Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

The Effects of Integrated Marsh Management (IMM) on Salt Marsh Vegetation, Nekton, and Birds

  • Published:
Estuaries and Coasts Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

An integrated marsh management (IMM) project in an urbanized watershed on Long Island, New York, USA, aimed to mitigate salt marsh degradation and to reduce mosquito production by an innovative combination of restoration and open marsh water management methods. The grid ditch network at two treatment marshes was replaced with naturalized tidal channels and ponds. Effects of the hydrologic alterations were monitored utilizing a before–after–control–impact approach. The treatment marshes experienced a number of beneficial outcomes including a fourfold reduction in the invasive Phragmites australis and increased native vegetation cover in the most degraded portions of the marsh, increased abundance and diversity of marsh killifish and estuarine nekton species, higher shorebird and waterfowl densities, and increased avian species diversity. The successful implementation of IMM concept led to improved marsh health and diminished mosquito production. Therefore, this study may serve as a template for similar large-scale integrated salt marsh restoration projects.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Adamowicz S.C., and C. T. Roman. 2002. Initial ecosystem response of salt marshes to ditch plugging and pool creation: Experiments at Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge (Maine). USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, Narragansett, RI, US. ftp://dnrftp.dnr.state.md.us/Public/Outgoing/CCWS/marsh_restoration/Rachel_final.pdf. Accessed 20 March 2011.

  • Adamowicz, S.C., and C.T. Roman. 2005. New England salt marsh pools: A quantitative analysis of geomorphic and geographic features. Wetlands 25: 279–288.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Allen, D.M., S.S. Haertel-Borer, B.J. Milan, D. Bushek, and R.F. Dames. 2007. Geomorphological determinants of nekton use of intertidal salt marsh creeks. Marine Ecology Progress Series 329: 57–71.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Anderson, M.J., R.N. Gorley, and K.R. Clarke. 2008. PERMANOVA+ for PRIMER: Guide to software and statistical methods. Plymouth, UK: Primer-E Ltd.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bart, D., and J. Hartman. 2003. The role of large rhizome dispersal and low salinity windows in the establishment of common reed (Phragmites australis) in salt marshes: New links to human activities. Estuaries and Coasts 26: 436–443.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bay, E. C. 1985. Other larvivorous fishes. In Biological control of mosquitoes (Bulletin 6), ed. H. Chapman, 18–24. American Mosquito Control Association: Mount Laurel, NJ.

  • Benoit, L.K., and R.A. Askins. 1999. Impact of the spread of Phragmites on the distribution of birds in Connecticut tidal marshes. Wetlands 19: 194–208.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bourn, W.S., and C. Cottam. 1950. Some biological effects of ditching tidewater marshes. Washington, DC: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bromberg, K., and M. Bertness. 2005. Reconstructing New England salt marsh losses using historical maps. Estuaries and Coasts 28: 823–832.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Buchsbaum, R.N., J. Catena, E. Hutchins, and M.J. James-Pirri. 2006. Changes in salt marsh vegetation, Phragmites australis, and nekton in response to increased tidal flushing in a New England salt marsh. Wetlands 26: 544–557.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chambers, R., D. Osgood, D. Bart, and F. Montalto. 2003. Phragmites australis invasion and expansion in tidal wetlands: Interactions among salinity, sulfide, and hydrology. Estuaries and Coasts 26: 398–406.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Chambers, R.M., L.A. Meyerson, and K. Saltonstall. 1999. Expansion of Phragmites australis into tidal wetlands of North America. Aquatic Botany 64: 261–273.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Clarke, J.A., B.A. Harrington, T. Hruby, and F.E. Wasserman. 1984. The effect of ditching for mosquito-control on salt-marsh use by birds in Rowley, Massachusetts. Journal of Field Ornithology 55: 160–180.

    Google Scholar 

  • Clarke, K.R. 1993. Non-parametric multivariate analyses of changes in community structure. Australian Journal of Ecology 18: 117–143.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Clarke, K.R., and R.N. Gorley. 2006. PRIMER v6 user manual/tutorial. Plymouth, UK: Primer-E.

    Google Scholar 

  • Corman, S.S., and C.T. Roman. 2011. Comparison of salt marsh creeks and ditches as habitat for nekton. Marine Ecology Progress Series 434: 57–66.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Crain, C.M., K.B. Gedan, and M. Dionne. 2009. Hydrologic alteration of New England tidal marshes by mosquito ditching and tidal restriction. In Human impacts on salt marshes: A global perspective, ed. B.R. Silliman, T. Grosholtz, and M.D. Bertness, 149–169. Berkley: University of California Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Crans, W.J. 1977. The status of Aedes sollicitans as an epidemic vector of Eastern equine encephalitis in New Jersey. Mosquito News 37: 85–89.

    Google Scholar 

  • Erwin, R.M., D.K. Dawson, D.B. Stotts, L.S. Mcallister, and P.H. Geissler. 1991. Open marsh water management in the Mid-Atlantic region—Aerial surveys of waterbird use. Wetlands 11: 209–228.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Erwin, R.M., C. Hatfield, M.A. Howe, and S.S. Klugman. 1994. Waterbird use of salt-marsh ponds created for open marsh water management. Journal of Wildlife Management 58: 516–524.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ewanchuk, P.J., and M.D. Bertness. 2004. The role of waterlogging in maintaining forb pannes in northern New England salt marshes. Ecology 85: 1568–1574.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ferrigno, F., and D.M. Jobbins. 1968. Open marsh water management. Proceedings New Jersey Mosquito Control Association 55: 104–115.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ferrigno, F., L.G. MacNamara, and D.M. Jobbins. 1969. Ecological approach for improved management of coastal meadowlands. Proceedings New Jersey Mosquito Control Association 56: 188–202.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gedan, K.B., B.R. Silliman, and M.D. Bertness. 2009. Centuries of human-driven change in salt marsh ecosystems. Annual Review of Marine Science 1: 117–141.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Grant, G.S., and W.W. Kirby-Smith. 1998. The effect of open-marsh water management on summer bird populations on Topsail Island, North Carolina. Estuaries 21: 361–363.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • James-Pirri M.J., R. M. Erwin, and D. J. Prosser. 2008. US Fish and Wildlife Service (Region 5) Salt Marsh Study (2001–2006): An assessment of hydrologic alterations on salt marsh ecosystems along the Atlantic coast. USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research Center and University of Rhode Island. ftp://ftpext.usgs.gov/pub/er/md/laurel/OMWM/Region5_salt_marsh_FINAL_REPORT_April12_2008.pdf. Accessed 30 March 2011.

  • James-Pirri, M.J., H.S. Ginsberg, R.M. Erwin, and J. Taylor. 2009. Effects of open marsh water management on numbers of larval salt marsh mosquitoes. Journal of Medical Entomology 46: 1392–1399.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • James-Pirri, M.J., C.T. Roman, and J.L. Swanson. 2010. A method to quantitatively sample nekton in salt-marsh ditches and small tidal creeks. Transactions of the American Fisheries Society 139: 413–419.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • James-Pirri M.J., R. M. Erwin, D. J. Prosser, and J. D. Taylor. 2011. Responses of salt marsh ecosystems to mosquito control management practices along the Atlantic Coast (U.S.A.). Restoration Ecology 19. Published online (early view) doi:10.1111/j.1526-100X.2010.00767.x

  • Kent, M., and P. Coker. 1992. Vegetation description and analysis: A practical approach. Chichester: Wiley.

    Google Scholar 

  • Konisky, R.A., and D.M. Burdick. 2004. Effects of stressors on invasive and halophytic plants of New England salt marshes: A framework for predicting response to tidal restoration. Wetlands 24: 434–447.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Konisky, R.A., D.M. Burdick, M. Dionne, and H.A. Neckles. 2006. A regional assessment of salt marsh restoration and monitoring in the Gulf of Maine. Restoration Ecology 14: 516–525.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McArdle, B.H., and M.J. Anderson. 2001. Fitting multivariate models to community data: A comment on distance-based redundancy analysis. Ecology 82: 290–297.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Meredith, W.H., and C.R. Lesser. 2007. An overview of open marsh water management (OMWM) in Delaware, 1979–2007. Proceedings New Jersey Mosquito Control Association 94: 55–69.

    Google Scholar 

  • Meredith, W.H., D.E. Saviekis, and C.J. Stachecki. 1985. Guidelines for ‘open marsh water management’ in Delaware's salt marshes. Wetlands 5: 133-119.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mitsch, W.J., and J.G. Gosselink. 2000. Tidal salt marshes. In Wetlands, 261–305. New York: Wiley.

  • Pepper, M.A., and W.G. Shriver. 2010. Effects of open marsh water management on the reproductive success and nesting ecology of seaside sparrows in tidal marshes. Waterbirds 33: 381–388.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Posey, M.H., and H.H. Anson. 1991. Complex predator–prey interactions within an estuarine benthic community. Ecology 75: 2155–2169.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Raposa, K.B. 2008. Early ecological responses to hydrologic restoration of a tidal pond and salt marsh complex in Narragansett Bay, Rhode Island. Journal of Coastal Research 55: 180–192.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Raposa, K.B., and C.T. Roman. 2003. Using gradients in tidal restriction to evaluate nekton community responses to salt marsh restoration. Estuaries 26: 98–105.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Raposa, K.B., C.T. Roman, and J.F. Heltshe. 2003. Monitoring nekton as a bioindicator in shallow estuarine habitats. Environmental Monitoring and Assessment 81: 239–255.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rice, W.R. 1989. Analyzing tables of statistical tests. Evolution 43: 223–225.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rochlin, I., M.E. Dempsey, S.R. Campbell, and D.V. Ninivaggi. 2008. Salt marsh as Culex salinarius larval habitat in coastal New York. Journal of the American Mosquito Control Association 24: 359–367.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rochlin I., T. Iwanejko, M. Dempsey, and D. Ninivaggi. 2009. Geostatistical evaluation of integrated marsh management impact on mosquito vectors using before-after-control-impact (BACI) design. International Journal of Health Geographics 8:35. http://www.ij-healthgeographics.com/content/8/1/35.

  • Roman, C.T., K.B. Raposa, S.C. Adamowicz, M.J. James-Pirri, and J.G. Catena. 2002. Quantifying vegetation and nekton response to tidal restoration of a New England salt marsh. Restoration Ecology 10: 450–460.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Roman, C.T., W.A. Niering, and R.S. Warren. 1984. Salt marsh vegetation change in response to tidal restriction. Environmental Management 8: 141–149.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Saltonstall, K. 2002. Cryptic invasion by a non-native genotype of the common reed, Phragmites australis, into North America. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 99: 2445–2449.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Seigel A., C. Hatfield, and J. M. Hartman. 2005. Avian response to restoration of urban tidal marshes in the Hackensack Meadowlands, New Jersey. Urban Habitats 3. http://www.urbanhabitats.org/v01n01/nymf_full.html.

  • Smith, S.M., C.T. Roman, M.J. James-Pirri, K. Chapman, J. Portnoy, and E. Gwilliam. 2009. Responses of plant communities to incremental hydrologic restoration of a tide-restricted salt marsh in southern New England (Massachusetts, USA). Restoration Ecology 17: 606–618.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Stewart-Oaten, A., W.W. Murdoch, and K.R. Parker. 1986. Environmental impact assessment: Pseudo-replication in time? Ecology 67: 929–940.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Suffolk County. 2009. Wertheim National Wildlife Refuge water management demonstration project data reports. http://apps.suffolkcountyny.gov/health/suffolkvectorplan. Accessed 4 Jan 2012.

  • Warren, R.S., P.E. Fell, R. Rozsa, A.H. Brawley, A.C. Orsted, E.T. Olson, V. Swamy, and W.A. Niering. 2002. Salt marsh restoration in Connecticut: 20 years of science and management. Restoration Ecology 10: 497–513.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Weinstein, M. 2007. Linking restoration ecology and ecological restoration in estuarine landscapes. Estuaries and Coasts 30: 365–370.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wolfe, R.J. 1996. Effects of open marsh water management on selected tidal marsh resources: A review. Journal of the American Mosquito Control Association 12: 701–712.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Wolfe, R.J., and P. Capotosto. 1998. Integrated Marsh Management: A holistic approach to wetlands management in Connecticut. Proceedings Northeastern Mosquito Control Association 44: 13.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

The integrated marsh management at WNWR was a collaborative effort between Suffolk County and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The findings and conclusions in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. We are indebted to Deborah Long, Patricia Martinkovic, and Michelle Williams (USFWS) for past and continuing support. We thank Alex Chmielewski, Andy Hinickle, Azucena Ponce, and Monica Williams (USFWS) for invaluable advice and assistance. Suffolk County Vector Control personnel provided vital support for the project: Margaret Kawalkowski (data entry and QA), Jerry Franklin (maintenance and bird data collection), Valentin Bulgak (GIS support), and field crews (sampling). We thank Walt Dawydiak and Kimberly Shaw (Suffolk County DHS) for excellent project coordination and management, and Phil DeBlasi (Suffolk County DHS) for help with field work. Josh Ver Hague and Craig Kessler (Ducks Unlimited) provided valuable help with design and field sampling. Kim Somers, Keith Brewer, and Elyse O’Brien (Cashin Associates) collected the field data and David Tonjes produced the draft project reports in 2003–2007. We are grateful to Paul Capotosto (CT DEP) for advice on the project design.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Suffolk County Department of Public Works, Division of Vector Control, 335 Yaphank Avenue, Yaphank, NY, 11980, USA

    Ilia Rochlin, Thomas Iwanejko & Dominick V. Ninivaggi

  2. Graduate School of Oceanography, University of Rhode Island, Narragansett, RI, 02882, USA

    Mary-Jane James-Pirri

  3. Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge, USFWS, Wells, ME, 04090, USA

    Susan C. Adamowicz

  4. Suffolk County Department of Environment and Energy, 335 Yaphank Avenue, Yaphank, NY, 11980, USA

    Mary E. Dempsey

  5. Division of Vector Control, Suffolk County DPW, 335 Yaphank Ave, Yaphank, NY, 11980, USA

    Ilia Rochlin

Authors
  1. Ilia Rochlin
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Mary-Jane James-Pirri
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Susan C. Adamowicz
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Mary E. Dempsey
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Thomas Iwanejko
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Dominick V. Ninivaggi
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Ilia Rochlin.

Electronic Supplementary Materials

Below is the link to the electronic supplementary material.

ESM 1

(DOC 130 kb)

ESM 2

(DOC 106 kb)

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Rochlin, I., James-Pirri, MJ., Adamowicz, S.C. et al. The Effects of Integrated Marsh Management (IMM) on Salt Marsh Vegetation, Nekton, and Birds. Estuaries and Coasts 35, 727–742 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12237-011-9468-5

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12237-011-9468-5

Keywords

Search

Navigation