Natural Resource Restoration
Habitat restoration is an important component of the natural resource management program at Grand Bay NERR. The area has experienced a variety of changes, both natural and human caused. Grand Bay NERR encompasses a retrograding delta. Several thousand years ago, the Pascagoula River flowed through what is now Grand Bay NERR. Since the river migrated west, the former delta has experienced high rates of erosion and reduced input of freshwater.
Southeast Jackson County has a long rural history. Human influence in the area has included clearing land for homesites, excavation of channels to drain land for farms or livestock, construction of roads and trails, introduction of invasive plant and animal species, the use of fire to clear land and control insect pests, and the suppression of fire to protect home and property.
In some cases, the natural and human disturbances have been
severe, and natural resource managers choose to jump start the recovery process
through restoration activities. In
other cases, resource managers use small-scale restoration projects (called
demonstration projects) to assess the effectiveness of new habitat management
methods or to study the impact of existing methods before implementing
restoration at a larger scale. Current
restoration projects at Grand Bay NERR include:
Marsh Restoration at Bayou Heron Boat Ramp
Researchers at Dauphin Island Sea Lab and the University of North Carolina, Wilmington, in cooperation with Grand Bay NERR and Weeks Bay NERR, Alabama are conducting a marsh restoration experiment at sites in Grand Bay and Weeks Bay NERRs. The Grand Bay NERR site is located along a cut bank behind the fishing pier at the Bayou Heron Boat Ramp. In combination with the restoration project, the researchers will examine the value of black needlerush marsh as a filter to remove human-based nitrogen from groundwater. The project will have an educational component and will depend on the help of volunteers to monitor the restoration site. The technical title of the project is "Evaluating the role of restored black needlerush marsh (Juncus roemerianus) as a buffer of anthropogenic eutrophication of coastal systems: an isotope enrichment approach."
During April 2006, volunteers helped harvest marsh vegetation along Bayou Heron and planted the vegetation at the project site. This project will prevent additional erosion of the bank and provide habitat for fish and crabs.
 Construction of the site for the marsh restoration project. |
 Preparing the site for planting marsh vegetation. |
 Planting plugs of marsh vegetation (black needlerush; Juncus roemerianus) |
 Planting complete. |
Oyster Restoration Project
This project is a collaborative effort with The Nature Conservancy and researchers at The University of Southern Mississippi – Gulf Coast Research Laboratory. Funded through NOAA's Community-Based Habitat Restoration program, the goal of the project is to restore intertidal oyster reef habitat along the shorelines of three bayous, Crooked Bayou, North Rigolets, and Bayou Cumbest. A graduate student will monitor both restored and natural oyster reefs to assess whether oyster growth and use of the reefs by aquatic organisms are comparable between the two reef types. Community volunteers will help "plant" shells in the restored areas and will participate in some aspects of data collection.
 Typical intertidal oyster beds found at Grand Bay NERR. | |
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A natural site (left) and restoration site (right) of the oyster restoration project. | |
Pine Savanna
In cooperation with the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, this project will restore native, open savanna conditions to areas that are currently overstocked (meaning too many small trees growing close together) with slash pines. The areas will be treated with a drum chopper (also called a roller chopper) during the spring and summer of 2006. The drum chopper pushes over small trees and shrubs and breaks them into pieces. During the summer of 2006, prescribed fire will be used in the treated areas to reduce the fuels pushed over by the drum chopper and return the nutrients to the soils.
An area "overstocked" with slash pine trees. Note the high density and small size of the trees in this patch of forest. This area will be treated with drum chopping and prescribed fire to thin out the trees.
