Marsh Die-off By Mary Landers, Savannah Morning News January 12, 2003. "A league and a league of marsh-grass, waist-high, broad in the blade, Green, and all of a height, and unflecked with a light or a shade, Stretch leisurely off, in a pleasant plain, To the terminal blue of the main." From "The Marshes of Glynn" by Sidney Lanier." Patches of dead marsh grass have shown up in all six coastal Georgia counties, leaving researchers to wonder if it's a fading blue crab population, chemical spills or altered sediment flow causing the change. The "pleasant plain" of salt marsh - celebrated more than a century ago by Georgia poet Sidney Lanier - still defines the coast. But for some reason those grasses don't seem as healthy as when Lanier penned his verse. And no one knows why. Randy Buck was among the first to recognize the problem. Buck tools around the Jerico River near Midway several times a week, troubleshooting the outboard motors he fixes for a living. About two years ago he noticed marsh grass dying. "We started seeing the marsh balding just like a head going bald," he said. Instead of wavy green grass turning amber in the fall, whole stalks turned brown and died. What's left behind looks like a moonscape of brown marshmallow. A stubble of dead grass pokes out of the slippery wet mud. Motorists on Interstate 95 can see the die off at the Jerico River bridge near Midway. What used to be grassy marsh is now several hundred acres of mud. The marsh grass sickened here and there, slowly at first. Buck, whose Liberty County boat yard is littered with motors and boats and dogs begging for a friendly scratch, says he's "no tree hugger." But the die-offs worried him, so he alerted the state Department of Natural Resources about them last spring. Jan Mackinnon, a DNR biologist, then coordinated efforts to take updated aerial photographs of the coast. DNR, along with the Georgia Coastal Research Council, rallied biologists, ecologists and other researchers from the University of Georgia, Georgia Sea Grant, Savannah State University, Sapelo Island National Estuarine Research Reserve, Gray's Reef National Marine Sanctuary, the Georgia Coastal Ecosystems Long Term Ecological Research program and the Skidaway Institute of Oceanography to examine the issue. The researchers identified areas of marsh die-off in all six coastal counties. They're still trying to determine how many acres are affected. So far they have only hypotheses about why the grass is dying. Two species of marsh grass are affected: Spartina alterniflora, commonly called smooth cordgrass, and Juncus roemerianus or black needle rush. Spartina, the dominant grass, is no shrinking violet. In Washington state, where it's not native, "Spartina Watches" look for new patches of the grass so they can rip them out before Spartina gets too established. Volunteers are told to dump the plants in a landfill lest any fugitives re-establish themselves. "It's not a delicate plant," said Chandra Franklin, professor of biology at Savannah State University. "The reason it's dying here must be that something drastic is happening to it." Franklin, whose long-term work involves genetically engineering Spartina for use as a bioindicator of heavy metals, verified that samples from sick-looking sites were dead. Roots from the test sites on the Jerico and Tivoli rivers won't be regenerating in the spring, he said. "If it looks dead above, there's probably no hope underground," he said. So what's killing such a robust plant in Georgia? Marshes in Louisiana and Florida have experienced die offs, and scientists are similarly stumped as to the cause. Joe Richardson, professor of marine sciences at Savannah State University, has heard lots of theories. Maybe it's because the blue crab population is low, some say. Without crabs, the periwinkle snails they feed on proliferate and damage the grass. Others suggest chemical spills. Or altered sediment flow into the marshes. In preliminary studies, scientists at the University of Georgia in Athens have grown healthy Spartina in soil from a dead marsh site, suggesting the problem is not in the soil. And on Oatland Island, a small patch of die-back doesn't seem to have an unusual number of snails. There could be multiple causes, Richardson said. Even the die off patterns are mysterious. "Sometimes you have a patch right in the middle that goes," Richardson said. "There's no rhyme or reason to it." How to help The Georgia Department of Natural Resources is looking for information from the public about other areas of distressed salt marsh, as well as photos, maps and history related to these areas. Those interested in helping to monitor sites by photographing changes are asked to take photos periodically - ideally once a month - at low tides with consistent coverage. To report potential distress sites, assist with monitoring or for more information, contact: Jan Mackinnon (912) 262-3048 jan_mckinnon@coastal.dnr.state.ga.us, Joe Richardson, Savannah State University richards@savstate.edu. What's next: The Department of Natural Resources is mapping known areas of marsh die off and estimating the number of acres affected. Lab results expected this winter will help guide further lab and field research. The Savannah Morning News will update readers as results become available. Copyright 2002/2003 Savannah Morning News. All rights reserved.