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RI Coastal Resources Management Council

...to preserve, protect, develop, and restore coastal resources for all Rhode Islanders

CRMC, USACE to continue Ninigret habitat restoration

10/23/07, CHARLESTOWN – The Rhode Island Coastal Resources Management Council and the US Army Corps of Engineers will begin the second phase of habitat restoration at Ninigret Pond this fall, part of the larger South Coast Habitat Restoration project, which began in 2005.

Eelgrass (Zostera marina) habitat will be restored on the eastern lobe of the flood tidal delta by selectively dredging the sandy bottom to an optimum depth for eelgrass growth. Over the years, the pond has been filled in with sand washing in with the current, choking out the native eelgrass beds that once thrived there. The dredged material will be removed using a hydraulic dredge and pipeline, and the sand will be discharged into an area below high tide in front of the Charlestown Town Beach so that it will naturally wash ashore. This will allow the natural coastal processes to shape the shoreline along the Charlestown and South Kingstown beaches, making them more resilient to the winter storms.

The dredging will be done by Govcon, Inc. of Norman, Oklahoma and Southwind Construction, of Evansville, Indiana. They will begin work in mid-October and will complete the project by March 2008. Dredging was completed for the first phase of the Ninigret Pond Habitat Restoration Project in the spring of 2006. The following fall the Army Corps contracted Steve Granger of North Kingstown to plant a two-acre site with eelgrass seeds. Granger, a Ph.D who was recently associated with URI’s Graduate School of Oceanography, is a leading researcher in the field of eelgrass reproduction. A survey conducted by the USACE in June 2007 showed that the newly seeded eelgrass beds are doing well, with 74 percent of randomly sampled areas having eelgrass shoots. The eelgrass in half of the areas covered 5-100 percent of the pond bottom. Natural re-colonization of eelgrass plants occurred outside of the seeded area within the restored habitat.

In 2005, the Army Corps announced that while they would continue with the dredging of the pond, that funding would not be available for the eelgrass planting. U.S. Senator Jack Reed (D-RI) aggressively lobbied for the funding to be restored, and was successful.

“I am proud to have secured federal funding over the years for Ninigret Pond and other habitat projects along Rhode Island’s south coast,” said Reed, who recently helped secure an additional $650,000 in fiscal year 2007 for the project. “By restoring tidal flows, eelgrass habitat and fish passage to our coastal ponds, these projects not only benefit Rhode Island’s coastal environment, they support our state’s shellfishing industry and many other commercial fisheries that depend on coastal habitats.”

Eelgrass, an important native aquatic plant that grows in shallow sub-tidal areas, functions as a nursery, refuge and feeding ground for many marine species. Eelgrass is a vascular plant that has roots and needs light for photosynthesis just as plants that grow on the land, and reproduces through rhizomes and seeds.

“The CRMC is pleased to announce the start of phase two work on dredging and reseeding Ninigret Pond,” said CRMC Chairman Michael M. Tikoian. “We are so thankful that Senator Reed was able to secure federal funding for the continuation of this vital project. The South Coast Habitat Restoration Project as a whole will improve navigation into the ponds and most importantly, improve valuable eelgrass beds in Ninigret Pond, which serve as nurseries to many aquatic species.”

Ninigret Restoration

Stedman Government Center
Suite 116, 4808 Tower Hill Road, Wakefield, RI 02879-1900
Voice 401-783-3370 • Fax 401-783-2069 • E-Mail cstaff1@crmc.ri.gov

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