On the morning of July 14, 2015 the MarineFisheries
habitat team arrived at Thompson Island in Boston Harbor with nearly 4,000
freshly harvest eelgrass shoots and a boatload of planting equipment. The Outward Bound's Green Ambassadors were
eager and interested to learn about eelgrass restoration efforts. These
high-schoolers have been participating in a variety of terrestrial habitat
restoration projects around Thompson Island and were ready to get their hands
wet.
After a presentation about marine biology careers,
eelgrass ecology and resource management, the group got to work. Volunteers
tied eelgrass shoots to TERFs or "Transplanting Eelgrass Remotely with
Frames" units. After a couple of hours and a quick thunderstorm, we had a
total of 40 frames tied and ready to be deployed. Without the help of the
Green Ambassadors, the divers would have been preparing the frames for at
least a full day.
keep scrolling for more pictures and details about planting...
We quickly loaded the TERFs on the boat, said our goodbyes and headed out to Peddocks Island. Divers brought the TERFs underwater and secured them to the sediment using long metal stakes, every 2 meters along an 80 meter transect parallel to shore in approximately 8 feet of water (MLW). Sediment was sandy with gravel and shell hash - a bottom type that has been beneficial at several of our successful restoration sites. We are hopeful that this site's sediment, water quality, light penetration and energy characteristics prove suitable for our transplants to thrive - and look forward to checking in on them later this summer.
THANK YOU to the coordinators and volunteers at Thompson Island.
Have questions? Contact Jill Carr at 978-282-0308 x108 or jillian.carr@state.ma.us.
