Superstorm Sandy had dramatic impacts on coastal habitats such as beaches, dunes and wildlife refuges, according to a report.
After the storm, the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation tapped the American Littoral Society to coordinate an assessment of the storm's impacts on the environment, coastal habitats and the species that rely on them, according to the society.
The assessment focused on Delaware Bay, coastal New Jersey, the Hudson-Raritan Estuary, Jamaica Bay and Long Island Sound.
The Highlands-based society's partners were the Hudson River Foundation and Rutgers University's Grant F. Walton Center for Remote Sensing and Spatial Analysis.
The assessment identifies "realistic opportunities to address and remediate critical storm-related challenges" facing species. The information will help prioritize funding of projects, according to the Dec. 17 final report.
Here are some of the report's findings:
- Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge: Saltwater intrusion is an issue in the refuge, where severe damage to the dikes at Galloway Township allowed sea water to enter freshwater impoundments. Beach erosion and displacement are also severe, and it's unclear whether the system will recover on its own. Dunes were washed to the backside of the barrier islands, potentially creating new piping plover nesting habitat. But in several areas, sea water now can cross the islands at high tide. A major problem is household refuse and debris along the intertidal/forest areas, including 130 boats, more than 100 home heating oil tanks and 55-gallon drums, as well as pressurized propane tanks. Hardest hit are the Stafford/Tuckerton area and Brick Township. The many leaking home heating oil tanks and containers add the strong potential for contamination to concerns that the tidal marsh under the debris will be killed.
- Dunes and beaches: Many beaches along the Atlantic Coast were severely eroded. Dunes were flattened and sand was lost, lowering the beaches. The lower elevations leave the already compromised beaches vulnerable to additional impacts by exposing them to high or neap tide flooding, storm surges and wave action from winter storms. This could further erode nesting habitat for shorebirds such as the piping plover, and expose nests in the remaining habitat to flooding.
- New and moved habitat: In many areas, the storm surge from Sandy created new habitat by adding sand to beaches and barrier and spoil islands. Sandy also moved other habitat by pushing sand and dunes westward. While the creation of habitat is a plus for beach-nesting shorebirds and other shore and migratory species, it has also created a series of new problems that must be addressed. Much of this habitat has been created or moved to areas that are easily accessible and heavily used by people and dogs. Municipalities and other entities engaged in recovery efforts are unfamiliar with the habitat, which is extremely vulnerable to damage from ongoing bulldozing and moving of sand as towns attempt to replace dunes and shore up their beaches. Immediate steps must be taken to identify these new habitats and work with towns and the public to protect them from recovery efforts and human traffic. Protocols must be developed that address dune configuration, sand movement (scraping, transport), sand fencing, vegetation (planting and removal), beach raking and other traditional restoration and flood protection methods.
- Ineffective restoration/protection proposals: Resource managers throughout the project area expressed concerns about the potential for ineffective and harmful recovery projects, ranging from planting dune grass and creating dunes in the wrong areas to structural “solutions” such as sea walls and tide gates. Everyone expressed interest in an effort to demonstrate the effectiveness of more natural approaches, such as the restoration or creation of salt marshes, barrier islands, properly placed dune systems and dredge spoil islands.
Brick Mayor Stephen Acropolis gazes at debris in the Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge in Brick after superstorm Sandy (file photo by Bob Bielk)
Brick Mayor Stephen Acropolis checks out a Boston Whaler that ended up in the Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge in Brick following superstorm Sandy (file photo by Bob Bielk)
Mayor Acropolis with more debris in the refuge in Brick (file photo by Bob Bielk)
