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What
is it?
Tidal marshes are Focus on the Coast's priority coastal resource
#1. Tidal marshes include all vegetated wetlands along the coast
and along the tidal stretches of our coastal rivers. There are
salt, brackish and freshwater tidal marshes. Tidal marshes provide
invaluable protected habitat for many juvenile fish species, birds,
and other wildlife, help to cleanse polluted water, and protect
against storms and floods.
Vegetation
The dominant plant of our coastal salt marshes is Spartina,
or cordgrass. Smooth cord-grass (Spartina alterniflora)
occurs along the regularly flooded lower margins of the salt marsh,
while saltmeadow cordgrass, also known as salt hay (Spartina
patens), grows on the higher elevations of the marsh where
flooding is irregular. Spartina has special glands that
enable it to excrete excess salt; an adaptation that well suits
it to its coastal environment.
Why
are they important?
These habitats are among the most productive on the planet, providing
food, nurseries, resting areas during storms and migrations and
homes for a multitude of animals. Most of our commercially and
recreationally important fisheries rely on the productivity of
coastal salt marshes. Because salt creates challenges for plant
growth, only specialized plants can live in true salt marshes.
These natural communities provide, in turn, specialized habitats
for unique and often rare species of animals. About 45% of all
endangered and threatened species rely on estuarine and coastal
waters for survival; many specifically need salt marshes.
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| Photo:
Least shrew: from the Smithsonian Book of North American Mammals,
ed. by D. Wilson & S. Ruff |
What
else should I consider?
Tidal marshes are directly subject to state regulation under the
Connecticut Coastal Management Act, as opposed to inland wetlands,
which are regulated by local commissions.
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