We planted a marsh!
Five hundred years ago, the waterway we call Newtown Creek was composed of 1,200 acres of saltmarsh. Coastal wetlands are uniquely productive ecosystems, and were abundant with natural resources for the Lenape people who lived here for thousands of years before European colonization.
With the expansion of industry in the 1800s, the landscape was rapidly changed as the Creek was channelized and developed. The final remnants of marshland in Newtown Creek were filled in by the mid-20th Century, compounding decades of pollution, neglect, and habitat degradation.
This spring, NCA replanted a section of shoreline in Dutch Kills, where NYC DEP had established a pilot marsh in 2018. We’re hoping that our ongoing maintenance, combined with a rigorous anti-goose fence, will allow these marsh grasses to again flourish in the years to come.
We’d like to extend our sincere gratitude to everyone who contributed, including guidance from @NYCwater, as well as several dedicated NCA volunteers, and members of the horticulture team at @brooklynbridgepark who helped with the planting. In total, we planted over 3,000 plugs of saltmarsh cordgrass (spartina alterniflora).
This project aligns with our vision for large-scale ecological restoration projects along the shores and in the waters of Newtown Creek, especially in tributaries like Dutch Kills that aren’t being utilized for maritime industrial purposes, and suffer most from poor water quality conditions.
The marsh restoration project can be viewed from the south side of the Hunter’s Point Avenue Bridge in Long Island City, Queens — optimally during low tides, when the marsh grasses are exposed. Feel free to reach out to us with your observations and pictures! This project was made possible through generous support from @conedison