Restoration funds: $2.14 million.

Restoration activities involve erosion control (to prevent further loss of wetlands), phragmites eradication, upland acquisitions, the protection of Fort Delaware and a large heron rookery. Other restoration activities may entail the restoration of marsh productivity in the Alloway Creek area, about 950 acres in Salem County on Delaware Bay. This action may also include phragmites control, and the restoration of tidal exchange to this impounded marsh area. Additionally, the Trullender property, comprising roughly 350 acres that borders Stowe creek in Stowe Creek Township within Cumberland County on Delaware Bay, is under consideration for purchase. The wetland portion of this property is undisturbed and is dominated with hardy salt marsh grass (Spartina alterniflora). Most of the wetlands are ringed by forested upland that buffer this nearly pristine area. Wetlands on this property are receiving full tidal exchange from Delaware Bay with little or no structures encumbering natural marsh inundation.

Restoration Accomplishments

Restoration achievements include erosion stabilization along Pea Patch Island, located off of New Castle County in the upper reach of the Delaware Estuary. These actions protected Fort Delaware, a large heron rookery, and prevented further loss of wetlands on the island. Pea Patch Island emerged in the late 1700s as a mud bank and progressively grew in size. In the early 1800s its strategic position on the bay was recognized and Fort Delaware was built on the southeastern portion. Presently, Pea Patch Island takes on new strategic importance, but this time for ecological reasons. It is home for approximately 12,000 pairs of nine different nesting species of wading birds and is the largest heronry on the Atlantic Coast north of Florida.

Phragmites control was also undertaken on the island. The phragmites control spraying program in the southeastern part of the island reached completion in 1997 and the results reflect great success. Over 95% of phragmites were eliminated with no evidence of reoccurring infestation. Under natural conditions where human influence is limited, typical southern New Jersey tidal marshes exhibit a predictable bay front to upland vegetation pattern with saltwater cordgrass (Spartina alterniflora) dominating the lower intertidal zone and saltmeadow hay (Spartina patens) often ring the high marsh. Because of human influence many marshes have changed, interfering with this typical marsh pattern that is important for maintaining a robust estuarine ecosystem. In many areas, marsh management practices and associated restriction of tidal flow frequently result in the establishment of Phragmites at the expense of Spartina grasses. Marshes whose hydrogeomorphology are altered often display a change in plant marsh structure toward an undesirable Phragmite dominated monotypic system.

In 1997, a pier from the civil war era was restored in Salem County, N.J., referred to as the Fort Mott Pier. This pier now permits ferry service between Delaware on the Delaware mainland, Pea Patch Island in the middle of the Delaware river, and Fort Mott on the N.J. mainland. All three ferry stops are registered heritage sites on the Coastal Heritage trail. Prior to this initiative, travellers from New Jersey had to cross the Delaware Memorial Bridge for a long drive if they wanted to visit Fort Mott. 1998 reports from the N.J. State Park Service suggest that visits have increased by 50% since pier completion.

The Qhashne property, a 188-acre wetland site located adjacent to Delaware Bay in Cumberland County, New Jersey, was purchased in 1998. Demolition of an old building that blighted this stretch of property near it's upland reaches was completed early this year. Now that purchase has occurred several on-site restoration activities will be pursued, such as hydrologic restoration, Phragmites control, and Spartina establishment.

The southern New Jersey's Delaware Bayshores has one of the east coast's richest remaining reserves of wilderness in the state. It provides a rich mosaic of year round habitat for a wide variety of marine and terrestrial plants, animals, and natural communities, and supports a diversity of rare, threatened and endangered species of global, national, and state significance. This is why restoration and protection of this area is so vital. The substantial area of saltmarsh and tidal creeks provide essential fish habitat for a wide variety of aquatic species.

New Jersey's expanding commercial activity in the mid-Atlantic area and expanding retirement and tourist populations in the state's southern fringes place coastal wetlands in a particularly vulnerable position. New Jersey has lost nearly 50% of its wetlands since 1780. For southern New Jersey, where coastal property remains less expensive and less developed, land acquisitions are considered a wise strategy for fishery preservation and maintaining a robust ecosystem.