abate erosion with intertidal plants in the United States. The plant- 

 ing has prevented erosion for more than 20 years (Phillips and Eastland, 

 1959; Sharp and Vaden, 1970). 



In 1969, the U.S. Army Coastal Engineering Research Center (CERC) 

 initiated, by contract, regional studies on the use of marsh vegetation 

 to control erosion in coastal areas. The following studies have been 

 completed to date: 



(a) Woodhouse, Seneca, and Broome (1974, 1976) found smooth 

 or salt marsh cordgrass {Spart-ina alterniflovd) to be an effec- 

 tive stabilizer of eroding banKs and dredged material areas in 

 North Carolina. Between 1969 and 1976 detailed techniques were 

 developed for the efficient propagation of cordgrass with sprigs 

 and seeds, and the factors which affect growth and survival were 

 well documented. 



(b) Garbisch, Woller, and McCallum (1975) found smooth cord- 

 grass and saltmeadow cordgrass {Spartina patens) to be effective 

 in controlling erosion in the Chesapeake Bay area. Efficient 

 nursery production techniques for these species were developed. 



(c) Hall and Ludwig (1975) evaluated the potential use of 

 vegetation for erosion abatement in the Great Lakes. They found 

 that marsh vegetation had limited potential because of fluctu- 

 ating lake water levels, high bluffs, winter icing conditions, 

 and severe waves. 



(d) Dodd and Webb (1975) and Webb and Dodd (1978) appraised 

 the potential of vegetative stabilization on the gulf coast. 

 They found that smooth cordgrass and gulf coast cordgrass 

 {Spavtina spartinae) could be established on eroding banks if 

 temporary protection was afforded by a wave-stilling device. 



Little prior research has been conducted on the use of marsh vegeta- 

 tion for bank stabilization on the Pacific coast. However, developing 

 techniques for propagating select species of salt marsh plants has 

 received considerable attention in recent years. Most work has focused 

 on California cordgrass {Spartina foliosa) which occurs intermittently 

 along the California coast and the coast of Baja California, Mexico 

 (Munz, 1968; Mason, 1969). This grass is most abundant in San Francisco 

 Bay, San Diego County, and in several estuaries in Baja; is sparse or 

 absent in bays and estuaries north of San Francisco; and is closely re- 

 lated to smooth cordgrass which has been used extensively for marsh 

 development and bank stabilization on the gulf and Atlantic coasts. 



California cordgrass grows lower in the intertidal zone than any 

 other emergent plant on the Pacific coast. Where found, it is the domi- 

 nant plant between mean tide level (MTL) and mean high water (MHW) (U.S. 

 Army Engineer District, San Francisco, 1976). Although uniquely adapted 

 to withstand both elevated salinity and submergence, this plant invades 



