Nature is pleased with simplicity. And ~Isaac Newto nature is no dummy. n
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Toward a Sustainable Future:
Monarchs on native Seaside Goldenrod
By Dr. Lenore Tedesco, Executive Director of The Wetlands Institute ustainability focuses on meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs. Environmental sustainability is one of the three pillars of sustainability along with economic and social sustainability. Seven Mile Beach faces significant challenges in the quest for sustainability that can balance community values with the realities of the 21st century. Island communities by their very nature have limited resources and in a rapidly changing world, the stresses on natural resources and island infrastructure are becoming ever more apparent and acute. Seven Mile Beach is really nothing more than a sandy ridge that was built up above the ocean over the past 10,000 years or less. It is extremely susceptible to the whims of the sea and storms. The very things that we all love about Seven Mile Beach and our island communities, place significant limits on the ability of these communities to remain sustainable into the future. The boroughs of Avalon and Stone Harbor have taken several steps that help move toward sustainability by adopting
S
Landscaping that is designed to capture runoff.
and promoting practices that strengthen the island communities and lessen the stresses that the island way of life has on our natural resources and built environment. There is a lot more to do and it’s important that our residents and property owners become literate in sustainability issues and their role in contributing to the achievement of sustainability. It is my hope that these “beach-read articles� can help with this education and also provide concrete steps that you can take to become part of the solution. In this article, I will focus on water management at the individual-lot level and suggest approaches that can also benefit wildlife. One significant problem for the sustainability of Seven Mile Beach is managing flooding and protecting the freshwater supply. The fresh-water supply on barrier islands is especially vulnerable to rising seas. Low-lying island streets flood with saltwater dozens of times each year even on sunny days; the result of rising seas. Storm intensity and frequency has measurably increased, bringing saltwater flooding as well as flooding by rainwater. Rainfall in New Jersey has increased 4-6 inches since the 1950s and this raincontinued on page 46
Seven Mile Times
August 2020
s e ve nm ile t im e s .c o m
Main Line Magazine
e 11 am to 3 pm
46
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continued from page 44
2015
...Better by a mile! Main Line Magazine
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nest Homemade ket! PS & & SALADS ps Salsas. 9 ts Prepared Daily. made Avalon’s Original Seafood Take-Out Restaurant er a large selection . A Shore Tradition esh Produce. for 38 Years!
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Purple Coneflower in mass at the Stone Harbor Bird Sanctuary.
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ing the need for irrigation. Impermeable surfaces, in contrast, cause water to run off properties into streets and ultimately to the storm drain network for discharge to the ocean. Most island properties are dominated by impermeable surfaces that include roofs, decking, driveways, and even turf grass. As the proportion of a building lot gets converted to a higher percentage of impermeable surface, runoff increases dramatically. A building lot that has natural land cover will absorb or evaporate back to the atmosphere all but 10% of the rain falling on it. A fully built-out lot dominated by impervious cover can have more than 55% of rainfall running off the lot. Stormwater pipe networks are overwhelmed, streets flood and the precious fresh water is diverted from recharging the ground to discharge points in the bay. During high tides and storm tides that can accompany intense rainfall events, elevated water
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Seven Mile Times
August 2020
Red Admiral Butterfly on Purple Coneflower.
Native garden at the Stone Harbor Bird Sanctuary.
s e ve nm ile t im e s .c o m
meth In all things of nature there is so ~Aristotle
ing of the marvelous.
Replacing curbside turf with stones reduces runoff.
levels in the bay prevent the gravity feed of the storm drain network from functioning, further exacerbating the flooding problems. Both Avalon and Stone Harbor have begun to rebuild and enlarge stormwater infrastructure and construct extremely expensive pump stations to address flooding issues. These flooding issues are
projected to continue to intensify under all sea level rise scenarios and projections of continuing climate changes. The reality is these fixes can only do so much and there are numerous things that property owners can do to help reduce the runoff coming from their properties. Some measures will undoubtedly need to come through building and lot ordinances, but
47
Water-reducing landscaping.
so much can be achieved voluntarily. It will take a thousand solutions to move the Seven Mile communities toward sustainability. Everyone needs to pitch in to get there. Evaluating properties for ways to increase impermeable surfaces is a great way to start. Consider porous paving stones for walkways and driveways. They
are made of material that allows water to soak into them rather than running off them. Consider diverting gutters into landscaped areas that are designed to absorb water. These can be underground areas that have been specially prepared to drain water quickly or they can be landscaped surface depressions. These so-called rain gardens can significontinued on page 48
Bringing Your Dreams Into Reality
P 215.248.1244 millanarchitects.com s e v e n m i le t im e s . com
August 2020
Seven Mile times
Study nature, love nature, stay close to natur e. It will never fail you. ~Frank Lloyd W right
48 continued from page 47
7’ Turf 6’ Grass 5’ 4’ 3’ 2’ 1’ 0’ -1’ -2’ -3’ -4’ -5’ -6’ -7’ -8’ -9’ -10’ -11’ -12’ -13’ Root structure of turf grass (left) vs. that of native plants.
cantly reduce runoff from a property. Rain garden plants are colorful and make pleasing landscape features. Reducing or eliminating turf grass is another important step. Turf grass has very shallow roots, requires a lot of water, and is a very poor surface for water infiltration. Replacing
turf grass with gardens or even stones will increase the amount of water that can soak into the ground instead of running off. In addition to contributing to island flooding problems, the built environment has contributed to dramatic losses
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of habitat. Aligning your garden and landscaping to be more natural provides many benefits to you, the island’s wildlife, and the sustainability of our island. Our heavily developed island leaves little room for nature, but this doesn’t need to be the case. Selecting landscaping op-
tions that utilize native plants provides a host of additional benefits. Native plants are low water users once they are established. They are adapted to the climate here and thrive without watering. They typically have extensive root systems that help increase the amount of water that soaks into the ground. This is water the plants use to prosper without additional watering while providing the added benefit of helping to reduce runoff that contributes to flooding. Native plants and native pollinators are inextricably linked and pollinators (think bees, butterflies and hummingbirds) are as vital to native plants as the plants are vital to them. A rich and beautiful garden is a place full of life. If you are interested in learning about native plants and gardening for wildlife, there are some great places to visit and learn. The Wetlands Institute has created native plant gardens that are specifically designed to support wildlife including butterflies, songbirds and other pollinators and reduce water usage. These gardens are at The Wetlands Institute and at the Stone Harbor Bird Sanctuary, built in partnership with the Borough of Stone Harbor. The Stone Harbor POA has constructed native plant gardens around the 95th Street Water Tower. They also part-
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ature will find themselves Those who find beauty in all of n elf. ~L. Wolfe Gilbert its at one with the secrets of life nered with the Borough to build a rain garden to manage parking-lot runoff there. The Borough of Avalon built a pollinator garden using native plants on the north side of Armacost Park and has adopted the use of native plants and other water-saving measures in Surfside Park, and new plantings around Bayside Park. These gardens have all been carefully designed to provide an array of services for the resident and migratory wildlife that use them. The overarching plan has been to restore the gardens using only native plants that, once established, will require little to no watering. The plant selections and garden compositions place an emphasis on providing critical needs to songbirds, hummingbirds, butterflies and other pollinators, while being colorful and interesting. Knowing the best plants for native gardens, as well as plants to be avoided, is an important first step. Make sure to ask your landscaper what they intend to plant in your gardens and avoid known problem plants that are high water
users and that don’t provide any benefits to wildlife. The ubiquitous hydrangea is one such plant. Unfortunately, many of the popular plants in island landscaping are poor choices for sustainable gardens. There are lots of resources you can use. One resource is the Stone Harbor Bird Sanctuary website (stoneharborbirdsanctuary.org) that provides maps of the gardens and a listing of native plants that can be found there. The New Jersey Invasive Species Strike Team (njisst.org) has lists of plants that should not be planted, and the Native Plant Society of New Jersey (npsnj.org) has information on native plants for our area. The gardens at The Wetlands Institute and the institute website are also a great resource. Property landscaping plays an important role in the natural value of Seven Mile Beach, and the choices that each landowner makes collectively has a dramatic impact. Every homeowner can join in the effort to help make our island more sustainable.
49
Join t h e P a rty ! The 6 th Annual
Su er Celebratiо
A virtual celebration benefitting The Wetlands Institute SILENT AUCTION July 30-August 13
LIVE EVENT August 6, 6:30-7:30 PM
Check out our fantastic silent auction items like.... ... elegant dining... ... wonderful original artwork...
~ We're Open! ~
... unique nature tours and experiences...
A Gift That Gives Back
The Wetlands Institute is open daily from 9:30am-4:30pm, and we have lots of fun activities for the whole family! • • • • •
Crabbing at the Dock Catch o’ the Day Creature Features Aquarium Feedings Salt Marsh Safari
... and much more!
• Beach and Dune Walks • Back-Bay Birding and Wildlife Tours • Back-Bay Kayaking • And much more!
A gift of membership at The Wetlands Then tune in at wetlandsinstitute.org on Thursday Institute - to yourself or someone evening, else - August is 6, as we broadcast live from The Wetlands Institute and connect with you in a virtual celebration! a great way to support our work and keep Social distancing measures in place connected with us. By helping usThe carry out auction opens on July 30 and stays open through A Giftour That Gives Back 13. Get your bids in early – and remember to keep critical conservation efforts,August it also an eye on your items so you can be the lucky winner! Agives gift of membership at The Wetlands Institute ecosystem and back to our coastal is a great way to support our work and keep Register today, and get ready to be part of something connected with us. By helping us carry all who depend on it.out our critical conservation efforts, it also gives back to our coastal ecosystem and all who depend on it.
amazing!
Members are at the foundation of all To register for the event and view and bid on items, Members are at Become the foundation of we we do. a allmember or give text Wetlands2020 to 76278 do. Become a member or give the gift of the gift and help or go to Wetlands2020.givesmart.com. membership andof helpmembership someone connect to the wonders of nature today. someone connect to the wonders nature today. Forof membership information, visit wetlandsinstitute.org/membership
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s e v e n m i le t im e s . com
For membership information, visit wetlandsinstitute.org/membership
August 2020
Seven Mile times