Milton Harbor’s tidal wetlands, or salt marshes, are home to a variety of plants and animals. The marsh at Marshlands Conservancy and Rye Golf Club - the largest of its kind in Westchester - covers much of the harbor’s northeast shore. It especially attracts birds, which come to feed, breed, build nests and look for shelter. Common reed (Phragmites australis) is a highly invasive plant capable of degrading tidal ecosystems, including those in and around the harbor. Once established, reeds can quickly take over, forcing out native vegetation and disrupting delicate ecological balances. Nutrient-rich stormwater runoff contributed to the reeds’ relatively rapid encroachment
into the Conservancy and Golf Club wetlands. Other research shows that reeds do poorly or die in highly saline environments. To battle this species, two drainage channels were constructed through part of the marsh. The channels divert nutrient-laden stormwater away from the marsh. They also allow salt water from the harbor to better infiltrate it to reduce the density and slow the spread of Phragmites, thereby restoring and maintaining the integrity of the existing marsh. A small amount of reeds also were removed, replaced by smooth cordgrass, a native grass used by fish, shellfish and wading birds.
To View The Site: The best spot to view the salt marshes nex to Milton Harbor is at Marshlands Conservancy on the Boston Post Road in the City of Rye. From the parking lot, follow the trails through woodlands and/or a meadow to the salt marshes. The project site is next to Marshlands at the Rye Golf Club.