by Molly Bogeberg (Marine Conservation Manager), Amber Parmenter (Puget Sound Stewardship Coordinator), Randi Shaw (Stewardship Director), and Emily Howe (Aquatic Ecologist)
The Nature Conservancy in Washington tests explosives as a way to create and reconnect estuary channels at our Port Susan Bay estuary preserve, creating healthier habitat with fewer long-term consequences for the ecosystem than traditional methods.
Using dynamite for restoration may seem like a paradox, but at TNC’s Port Susan Bay Preserve, we explored dynamite as a way to create estuary channels. The inspiration behind this method was to see if explosives could reduce the ecological impact of channel creation in comparison to using heavy machinery.
From the ground up
In 2012, TNC took the first step toward restoring the Port Susan Bay estuary by reconnecting agricultural land to the sea, allowing the land to be re-flooded, and returning estuary habitat to the lower Stillaguamish River Delta.
