A salt marsh is an ecosystem that exists at the interface of land and sea. Salt marshes control the brackish waters where freshwater from rivers meets seawater. Tides control salt marsh life; the area is flooded with saltwater twice a day and then drains, resulting in varying levels of salt and moisture. Salt marshes support an abundance of different kinds of wildlife, supporting everything from tiny invertebrates and fish to birds and mammals. This makes salt marshes a very important habitat for many species. 

Salt marshes provide a wide array of benefits. Some of these include:

Biodiversity Support

• Salt marshes support for an abundance of different types of plants and animals. Some of the plant species that can be found include salt grass, black grass, seaside goldenrod, seaside plantain, and Baltic rush. 

Flood/Erosion Protection

• Salt marshes protect shorelines from erosion by trapping various sediments. They can also slow flooding by absorbing rain water. 

Water Quality Improvement

• In general, Salt marshes help improve water quality by filtering runoff and breaking down excess nutrients, making it easier for animals to absorb them. 

As part of our Nature Smart Climate Solutions Fund Project, our team  planted approximately 516 marsh plants at the saltmarsh at Keppoch Marsh, located off Keppoch Road in Stratford. We also conducted wildlife surveys and tested the water for total suspended solids monthly. 

Similarly, this year, the SAWIG team monitored Eelgrass at Keppoch Beach to observe trends and changes over time as part of the Nature Climate Solutions Fund project. Eelgrass is a submerged flowering plant that provides food and shelter for many underwater species such as fish, sea turtles, and crustaceans. Additionally, it helps filter contaminants and sediments from coastal water. It is also an excellent carbon-sequestration plant. For our monitoring process, we set up a transect line at 10-meter intervals along the shoreward side and sampled quadrats along the transect line at set intervals, aiming to cover as much area as possible moving toward water. For identified eelgrass beds additional monitoring was performed. Watershed Coordinator, Sarah Wray attended Eelgrass Training hosted by the Belfast Area Watershed Group to learn about their Eelgrass monitoring program and techniques to help with developing SAWIG’s monitoring activities.