Spencer-Island

The organism  I chose to focus on today is Reed Canary Grass. Basically everywhere you look on Spencer Island you see Reed Canary Grass. Its near ponds, near sloughs, and even along the trail. It seems to be very happy in the north west. Reed Canary grass is actually an invasive species, therefore it has little or no natural predators in the area. This allows the grass to grow quickly and soon take over any marsh it calls home.

I mainly saw the Reed Canary Grass near waterways however it seemed to just need mud to grow. As we walked along the trail I saw any instances where this grass was growing along side the walkway.

The grass didn't seem to be doing much but upon further research I found that the grass is invasive. The grass roots help stop erosion and the stocks of grass give shelter to animals that call the marsh their home.

The most interesting thing I saw on the field trip to Spencer Island was the ship wreck near the south end of the island.

Nothing really changed how I feel about marshes. I know that they are important factors in keeping our waterways clean and fresh. It was really cool to see such a healthy estuary so close to an urban city.

Since Spencer Island is so close to Everett does it hurt the ecosystem even though no one is developing the land?