WEST POND LIVING SHORELINE RESTORATION PROJECT
Extreme tidal action from Superstorm Sandy washed away the most vulnerable edge of Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge’s freshwater West Pond, which serves as a vital stopover for migrating birds, and a permanent home for thousands of crustaceans, amphibians, pollinating insects, and native vegetation. The intrusion of saltwater destroyed this ecosystem’s balance.
In 2012, Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge’s freshwater West Pond was breached. This project is a story of ecological recovery and adaptive management.
262,000+
native plants installed
Today the land protecting the West Pond is broad and lush with native marsh grasses. JBRPC and partner organizations installed more than a quarter-million plants. Over 2,400 linear feet of shoreline was expanded with 51,000 cubic yards of sand, creating over nine acres of new habitat at the Refuge. Given the highly dynamic tidal environment, success was not guaranteed, and progress was not always linear.
51,000
cubic yards of sand added
5,000+
breakwater structures deployed
Salt Marsh Cordgrass (Spartina alternifora) anchors the shoreline in the low marsh, while other salt tolerant grasses, herbs and flowering plants buttress the higher marsh elevations and improve habitat for pollinators, other insects and birds.
Breakwater structures like clamshell bags and coir logs are ideal protectors of fresh plantings because they are made of natural materials, designed to break down over time. In the case of the West Pond Living Shoreline, these breakwaters disintegrated too soon, leaving the waterline vulnerable to wave action.
23
acres of habitat created or restored
100
fascines (recycled trees) placed
Despite careful planning, a year after the initial planting in 2021 (above), less than 10 percent of our marsh grass plugs remained (below). The shoreline was mostly bald, and susceptible to erosion. This first failure showed us how to redirect our efforts.
In 2023, we strategically replanted 60,000 marsh grass plugs, piloting new tactics to strengthen the shoreline — clustering plants to foster the co-mingling of roots, installing plants within burlap to stabilize sediment, and bolstering already successful areas at higher elevations (below).
Recycled Christmas trees were installed as breakwater structures to protect the newly installed plugs (below). Hundreds of feet of these fascines are restored each year, after trees are collected from local NYC Parks. Their value comes not just from blocking wave action, but trapping the sediment transported by the tides and building the shoreline.
The West Pond Living Shoreline project is an exemplar of nature based solutions to ecological management. Since the establishment of the Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge in 1951, its ponds and their surroundings have been a haven for over 300 species of birds, and a model for preserving biodiversity within a major metropolitan area. Today, the refuge remains a keystone of Jamaica Bay’s salt marshes, which mitigate coastal flooding and filter urban pollutants from our waters.
The West Pond Living Shoreline project is a marquee example of nature based solutions to ecological management. Through rapid, repeated surveys of the shore, and following readjustments, the integrity of the West Pond and the ecosystem of the Wildlife Refuge will remain strong for generations to come.
Jamaica Bay-Rockaway Parks Conservancy (JBRPC) and the National Park Service repaired and restored the West Pond and its shoreline following years of organizing and restoration efforts. The Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge is often subject to volatile wind and waves originating from the mouth of New York Harbor, making sediment stabilization a stern test. Success was achieved through an iterative process of monitoring, assessing and adjusting strategies to allow the living shoreline to thrive.
Photos 2021 - Present:
