important habitat progressed from looking like a landfill full of decades worth of debris (natural and unnatural) to looking and functioning more like a healthy ecosystem that supports native plants and animals.

We are not only cleaning up the marshland. We are also conducting plant and animal surveys to find out who and what lives there. Most of our work is organized by volunteers and facilitated by the National Park Service.


High of 58°F | Humidity (avg) 48% | Wind 7 mph (NNE) | High Tide 4.7 ft. @ 16:17 | Moon 25% visible.

3 comments:

  1. I love the marsh for its beauty. I often work there, too, and I cannot wait to come back again and continue filling buckets with cut phragmites. I am very happy that other people help cleaning the place. Thank you all for your effort to bring nature back to the marsh!
    Sincerely, Becky

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    Replies
    1. Dear Becky, thank you for your tireless efforts to beautify and protect such a lovely natural place. We all benefit from your hard work.

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    2. Dear Becky, thank you for your tireless efforts to beautify and protect such a lovely natural place. We all benefit from your hard work.

      Delete