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Restoring habitats following an oil spill - Narragansett
Bay
Save the Bay has been working with volunteers, scientists and local communities
to evaluate the ecological integrity of over 3,000 acres of estuarine wetlands
in Narragansett Bay, Rhode Island and Massachusetts. Over 74 potential wetland
restoration sites have been identified through this evaluation process.
Four restoration projects are under way in Narragansett Bay (http://www.nbep.org/)
using money from compensation following an oil spill. These projects are:
- Transplantation of eelgrass to help re-establish this habitat for fish and
shellfish (several locations in the Bay);
- Creation of cobblestone lobster reefs as protective habitat for young and
adult lobsters;
- Creation of "spawning areas" for the reproduction of transplanted
hard clams;
- Restoring tidal exchange of seawater to improve the ecological value of
a saltmarsh at the Sachuest Point National Wildlife Refuge in Middletown,
Rhode Island.
| Guidance: This site may have valuable lessons for northwest Europe
restoration projects including the transplantation of eelgrass. Details
of current projects can be found at http://www.nbep.org/current/index.html
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