What is salt marsh hay and why was it so prized in Colonial times? Shaun Roche, Visitor Service Manager at the Stewart B. McKinney NWR will speak to the historic uses and value of our salt marshes.
A salt marsh is a tract of land located between the ocean mud flats and the grassy upland. It is subject to flooding by the tides twice daily. The inhabitants of the salt marsh must be able to withstand extreme changed in temperature and salinity. The salt marsh ecosystem has one of the highest productivity and biomass per square yard of any ecosystems in the world. It has been termed by many, the ocean's nursery. And salt marsh grass has a nutritional value for livestock that is much higher than that of normal hay.
Shaun will describe the marshes’ crucial habitat for unique species before telling the stories of thrifty farmers who toiled there to produce the sustainable fodder for their livestock.