“As a result of the support from the Wetland Foundation, I was able to take two additional visits to my field site at Elkhorn Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve. During my first visit I was able to visit 14 different sites and evaluate measures of seed quality and germinability for the use of seeding Salicornia pacifica (pickleweed) for restoration. Preliminary results showed that higher elevation sites which are not frequently inundated might provide better seeds for sowing. During my second visit, I was able to establish many large scale seed addition plots to test this hypothesis and see if establishment improves. As we move toward increasing levels of sea level rise which will shift ecotones up and result in the loss of wetlands, this information will be critical for revegetating large areas of previous upland/now wetland regions, and add resilience to the coastal salt marshes.”
