June 2020 • Nebraskaland 35
and continued through the summers
of 2018 and 2019. Having seen the
area before its restoration, I was
immediately impressed with the
vegetation response. In the north
wetland, reed canary grass and
narrow-leaf cattail were nearly absent
within a roughly 600-foot band below
the pipe (an area of about 15 acres).
"In the past, we did some aerial
herbicide spraying of these invasive
plants, but now the soil is too salty
for them," Schulz said. In their place
sea blite, saltgrass, marsh-elder and a
few other salt-loving plants now grow.
Their source, no doubt, was seed that
survived in the now-exposed saline
topsoil. Long-lasting seed is a survival
strategy of many wetland plants.
Future pumping likely will expand
the band of salinity and create more
saltfl ats.
In the south wetland, an area near
the pipe developed a salt crust last
summer, along with a small colony of
saltwort. This colony also originated
from once buried seed. To supplement
its native seed bank, late last summer
Malmstrom collected saltwort seed
from other local marshes. Last winter,
he and Schulz planted the seed at
Marsh Wren.
"I think it will take," he said. "The
seed I collected last summer seemed
good, the dried stems were thick and
robust. I have seeded saltwort in
other saltine wetlands but the plants
never took. I may have collected that
seed too late, after seed was already
dispersed."
In coming years, the pumping
of saline groundwater will likely
expand to other Lancaster County
salt marshes. Fortunately, the saline
aquifer below Lancaster County
is unsuitable for domestic and
agricultural uses, leaving plenty of
water for marsh restoration. Returning
the salt of the earth to Nebraska's salt
marshes might be saltwort's saving
grace.
N
Gerry Steinauer is a botanist for the
Nebraska Game and Parks Commission.
Dan Schulz sows saltwort seed at Marsh Wren.
