Tidal Wetlands and Shorelines in the Chesapeake Bay Kara Skipper Paige Hobaugh Photo: Will Parson

Kara Value of tidal estuarine wetlands – Supporting life- serving as habitat, nursery and spawning grounds for multiple species Economic – commercial and recreational fisheries, preventing erosion, reducing wave action, protection against sea level rise, property values Tidal wetlands provide numerous ecosystem services including: Food and cover for migratory birds to overwinter Economic value due to production of many finfish and shellfish. Roughly 2/3 of our commercially valuable fish and most shellfish use tidal wetlands as spawning and/or nursery areas (FWS). https://www.fws.gov/chesapeakebay/wetvalue.htm Recreational value: Boating, fishing, crabbing, waterfowl hunting, hiking, birdwatching, wildlife study, photography, and canoeing. Marsh vegetation helps control flood and storm waters, minimize erosion and urban/suburban property damage, improve water quality by capturing and processing excess nutrients, pollutants, and sediment Photos: Will Parson

Wetlands experience pressures from the water and from the land More intense and frequent storms Sea level rise Shoreline modification Upland development Kara Despite tidal estuarine wetlands serving as a vital habitat, these habitats are subject from pressures on all sides which “squeeze” them from the water and the land Climate Change Effects such as sea level rise, increased intensity and frequency of storms, and flooding erode the soil and wash away marsh grasses, and reduce shallow water habitats. From the other side, shoreline hardening and upland development threatens marshes from the land, again removing those shallow water habitats that offer protection for juvenile aquatic species and essential forage, bulkheads cause scouring with the reflected wave action reducing water quality, and development can completely remove natural marsh habitat

A Collaborative Effort The Fish Habitat Action Team has expressed interest in tidal estuarine wetlands due to the environmental and economic value they provide for commercial and recreational fisheries We see this as an opportunity to work collaboratively with your team to utilize your expertise in wetlands restoration to further spotlight the research in tidal estuarine wetlands. Paige The fish habitat action team sees the issues facing tidal estuarine wetlands as imperative to address in order to make any outcome progress. We feel that making use of recent, imperative tidal wetland research is a productive way to highlight the importance of this habitat to the Management board and in turn to make recommendations for audiences who could influence habitat improvement. This effort, though, would be impossible without the help of wetland experts. Photo: Will Parson

Project Scope Synthesize relevant tidal wetlands literature and data Identify important results and trends and form recommendations for Management Board in the form of a draft white paper Present recommendations to CBP Management Board Incorporate input from Management Board into final document and provide results and recommendations to targeted audiences Paige We plan to synthesize relevant tidal wetlands literature and data. We’re not looking to conduct an exhaustive meta-analysis, but we’re aiming to find recent studies which look at the impacts of tidal wetlands and shoreline modification on the ecosystem including fisheries, SAV, and other habitat impacts to bring a stronger ecosystem-based management focus on the permitting and land use decision process. We will use this synthesis to identify trends and important results to develop recommendations in a comprehensive but brief white paper. Throughout the process we plan to collaborate with the Wetlands Workgroup to ensure that the project meets the needs of both parties. We will then present those recommendations Management Board for their input. After incorporated Management Board comments, we will intend to produce the “final” white paper to targeted audiences which may include the Chesapeake Bay Commission, local government entities, or Coastal Zone Management programs.

SERC Shoreline Hardening Study Highlights Natural Shorelines/Wetlands Higher invertebrate abundance, biomass and diversity are found in natural shorelines. Higher fish and crab abundance are associated with higher percentage wetlands Higher diversity and abundance of development-sensitive waterbirds are associated with higher percentage wetlands Hardened Shorelines/Bulkhead/Riprap Lower diversity and abundance of development-sensitive waterbirds associated with higher percentage bulkhead. Reduced SAV abundance with shoreline hardening. Decreased abundance of many fish and crabs as percentage of hardening increases Increased invasive Phragmites abundance found in areas with higher percentage of shoreline hardening Paige Universally positive effects from natural shorelines- EXPAND Almost all negative from hardened shoreline- EXPAND An example of literature we plan to use in this endeavor is the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center’s recent multi-year study on shoreline hardening and watershed land use and their effects on nearshore aquatic habitat. The study compares shoreline types (natural, beach, hardened) in bays and sub-estuaries with differing land use types (forested, ag, developed) around the Chesapeake Bay Region. A quick highlight of the study’s results show that natural shorelines and wetlands have positive interactions with the ecosystem including higher fish, crab, waterbird and invertebrate abundance Conversely, hardened shorelines were found to have lower waterbird, fish, crab, and SAV abundance, as well as higher percentages of invasive Phragmites

SERC Shoreline Land Use Study Highlights Upland Agricultural Land Use Increased invasive Phragmites abundance and decreased SAV abundance, density and diversity are found in watersheds dominated by agriculture. Decrease blue crabs and some bottom-oriented fish species in areas with higher percentage of agriculture Increased total Nitrogen, total Phosphorus and chlorophyll in areas with upland agricultural land use Upland Urban Land Use Increased total nitrogen and chlorophyll in area with upland urban land use. Decreased SAV abundance, density and diversity are less in watersheds dominated by agriculture and developed land. Increased invasive Phragmites abundance in watershed in developed watersheds. Kara The SERC study included analysis of upland land use as well and compared the results among several studies. Results of the land use portion of this study include: Decreased blue crab and bottom-oriented fish species, SAV and water quality in areas with upland agriculture use, as well as a higher abundance of invasive phragmites Decreased SAV abundance and water quality was also found in areas with urban land use. Areas dominated by urban land use saw increased abundance of invasive phragmites. Overall, we’re seeing negative impacts from these upland land uses. While some of these impacts are unavoidable, we feel that by better informing management and citizens of these associated impacts, we can then begin to assess how we can minimize these impacts and incorporate more sustainable and ecosystem-based practices in land use and shoreline decisions.

Discussion: What do you see as the most pressing issues concerning tidal wetlands at a local level? Are there specific considerations/ recommendations that we should include in the white paper? How would you like to be involved in this effort? Kara With all this being said, we want to know how can we make this project valuable to the you, the wetlands workgroup and your partners. -1. What do you see as the most pressing issues concerning tidal wetlands at a local level (negative local economic impacts? Laws impeding the use of natural shorelines? Citizen education?, etc)? 2. Are there specific considerations/ recommendations that we should include in the white paper? 3. How would you like to be involved in this effort? -Please send any recommendations or specific literature sources to us or Kyle (our emails here – next slide).

Thank you. Please contact us at the emails below if you have any questions. Kara Skipper Kara.skipper@noaa.gov Paige Hobaugh Hobaugh.paige@epa.gov