05-04-08: Volunteers restore Jones Island shoreline

(c) Jacksonville Daily News

By Molly DeWitt

Two ferry boats, 25 volunteers and 6,000 marsh plants made their way to Jones Island on Friday.

Among the volunteers were members of the Swansboro High School environmental club, biology students from Coastal Carolina Community College and even a few out-of-towners vacationing in the area - all helping as part of the North Carolina Coastal Federation's ongoing effort to stabilize the island's eroding shoreline.

"Being (in) a beach community, I think it's important to restore. I mean that's what draws people to this area so it's important we keep it as pristine as possible," said Jennifer Lisowski, science teacher and advisor to the Swansboro High School environmental club.

Of the 6,000 plants, 4,000 were spartina alternaflora, or salt meadow hay, and 2,000 were spartina patens, more commonly known as smooth cordgrass.

The salt meadow hay is generally planted on the upper portion of the shoreline and the smooth cordgrass is planted on the shoreline and down into the water where the tide comes in and out. Both are native to the area and can withstand drought and saltwater.

"The plants root, and then the roots function to keep the sand and the sediment together," said Lexia Weaver, coastal restoration specialist with the N.C. Coastal Federation.

Not only do the marsh plants help reduce and prevent shoreline erosion, they also provide a habitat and food for a lot of small finfish and shellfish, said Sarah Phillips, education coordinator for the N.C. Coastal Federation. The grasses also help filter pollutants from runoff, she said.

Friday's planting effort will be one of at least 20 others by the N. C. Coastal Federation during April and May in the central coastal region, Phillips said.

"Our creeks, rivers and sounds have supported recreational activities for too long. We've got to start giving back so we can have them for generations to come," said Sam Bland, park ranger at Hammocks Beach State Park.

The N.C. Coastal Federation planted more than 4.500 marsh plants in the same area of Jones Island in October, but due to the harsh winter weather they didn't do very well, Weaver said. The increased frequency of tropical storms and hurricanes in the area is definitely affecting the shorelines, she said.

"Usually with lower shoreline restoration, we have to do two to three years of planting events before they start to reproduce on their own," Phillips said.

Onslow County Soil & Water Conservation District funded this particular planting event as part of the Community Conservation Assistance Program.

"We're funding 75 percent of the cost of the planting," said Bill Norris, program manager for Onslow County Soil & Water Conservation District. "Anytime we can reduce the amount of soil movement and revegetate areas not only for conservation but for water quality, we enjoy the heck out of it."

The N. C. Coastal Federation owns six of the 17 acres on Jones Island that it purchased through a grant from the North Carolina Clean Water Management Trust Fund. It is in the process of donating the land to Hammocks Beach State Park. Another seven acres of the island belong to the Audubon Society, which is also in the process of donating the land to the state park. The remaining acreage is privately owned, but the N.C. Costal Federation is looking into purchasing the land and donating it to the state park as well so the entire island would be protected through the park.

Part of the reason behind this planting effort is an attempt to restore the Jones Island shoreline before the N.C. Coastal Federation hands the land over to the state park, Phillips said.

Contact Swansboro/western Carteret reporter Molly DeWitt at mdewitt@freedomenc.com or 910-219-8457