Naturalist Alison Beall recently led a talking and walking program on the Meeting House and Bird Homestead grounds called, “The Impact of Storm Activity on Vegetation.”
By Bill Lawyer
Naturalist Alison Beall recently led a talking and walking program on the Meeting House and Bird Homestead grounds called, “The Impact of Storm Activity on Vegetation.”
But the topic could just as easily been called “The Impact of Vegetation on Storm Activity.”
That’s because one of the main take-away’s of the program was that the presence or absence of wetland vegetation makes a big difference on the impact of the kinds of storms we’ve been having on the Long Island coastline in recent years. The program is part of an ongoing lecture series, “After the Storm: Toward a More Resilient Shoreline.” The project is funded in part by a grant from the John E. Streb Fund for New York of the National Trust for Historic Preservation.
Despite the cold weather the day of the program, a hearty crew of fifteen people – of all ages – took part in the “hands on” learning and sharing activities.
Beall is the Curator Emerita of Marshlands Conservancy. Well-known by two generations of families participating in natural history events, she spent 35 years as an environmental educator. And, she oversaw stewardship of the Marshlands Conservancy, the largest tidal marsh system in Westchester County.
Whereas most of the programs in the series looked at storm issues on the regional, national or global levels, this program focused on the little plot of land across from the Dock Deli – the Meeting House and Bird Homestead grounds. Their property is directly adjacent to Milton Harbor.
The program began inside the Meeting House. Beall asked everyone to raise their arms out at a slant, to demonstrate how plants growing in a tidal marsh vary as one progresses from the open water to the land above the high tide elevations. Then she showed and described some of the plants at each level. She started with Spartina alterniflora, smooth cordgrass, closest to the water. It creates a thick “wall” that helps act as a buffer against the storm surges – the first line of defense, in effect.
Next comes the Spartina patens, saltmeadow cordgrass, which is known also known as salt marsh hay. This makes good mulch, because its saltiness kills off any weed seeds that might otherwise be found in the hay.
Most of the marsh hay is another grass – Distichlis spicata, known as seashore saltgrass. It’s even saltier than the saltwater in the marsh!
The point in recognizing all these marsh grasses is that they are more than able to hold their own during storms, and they bounce back as functioning parts of the marsh ecosystem.
Getting further up from the open water, we encountered three plants that signify the arrival at more solid ground. First came Iva friutescens, or marsh elder. This was followed by Baccharis halimfolia (groundsel bush), and Lyucium barbarum (matrimony vine.)
Following the introduction to these flood-resistant plants, the group went outside to see them in their natural element.
While most of the discussion centered around the plants and how they act as a buffer against the storms, Beall also noted that in at least one instance the storm actually helped build the buffer. Groundsell bushes had not been on the property prior to Irene, but they are now growing there. Apparently, the storm surge brought seeds of the plants, and they took root as the water subsided.
Switching back from the microcosm to the macrocosm, the program ended with the realization that there’s a lot we can learn about living on the coastline from the plants that have been doing it since the last ice age subsided.
