Nothing could rattle the 13 members of the Mobile County Wildlife and Conservation Association (MCWCA) as they gathered Nov. 10 with Randy Roach from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Mobile Bay National Estuary Program to plant black needle rush (Juncus romerianus) plants on a sand bar in the bay.

The possibility of sinking in thick, black mud didn’t phase them. Neither did the activity generated by the FLW Stren Series Fishing Tournament being held nearby. They were people with a purpose, and wouldn’t be distracted.

Before all was said and done, 700 of the salt marsh plants were in place and a needed ecosystem was in a good position to spring to life.

The site is a quarter-mile south of the Causeway near the Baldwin-Mobile line and across the Tensaw River from USS Alabama Battleship Memorial Park. It was chosen for its salinity, visibility and the lack of similar grasses nearby.

“It never had a lot of vegetation growing on it because it’s spoil,” said Tom Herder, Mobile Bay NEP science communicator. “We gave it a start. We’re going to go back eight times this month.”

Herder said it took only 45 minutes to do the job this time, which seemed to surprise him. It went so well that the group plans to set out another 5,000 plants over the next few weeks. Although exposed at low tide, the resulting salt marsh will be a boon for the environment, he said.

Salt marshes are known to be among the most productive ecosystems, providing food, shelter, nursery areas and habitat to many estuarine species.

“It provides so many services,” Herder said. “It stabilizes the sediment, and could by and by become uplands. It’s a large part of the base of the food chain. It’s habitat for commercial and recreational fish (and shellfish) — gives them a place to take care of themselves. It provides oxygen for the water, and is a place to breed and a place to spawn.”

Salt marshes also help improve water quality, Herder said, by removing nutrients from the water column.

“If you drive over a bridge and see the grass below you, it doesn’t look very diverse at all,” he said. “But, it rivals anything on the planet, including rain forests.”

The partnership between the MCWCA, Mobile Bay NEP and USFWS ensure the site is monitored. Herder said it is an excellent demonstration of how government agencies and private organizations can work together for salt marsh restoration.

Two happy byproducts of the project are its educational and research components.

“We could put bulkheads around the whole bay and tell our young’uns what it used to be like,” he said. “(Education) wasn’t necessarily the design. It’s just serendipity.”

Asked about plant growth, Herder said, “If we see nothing happen, we’re going to have to ask questions about that. If it is good, we’re going to have to ask about substrate and salinity.” The grasses should experience substantial growth in the spring, he added.

For more information, or to volunteer to help with restoration efforts in the Mobile Bay estuary, call Kara Lankford at (251) 431-6409, or e-mail klankford@mobilebaynep.com.