Volunteers to plant shrubs in boro

MONMOUTH BEACH - The Monmouth County Chapter of Ducks Unlimited will be planting shrubs on May 13 for the final stage of the island restoration project.

Volunteers are scheduled to meet at 11:30 a.m. at the foot of Shrewsbury Drive and will be on the island by noon to start planting bushes. The event will be held rain or shine.

The Shrewsbury River Project is an undertaking by Ducks Unlimited, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) and the borough of Monmouth Beach to restore up to 5 acres of the salt marsh island in the Shrewsbury River.

The river islands were historically very valuable to bluebills, buffleheads and other diving ducks for wintering habitat, and also served as nesting habitat for black ducks.

During river-dredging projects in the early 20th century, many of the islands became dredge disposal sites, thus ruing their natural ability to provide food for waterfowl and other wildlife.

This spring, heavy equipment will be barged to the island to begin the island restoration project. The equipment will be used to move old dredge spoils and form much higher habitats where beneficial native plants like sand cherry and beach plum can grow.

The lower areas will be restored to very low elevations, where invasive plants like Phragmites australis (or common reed), will not be able to grow. USFWS and other partners will supplement the earthmoving with planting vegetation that is beneficial to ducks, including cordgrass and salt marsh bulrush.

The Ducks Unlimited goal with this project is to not only restore the single island, but to set a precedent to restore other, larger islands throughout the Shrewsbury River. With continued support from local Ducks Unlimited volunteers and donors, the goal is to continue educating new landowners and groups and to encourage similar restoration project on islands.

For more information, call Lou Tocci at (908) 415-3596 or e-mail at onecrab20141 @yahoo.com.