Salt Marsh Restoration

In February 2024, as part of the On Pettaquamscutt speaker series, Nick Ernst, Wildlife Biologist, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, and Ben Gaspar, Restoration Ecologist at Save the Bay, provided an important update on efforts to stave off the threats from sea level rise to salt marshes in the watershed.

Click the image to see the slideshow from Nick and Ben’s presentation February 2024.

Throughout the project, volunteers plant 30,000 seedlings to help protect the marsh from sea level rise.

In 2019, thanks to a wonderful volunteer effort, we planted 30,000 salt marsh grass seedlings along Narrow River!

The salt marsh restoration plan in Lower Narrow River has been a collaborative effort among USFWS, The Coastal Resources Management Council, The Nature Conservancy, Save the Bay, the Town of Narragansett and NRPA. This multi-year project aims to protect the salt marshes from sea level rise.

The 2019 salt marsh restoration plan shows areas where salt marsh grasses will be planted. Volunteers will plant saltgrass (Disticis spicata) in areas shaded green and smooth cordgrass (Spartina alterniflora) in areas shaded blue. Click the image for a full sized version.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT SALT MARSH GRASS PLANTING

Question: What should I wear?

Answer: Planting will be messy, so please wear boots or shoes and clothes that can get wet.

Q: How will I know what to do?

A: US Fish and Wildlife Staff will meet you on site and teach you how to plant.

Q: Can I bring my children?

A: YES! Kids are welcome to come as long as you are there to supervise them. Planting on Sedge Island is restricted to ages 16 and up.

Q: Are there rest rooms on site?

A: Unfortunately, no. Please plan accordingly.

Q: Will it be cold? What about rain?

A: Since the planting will be out on the marsh, we will be in the elements. Please dress comfortably and with the weather in mind. If the weather is terrible, we will postpone. Check your email for notices.

Q: Where do I go?

A: Those planting at Middlebridge will meet at Middlebridge, 95 Middlebridge Road in Narragansett. Please park on the grass past the cottages and then meet your leader across the street at Narrow River Kayaks. You’ll walk across Narrow River Kayaks with your leader to get to the marsh.

For those planting at Sprague Bridge, please meet at the Northwest corner of Sprague Bridge (roughly 292 Boston Neck Road, Narragansett). Parking for a few cars is available.

Volunteers planting on Sedge Island will park at Sprague Bridge and take a US Fish and Wildlife boat from the Sprague Bridge kayak ramp to the island to plant.

Q: I have a group that wants to volunteer. Can we work together?

A: Yes! We welcome groups. Please choose a session above and let us know in your online form how many are in your group. If you don’t see a session above that will work for your schedule, please email us at nrpa@narrowriver.org and we’ll work with you to find a convenient time and date.

Q: Why are we doing this?

A: This winter, The US Fish and Wildlife Service dredged some of the area under water in lower Narrow River and using a process called ‘thin layer deposition’, spread several inches of the dredged material onto salt marshes that had been under water too frequently to support the marsh grasses. This raised the marsh elevation a few inches. Now that they have been raised, we must plant salt marsh grasses to restore the area.

We’ll be planting two different kinds of salt marsh grasses, both native to the planting area.

The project is a continuation of a project that started a few years ago, including a similar planting project in May and June 2017. Read all about the project here.


35,000 Salt Marsh Grass Seedlings Planted by Volunteers in Lower Narrow River

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July 2017

Throughout May and June 2017, more than 200 volunteers planted salt marsh grass seedlings in the lower Narrow River, completing a multi-year plan to restore the area. Under the guidance of the US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), volunteers of all ages removed salt marsh grass plugs from the trays in which they had been growing all winter long, loosened the roots, and tucked them into evenly spaced holes in areas of the marsh that had been raised in the dredging and elevation stage of the project that was completed in January 2017.

NRPA coordinated volunteer scheduling with Ben Gaspar, Biological Technician with USFWS, who provided training and onsite supervision. The collaboration resulted in the successful planting of all 35,000 salt marsh grass plugs. Gaspar reflects “It was wonderful to engage all different ages from the community in a very hands on way. The repeat volunteers and smiling faces at the end of plantings made it very worthwhile to facilitate the nature connection to the marsh.”

Volunteers included Narrow River Watershed residents, kayakers, fly fishers and others who care deeply for this valuable resource. Groups such as Lila Delman Real Estate, Fuss and O’Neill, Inc, Rhode Island Saltwater Anglers Association’s Kayak and Fly Fishing Committees, and the URI Men’s Rowing Team demonstrated their commitment to the river by helping to plant. Student groups from URI, Compass School, Meadowbrook Waldorf School, EnrichRI homeschool group, and more than 35 students and teachers from South Kingstown High School all brought their energy and enthusiasm to the planting.

Many volunteers expressed their appreciation for the opportunity to be a part of the restoration and health of the salt marshes. The collaboration of NRPA and USFWS for this stage of the project was a continuation of the cooperative joint effort of many entities throughout the restoration project, which included participation from Save the Bay, the Town of Narragansett, and the RI Coastal Resources Management Council. Over the next few years, USFWS will be monitoring the restored marshes and reporting on the longterm success of the project.

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Salt Marsh Restoration Enters Planting Phase

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April 2017

saltgrass (Disticis spicata)

cordgrass (Spartina alterniflora)

Narrow River Preservation Association is working with the US Fish and Wildlife Service on the next phase of the Narrow River salt marsh restoration project.

While the marsh has historically been underwater only at “spring” (new and full moon) tides, in recent years, due to sea level rise, the majority of the marsh is being flooded too frequently for the marsh grasses to thrive.

This winter, in partnership with the Nature Conservancy and the Coastal Resource Management Council, US Fish and Wildlife completed the dredging phase of the restoration project.

During this phase, using a method called thin layer deposition, crews dredged specific areas of the lower Narrow River and then dispersed the dredged material onto the surface of the marsh to raise the elevation. In areas where the elevation has been raised 3 inches or more, volunteers will soon plant marsh grass seedlings (plugs).

Marsh areas at the increased elevation will flood less frequently, which will hopefully increase the lifespan and resilience of the marsh to future sea level rise and other stressors.

Last fall, US Fish and Wildlife collected local seeds from three different types of salt marsh grasses along Narrow River. Since then, a nursery has been growing the seedlings (plugs).

Around the first of May, 35,000 plugs will be ready to plant.

The salt marsh grasses to be planted are cordgrass (Spartina alterniflora), saltmarsh hay (Spartina patens), and saltgrass (Disticis spicata).

The planting will occur over two or three days, with a morning and an afternoon shift each day. Volunteers will be able to choose which shifts they would like to work.

Volunteers are advised to dress for the weather. The work will be messy and rubber boots are encouraged. Helpers of all ages are welcome and NRPA is working with school groups who plan to volunteer. USF&WS will provide all of the needed tools and supplies as well as water and snacks.

The volunteer response at press time has been outstanding. Nearly 200 individuals and several groups have signed up to volunteer.

Many hands will make quick work of the 35,000 plugs.

Salt Marsh Restoration Project Update – January 2017

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Work has been ongoing since December 1, 2016 along the Narrow River as part of the salt marsh restoration and elevation pilot project, intended to combat drowning and increase the lifespan and resilience of the marsh to future sea level rise and other stressors. Contractor Patriot Marine has been dredging near Sedge Island under the supervision of the US Fish and Wildlife Service and the Coastal Resources Management Council.

Crews are using a restoration method called thin layer deposition to place dredged material on the surface of the marsh to raise the elevation so that plants can thrive. Material is dredged from select locations to create depths where eelgrass can grow, creating an important habitat. The dredged materials are then dispersed on the adjacent marsh surface to slightly increase the marsh’s elevation, primarily in areas where the vegetation has died off or become stressed from prolonged flooding. These areas will be replanted with marsh grasses.

From Narrow River Kayaks south to Sedge Island, the dredge footprint creates an approximately 65-foot wide channel in the river. Sand from the river is being used to elevate the marshes on the eastern side and on Sedge Island.

This photograph (taken December 13, 2016) showing an astronomically high tide, gives a good sense of what the project is trying to accomplish. The entire marsh is under water with the exception of the mound of material being pumped onto the marsh. While the marsh should be underwater during “spring” (new and full moon) tides, the majority of the marsh is being flooded too frequently. The mound of material will be graded with low ground pressure equipment to raise the marsh plain. Increasing marsh elevation will also benefit the Saltmarsh Sparrow, a species of concern, which nests in the marsh grass.

NRPA is organizing volunteers to plant salt marsh grass plugs early in the spring under the supervision of the US Fish and Wildlife Service as part of the restoration efforts.

This aerial video by East Greenwich Resident Ray Stachelek clearly shows the phases of the dredging and salt marsh restoration project that took place in November and December 2016. New phases of work will continue through 2017.

On Pettaquamscutt Series Wraps up with Talk on Marsh Adaptation

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March 2015

For the third and final presentation of the 2015 On Pettaquamscutt winter speaker series, Wenley Ferguson of Save the Bay and Nick Ernst of USFWS explained the various strategies for marsh adaptation being used in Narrow River and throughout the Narragansett Bay Estuary.

Some of the tools in the Narrow River strategy include:

  • Dredging in selected locations to improve channel flow and promote eel grass growth
  • Marsh edge protection using coir logs and bagged oyster shells (a method also being evaluated near Middlebridge)
  • Digging runnels and repairing existing ones to improve surface drainage.

Pilot Program at Middlebridge Tests Methods for Enhancing Marsh Resiliency

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On March 23, the R.I. Coastal Resources Management Council and U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service began a marsh restoration pilot study on the marsh just south of Middlebridge. The pilot is comparing two methods of “thin-layer deposition” in which a layer of sand is used to raise the elevation of the marsh surface and thus enable the marsh to keep up with sea level rise.

The pilot will compare the results of two 50 by 100 foot plots where roughly four inches (100 cubic yards) of sand were added.

With the hydraulic method used for the first plot, water, air and sand were combined in a tank and pumped onto the marsh.

In the second plot, the layer of sand was spread using a Bobcat loader.

USFWS scientists will be measuring sediment levels, vegetation response and peat compression (soil bulk density) throughout the year to help inform suggested methods for larger scale thin-layer deposition of material dredged from Narrow River later this year.

The work is part of a multi-prong USFWS effort to restore estuarine conditions in the John H. Chafee National Wildlife Refuge in the Narrow River to enhance resiliency against sea level rise, climate change and future storm events.