Nebraskaland

Nebraskaland June 2020

NEBRASKAland Magazine is dedicated to outstanding photography and informative writing with an engaging mix of articles and photos highlighting Nebraska’s outdoor activities, parklands, wildlife, history and people.

Issue link: http://mag.outdoornebraska.gov/i/1253394

Contents of this Issue

Navigation

Page 31 of 75

32 Nebraskaland • June 2020 Saving Saltwort Returning Salt to Salt Marshes By Gerry Steinauer he state endangered plant saltwort grows in salt marshes in Lancaster County and nowhere else in our state. Unfortunately, decline of the marshes during the past 150 years has left this species hanging on by a thread. I held little hope of saltwort surviving in Nebraska until I recently learned of a creative new restoration method for returning salt to the damaged marshes. A Uniquely Adapted Plant Within salt marshes, saltwort (Salicornia rubra) grows mainly on salt fl ats. Wet much of the year, these clay fl ats dry in summer and evaporation wicks salt to the soil surface, forming a white, crystalline crust. The fl ats are a trying environment for plants. Salt marshes, also known as saline wetlands, are a rare habitat throughout the Great Plains. Prior to settlement, these wetlands occupied about 20,000 acres in Lancaster County, mainly in the Salt, Little Salt and Rock creek valleys. Though uncommon in the Plains, saltwort is common in saline, inland habitats in western states. Saltwort is a compact annual with a waxy stem and tiny, scale- like leaves, features that limit water loss. A nibble of the stem confi rms T Saltwort grows on a submerged saltfl at at Little Salt Creek West Wildlife Management Area in Lancaster County. PHOTO BY JON FARRAR

Articles in this issue

view archives of Nebraskaland - Nebraskaland June 2020