Monitoring and Adaptive Management Plan: Jamaica Bay Marsh Islands Ecosystem Restoration Borough of Brooklyn, New York

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

In the early 1900's, Jamaica Bay was an extensive estuarine ecosystem comprised of many dendritic tidal channels and flats that sustained large expanses of salt marsh. The bay was renowned for the abundance and diversity of its shellfish and its ecological importance as a nursery and feeding ground for countless species of birds and fish (JBERRT, 2002). Over the last century, urban and industrial development has modified the natural environment surrounding the marsh islands through activities such as dredging and filling, construction, pollution from biological and chemical contaminants, and over-harvesting or eradication of native plant and animal species (JBERRT, 2002). During this same timeframe, significant acres of salt marsh have been lost from the bay. Based on aerial photography interpretation, the NYSDEC estimates that approximately 1,400 acres of tidal salt marsh have been lost from the marsh islands alone since 1924, with the rate of loss rapidly increasing in recent years. Between 1994 and 1999 an estimated 220 acres of salt marsh was lost at an alarming rate of 44 acres per year (USNPS, 2001). Further, it is estimated that if this trend continues, all remaining salt marsh on the islands will be lost over the next three decades. According to the NYSDEC (2001), Elders Point also lost approximately 77 acres of marsh, or 79 percent. The loss of wetlands has had a cumulative, negative effect on the water quality and wildlife habitat of Jamaica Bay. As wetlands disappear and natural patterns of sedimentation are altered, water quality treatment functions such as nitrogen and phosphorous removal by the wetlands significantly decrease. The decrease in water quality treatment functions is compounded by the intense scale of development and high population density that results in large volumes of treated sewage effluent and storm water discharged to Jamaica Bay. In turn, wildlife habitat functions are lost when habitat is filled and/or fragmented, when invasive species colonize, and when water quality is comprised. These cumulative effects reduce the area's ability to provide habitat for numerous species of migratory and nesting birds, mammals, reptiles, fish, and invertebrates, resulting in a significant disruption to the area's entire interconnected coastal ecology. Consequently, the ecological function and resulting value of the remaining tracts of wetland acreage is significantly reduced. Elders Point Marsh (EPM), in the north-eastern comer of the Bay, has been targeted by a multiagency group led by the US Army Corps of Engineers as a high priority site for restoration. This restoration will be accomplished by placing dredge material, which is mostly sand, on the marsh plain. The restoration will be extensively monitored to ensure that this effort, and future efforts accomplish worthwhile ecological goals in providing long term sustainability to Jamaica Bay. . All monitoring conducted on Elders Point Marsh and its reference site will be performed in accordance with the federal and state regulations and standards. The goal of the monitoring and adaptive management program will be to accurately determine the success of the restoration efforts, quickly identify any problems requiring remedial action, and implementation of those remedial actions on a timely basis. A secondary goal is to learn the causes of the success and/or failures of the marsh restoration to aid in a better understanding of the marsh loss issue throughout Jamaica Bay. These efforts are based upon several potential causes presented by the Blue Ribbon Panel's findings( add Info). Both goals, evaluating and learning, although very much interconnected, may need different approaches in monitoring Full post-construction monitoring and adaptive management will be performed for five years, with additional simplified monitoring in years 7 and 10, beginning with the first full growing season following completion of the restoration at the site.