May 2023 - Parks & Recreation - 49

This image depicts marsh loss throughout
the years in Jamaica Bay, New York.
acres of high marsh, 3.5 acres of
scrub-shrub wetland, 8.7 acres of
shallow marine habitat, and 1.4 acres
of tidal channels or narrow inlets.
This will create a healthy marsh for
one of the most biodiverse regions
in the northeastern United States.
Spring Creek North
Ecosystem Restoration Project
In
1900,
the area surrounding
Spring Creek Park was salt marsh.
In the 1950s and 1960s, the land
was filled in to build a neighborhood.
These alterations severed the
creek's connection to Jamaica Bay,
forcing the creek to reforge its path
to the bay through the marsh, degrading
the land.
The land was further harmed by
the dumping of municipal waste
and the construction of sanitary
sewer trunk lines that disrupted the
alignment of creeks in the area.
Now with
BIL
funding, the
Army Corps, in collaboration with
the New York City Department of
Parks and Recreation and the New
York City Department of Environmental
Protection, will restore approximately
44.2 acres of degraded
habitat. Areas of existing degraded
wetland will be restored using a thin
layer sand placement technique,
and historic wetlands that were lost
and converted to uplands due to fill
placement decades ago will be restored
by performing excavation.
The existing degraded wetlands
will be restored first by removing
invasive plant species, followed by
placement of a thin layer of sand
on the marsh platform. Following
sand placement, the land will be
contoured to optimal levels for a
healthy marsh and planted with
native vegetation. Placing a thin
layer of sand will increase the elevation
of the wetland, improving
hydrologic conditions and wetland
function while keeping up with
sea-level rise.
The historic wetlands that were
lost will be restored by excavating
up to eight feet of fill to one foot
below final grade. The area will
then be covered with one foot of
clean cover material, followed by
planting native vegetation.
The restored marshland will improve
water and sediment quality,
increase
the
marshes'
resiliency
against sea-level rise, and provide a
healthy and functional habitat for a
wide variety of wildlife.
The work also will help to protect
the community from rising sea
levels and storms. According to
Clara Holmes, plant ecologist for
New York City Parks, Division of
Environment and Planning, " The
neighborhoods
surrounding
the
restoration area faced significant
flooding during Superstorm Sandy
in 2012 - not just because of
the amount of rainfall the storm
brought, but also because of the
storm surge that pushed a significant
amount of water up the creeks.
This project will add more than 18
acres of salt marsh to the Spring
Creek area, which will allow the
marsh to better absorb stormwater
and buffer future storm surges. "
Holmes adds that this project
also will restore public access to a
beloved community park that has
been off limits for decades. She
says, " Excavated soil from the project
will be beneficially reused onsite
to start the process of creating
a public park. This includes creating
an area adjacent to the wetland
that will provide viewpoints of the
marsh that were
previously not
available and constructing accessible
walking trails for the public. "
Today, when I drive past Jamaica
Bay, I'm stunned by the change
that's occurring in the area. The
landfills were
restored and are
now a 400-acre, 130-foot-high state
park. Instead of toxic soil leaking
into the bay, there is a healthy mix
of trees, shrubs and wildflowers
growing along the park's walking
paths and grounds.
As restoration work moves forward
on the HRE New York and
New Jersey Ecosystem Restoration
Project and the Spring Creek North
Ecosystem Restoration Project, the
views of the bay are sure to take the
breath away of future generations
- in a good way.
Dr. JoAnne Castagna is a Public Affairs Specialist and Writer
for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New York District
(joanne.castagna@usace.army.mil).
PARK S ANDRECRE AT ION . OR G | MAY 2 0 2 3
| Parks & Recreation
49
PHOTO COURTESY OF NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
May 2023 - Parks & Recreation

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