More Thoughts About Nahant Marsh

The statements and related questions below might lead you and your colleagues to discussions, research, and projects that integrate the different disciplines into a "big picture." As additional ideas and responses are raised, they will be shared on the ATEEC Web site at http://www.ateec.org/.

Some wetlands plants naturally absorb lead and other contaminants.
What is known in the scientific community regarding "phytoremediation"? What are some real-life phytoremediation projects, and how are they being carried out? What technologies might phytoremediation replace or supplement? What are the economics of phytoremediation? If you were the King or Queen of Phytoremediation, how would you plan to help the world? Is it feasible to propose that small artificial wetlands could commonly be a treatment system for urban runoff? What are the systems by which a marsh cleans itself?

EPA's clean-up costs were about $2,000,000. The gun club is turning over to EPA the money from the sale of the Marsh to the Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation. The Foundation is then turning over ownership of the property to an educational consortium.
How might you design a educational center that has a low impact upon the marsh environment? How could the old club building be fitted out for educational purposes? How can you plan to protect species while still giving students and teachers access to nature? How should the center be managed? If the marsh becomes an educational center, should the access lean toward being fully public or restricted?

In the 1970's a high school student studied the marsh for a science project. He found the marsh had a vibrant population of muskrats. Now there are not as many muskrats as would be expected.
Might this be simply a natural cycle of rising and falling populations? What is the scientific view of natural cycles? What scientific methods do scientists use to determine if a decline in a species is due to a natural cycle or a human impact?

A biologist who specializes in amphibians suspects there are not as many frogs and toads as she would expect for a wetland area. Her theory is that environmental noise may have interfered with the critters' mating calls! She plans to do an acoustic study.
What are the probable sources of noise in the area? How would you design a study of noise levels and the probability of those levels having an impact upon mating? What are the key times of the year for amphibian mating? If a correlation between noise and mating seemed to be found in the marsh, what, if anything, might be done to improve the situation?

Marsh water levels may be influenced by different factors: the neighboring properties; the beaver population; weather patterns; fluctuations in Mississippi River water depth; and the water table. Long periods of low-to-no water levels in the marsh seem to affect the wetlands species.
Which of these is the better policy: "Nature should be allowed to take care of itself" or "Using water control structure allows ideal water conditions to be maintained"? What is the science that underlies the first policy, and what is the technology that underlies the second policy?

The clean-up left a large area of mud flats. The locale has been experiencing mild drought conditions, so water levels range from low to none. The grasses sown at the end of the clean-up now threaten to be overtaken by some persistent weeds, particularly Velvet Leaf and Reed's Canary Grass. Some uncompleted legal processes have caused indefinite delays to completing the marsh restoration, which includes a rather extensive planting of wetlands species.
What are some examples of non-native plants competing with, and winning over, native plants? What are the characteristics of the two weeds in the mud flats. When the wetlands species are planted, what are the chances of their competing against the persistent weeds in times of drought? Who are some vendors who sell freshwater wetland species? What are the terms of purchase, and what are the guarantees, if any? How much might it cost to replant at least 50 acres with a variety of wetland plant plugs?

Nahant Marsh has a large and diverse array of people interested in it because of good leadership in the community and regulatory agencies. However, not all natural areas that are under pressures have such strong support. Jeffrey A. Zinn and Claudia Copeland's 1997 report, Wetland Issues, made available on the WWW by the Committee for the National Institute for the Environment, writes about U.S. wetlands that "When European settlers first arrived, total wetland acreage was more than 220 million acres in the lower 48 states, according to estimates by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. By 1980, total wetland acreaage was estimated to be 104 million acres. Losses continue, although the rate of loss has slowed considerably during the past decade."
Why might losses be slowing? What are some other types of natural area that are under pressure? What is the political mood nationally about environmental conservation? What is the mood in your community? Are any efforts underway, or being considered, regarding a pressured natural area? How might interest be raised in your community about these areas? What might be the elements of a public campaign that could be designed to raise awareness and commitment to an environmental issue in your community?

Children and people with special needs often have a special sense of bonding and appreciation for natural environments. Some of us who are caught up in our own personal pressures may get too "busy" or falsely sophisticated to relate to the natural world.
What are some programs that encourage exceptional children to relate to the natural world, such as Camp Papillon: http://www.sehq.qc.ca/Anglais/Camps/Default.asp and Therapy/Respite Camps for Kids http://wizard.ucr.edu/~wm/therapy.html? What strategies do these programs use, and how are the leaders prepared for their roles? What is available in your own community, or what could be done to provide such opportunities in your community? What wider-reaching benefits are available to all of us when such programs are available?

Some taxpayers can be critical of the effort and money spent on saving one marsh. They do not understand why others think it is important to conserve wetlands and protect species, such as the river otter or northern leopard frog.
How might a public education brochure or a TV video presentation be designed to help the taxpayers understand the importance of conserving wetlands? What would be the approach to these communications if the thrust was scientific? What would be the approach if you wished to appeal to the reader's/viewer's appreciation of beauty in nature? What audio/musical components might be incorporated?

Photo credit: John Freiband, Moline, IL