by Dr. Lenore Tedesco, Executive Director
Work on beneficial use projects to restore and enhance marshes is continuing in the Seven Mile Island Innovation Lab. Gull Island and Sturgeon Island both were the subject of beneficial use placement projects in the fall of 2020. Both islands were very low lying and at risk of drowning and are important wading bird nesting sites.
The Wetlands institute has been monitoring the sites for the past two years, and we are excited to report that the project sites are responding very well. Gull Island marshes have been uplifted to higher elevation and marsh grasses are growing where they had been lost. The large open water areas in the interior of Gull Island are now serving as important feeding and resting areas for migratory shorebirds and sections of eroding marsh edge have been stabilized.
This fall, we plan to add more material to Sturgeon Island to continue the development of this location as important nesting bird habitat. Information about the projects can be found at: wetlandsinstitute.org/smiil.
