Gouverneur Dune Restoration: Final Phase Underway
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The final phase of Gouverneur dune restoration is underway. The success of the initial project was the impetus to complete this extraordinary experiment in whole ecosystem restoration. The remaining dunes covering a length of over 200m of beach are being restored in this phase. In October, the team began work by shaping the curve of the sand to mimic that of the original dune. Planting started in early November, and was completed in a week.
There are several differences in this effort. For instance, if you look at the habitat at the far end of the beach, you’ll notice that it is more elevated, and that wave action tends to be stronger. Here the team planted more shrubby mid-dune and back dune Cocoloba plants (image below left). If you walk towards the center of the beach you’ll find a more of traditional beach and dune habitat and observe a different composition of plants, including more of the fore and mid-dune plants (image below right).
There are several differences in this effort. For instance, if you look at the habitat at the far end of the beach, you’ll notice that it is more elevated, and that wave action tends to be stronger. Here the team planted more shrubby mid-dune and back dune Cocoloba plants (image below left). If you walk towards the center of the beach you’ll find a more of traditional beach and dune habitat and observe a different composition of plants, including more of the fore and mid-dune plants (image below right).
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Nature gave us a unique helping hand. In a rare and noteworthy event (reported by the New York Times), this summer large amounts of sargassum weed came ashore throughout the Caribbean beaches, including on Gouverneur. This weed is a natural fertilizer of dune vegetation. The team at Gouverneur gathered the weed and used it for the new plantings, as fertilizer for the existing plants, and to compost for future use. (Image to left, above and below). (For more on sargassum click here)
We have reworked our monitoring approach based on lessons learned from the rapid growth rates of the previous phase. Go here to learn why. We are using vertical stakes to monitor height and horizontal spreading.
When you visit Gouverneur, please walk along the beach and enjoy the beauty of the dunes and the benefit that they provide in stabilizing sand. But please allow them to recover and don’t trample on them. It’s easy to imagine that one person can have no effect on such a lush system, but scientific studies have shown that in these fragile systems, even 10 footsteps can cause visible damage that takes 10 years to repair. Gouverneur dunes are still young and recovering.
When you visit Gouverneur, please walk along the beach and enjoy the beauty of the dunes and the benefit that they provide in stabilizing sand. But please allow them to recover and don’t trample on them. It’s easy to imagine that one person can have no effect on such a lush system, but scientific studies have shown that in these fragile systems, even 10 footsteps can cause visible damage that takes 10 years to repair. Gouverneur dunes are still young and recovering.