on nutrient cycling in the marsh sys- 

 tems. Another aspect of the research 

 there involves substrate stabilization 

 and productivity in the algal mat that 

 is often characteristic of marsh commu- 

 nities. I should mention that the Uni- 

 versity of Georgia is conducting this 

 research. 



We have a salt marsh site near Gal- 

 veston, Texas. Dredged material is rou- 

 tinely removed from the Intracoastal 

 Waterway and pumped into Galveston Bay. 

 We plan to establish a marsh on this 

 dredged material by enclosing 4.8 ha (12 

 acres) with a sand bag dike to provide 

 protection from high wave energies. The 

 sandbags are each 3 x 1.2 x 0.6 m (10 x 

 4x2 ft)and weigh about 3 kg (7 lb) 

 when full. 



A problem on Bolivar Peninsula is a 

 very large population of feral goats. 

 Consequently, we will be enclosing the 

 area with (hopefully) goat-proof fence. 

 Texas ASM University has been awarded 

 the contract to establish marsh on this 

 area, and they will be planting this 

 month. The major emphasis at this re- 

 search area will be to determine ferti- 

 lizer requirements for two salt marsh 

 species , Spartina patens and S^ alterni- 

 flora , and to carefully evaluate benthic 

 colonization of an artifically propa- 

 gated area. 



Those who are familiar with the San 

 Francisco Bay area are certainly aware 

 that a great deal of the Bay has been 

 converted to residential or commercial 

 purposes. Thousands of hectares in South 

 Bay have been diked for salt production. 

 About 2 yr ago the Corps' San Francisco 

 District filled one of these salt ponds 

 with dredged material .intending to make 

 a marsh. The District has since entered 

 a cooperative program with the DMRP, and 

 the site has been planted in common West 

 Coast marsh species. Approximately 2 ha 

 (5 acres) were planted from a tractor- 

 mounted seeder and a total of 4 ha (10 

 acres) was seeded. One technique tested 

 there was the use of erosion control 

 paper to hold the seeds in place. The 

 research at this site is directed toward 

 determining salt marsh productivity on 

 fine-grained materials, determining op- 

 timum spacing for propagation, and test- 

 ing various seeding techniques. 



Earlier I mentioned a marsh site at 

 Grays Harbor, Washington. That project 



was terminated after the baseline stud- 

 ies indicated that extremely high energy 

 conditions at the site would make marsh 

 development unfeasible from engineering 

 and economic standpoints. 



We have a freshwater site at Miller 

 Sands in the Columbia River in Oregon. 

 We are now planning to test three spe- 

 cies of marsh grass covering 2.4 ha 

 (6 acres) at the site. If this proves 

 successful, approximately 121 ha (300 

 acres) of marsh could be placed at the 

 site. 



An integral part of our marsh re- 

 search has been a series of detailed 

 studies into the productivity and site 

 selectivity of various marsh species 

 throughout the United States. The major 

 part of this research has been conducted 

 by the Louisiana State University, the 

 University of Georgia, and the Univer- 

 sity of Virginia. A major emphasis of 

 the studies has been the determination 

 of the productivity of so-called minor 

 marsh plants. Together with our field 

 studies, we have conducted greenhouse 

 experiments on marsh productivity on 

 various dredged material substrates. 



The potential of contaminant uptake 

 by marsh plants growing on contaminated 

 dredged material is a major concern and 

 is being addressed by a 3-yr study. We 

 are mid-way in this research, with the 

 main thrust being the development of an 

 extraction procedure that will enable us 

 to predict plant uptake of contaminants 

 from dredged material. 



Another major task is the develop- 

 ment of biologically desirable habitat 

 on dredged material placed above the 

 high tide line. The product of these 

 studies will be guidelines for the se- 

 lection or reclaiming of disposal sites 

 for wildlife use. An important part of 

 this effort will be the establishment of 

 a methodology for selecting target spe- 

 cies and desired habitats. Necessary 

 information will be provided on edaphic 

 factors, plant requirements, and target 

 species management. 



Upland habitat development field 

 studies are now underway at Nott Island, 

 Connecticut; on the Bolivar Peninsula, 

 Texas; and on Miller Sands in the Colum- 

 bia River. All of these studies address 

 the problems of establishing productive 

 habitats on high sandy, and therefore, 

 droughty, disposal sites. 



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