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Home My WebLink AboutNovember 13, 2003 - Mystery of the dying marsh The Suffolk Times • November 13, 2003 � �� • o e ln m ars {� � �N �� ..�� , �,�,,,��. � ��., ;�, � ��tis��M��, �A> ,��nnl� �,a z�r, ,�,,,�,�wt+��. � , �+�'"� �'�w.µ��nw�N� w;v,,,��.,� .,�y�� ^"m1��1/�.� �p.. � .."a . S""�y.� gm�rqryr "��4� (� � �r�"'� '�9.� i w . , .. � .�. . �hi.�.,. ��s� yq+ !� �,y4� '-y ��1��F� �h�b y�� d � ��" "�4 w� ' '��"r�✓ r� d � � , �1� �N � ��p k�� / � ��d� , � r��n r �� „��'��; �r !a� > �� r �'V'%�Y'I�p ��'✓ �� 9"�'��nl � � ' � i� � � � � �i R i �y � �n � Y � �� ,�'. �, �� '��" �� i , � I � ��d r��' � j, � t, "'� � ��'�,""�' " � � � � � � d. �; �� '�� M1 ',4 � k3i, }' i ; ^� M1, i� �a �� r r "nw''�'� �'�� 3`� �i� �i�� ;^� ( �xq��;�� a x S' Z �. Our peaceful creeks on the East End are one of our greatest assets. However, there is a mysterious killer out there that is starting to destroy the salt marshes in our creeks not only here but all along the Eastern seaboard. Have you looked at your creek lately? WE iiAVE�us1'Nitvisiir� a super show❑ u��.wc see the dead leaves of week of Indian summcr.Today we my garcien,the dried-up look of the awoke to an overcast day and a strong farmers'cornfields and the pleasant southeast wind that brought down a lack of mosquitoes. continual shower of leaves.We had We searched the literature to try to just finished raking the lawn from the find out exactly how the name"Indian last blow and were quite pleased with summer"came about.One thing that our greenery,but now the lawn is cov- was mentioned was that the early ered with yellow leaves from our hick- Native Amerieans chose this time of ory trees.What a thc year to do their hunting.This did- lovely interlude n't exactly sound right to me but per- that week of ��►V$ haps it is true.I always thought the Indian summer �N Native Americans had to hunt year- hrought us. It was round to keep supplied with meat. almost as if the NATURE Of all the activities that went on wcather was tak- by Peul during this Indian summer,the one I ing a rest after a Stoutenburgh recall most vividly was the afternoon vi`�orous summer. Barbara and I were down at the dock Indian summer trying to get the outboard motar run- usually comes at the end of October ning.Water had somehow gotten into and the beginning of November,when the gas tank.With a bit of luck we wc're given this last taste of summer. flushed it out and the motor once It is a time of stillness and warmth again purred,but only after prolonged that feels so good.It's usually accom- sputtering.That was the unpleasant panied by a bit of haze and,of course, part of the day. there always has to be a frost before it 'The best part of the day was spent arrivcs.Now that the first frost has just absorbing the beautiful fall marsh that surrounded us.It,too,had been Statc and many ot�cr organiza- tions are aware of the situation.As a matter of fact,they have three studies going on right now in Jamaica Bay,but in and dcstroyed thc cclgrass that this is a minute amount of energy for once covcred the bottom ol�our bays such a gigantic task tl�at has so many and creeks.That was a disaster,one disastrous ramifications. that we've never really recovered touc ed by the frost and now And so we sat at the dock surround- from.Combine that with our dying had turned to a golden �� by a lush marsh that had not yet marshes today and we've really got a been touched b the m sterious cul- problem of gigantic proportions.I hate Urown.ln back you could see Y Y patches of salicornia,or glass- prit.We were thankful for that,but we to bring this dark stary to you but wart,that were turning bright couldn't help wondering what the somebody has to alert the public to red.And all along the edges future wouid bring. what is going on. of the creek were the t7uffy There have been many theories as On a brighter note:How many of white blossoms of the high- to why this die-off is occurring.My you were able to take advantage of tide bush that later will drift personal belief is that the dredging of the recent evening spectacular of solar away,carrying their seeds to our creeks has invited so many boats flares?These super energy bursts from new and waiting ground. It in that the wash from them has literal- the sun that affect us occur about was a painter's dream. ly eroded away the accumulation of every 11 years.They occur on the sun But as we sat there,we sediment on the marshes that's so nec much more often than that,but in were reminded that all is not essary for them to flourish.The marsh order to be recorded on earth the well in our creeks.As a mat- edges are the most vulnerable.In flares must be directly opposite the ter of fact,I'm very concerned some cases you can already see 10 ar earth,otherwise they're lost in space. about our marshes.You've more feet of dead bog.It's scary. We were told about them and heard me say this before:Our Or perhaps it's the oil from motor immediately went out into the pas- marshes are dying. boats that reaches the edge of the ture.There above us the sky was Anyone who has been marsh first that causes some of the aglow with red.We watched in awe as observant at all has seen thc problem. It's easy to point fingers,but it vacillated from one part of the sky patches of dead black bog I'm afraid there's no one magic bullet to the other.The colors were excep- where once a lush grecn that's going to solve the problem.It's tionally bright.In the olden days they marsh grew.I know this one that�needs study just as the brown must have been quite terrifying. because I've been around tide needed study. Lacking any knowledge of what was these creeks all my life and I Let's hope it's not one of those mys- going on,it must have seemed to know that something is going terious killers like the one that came watchers then as if the earth were on,not only here in our coming to an end in a blaze of fire. creeks,but throughout the Solar storms are quite harmless whole Eastern seaboard.From most of the time.Though this was the Georgia to Cape Cod come reports o fourth-largest such storm recorded,it marshes dying.For you who know the only knocked out one Japanese satel- meaning of a food chain,you know lite and caused numerous radio con- there are the basic building blocks that tact problems with aircraft.Otherwise start at the bottom and progress it was a show of splendor.As we upward until,at the top,there are the looked above,ribbons of cream color fish,birds,animals and,of course,peo- would pass through the cherry red ple. sky above us.It was a wonderful In the marine world,one of the experience. basics of the food chain comes from Only once before was I able to see our marshes,which produce the nutri- anything quite like it.I can remember ents that support a whole range of as a kid going out on the front lawn of marine life.Should our marshes disap- a friend's home and lying on the grass pear we would lose the valuable nutri- to look up and see the aurora borealis, ent area,the nursery areas,the wildlife with its quivering reds and greens and habitat and the important storm blues and yellows—a matrix of deterrent—these and many mare Northern lights.That one was of a benefits we get from our marshes.I've much larger magnitude than the one spoken to a number of important peo- last week.These events give us some ple and tried to alert them that we idea of the unbelievable power of the should be putting our eriergies and sun. It makes you feel humble,just to dollars into solving this mysterious witness one of these solar 1lares. "dead marsh"syndrome. Marine scientists at Stony Brook,the National Park Service,the New York