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Spartina in Willapa Bay
Willapa Bay is one of the top biologically pristine estuaries remaining in the lower 48 states. Thousands of people depend on the bay's renewable natural resources for their livelihoods. Thousands more visit the bay each year to enjoy the natural beauty and recreational opportunities found here throughout the year.
In recent years, spartina grass--accidentally introduced from the eastern United States--has exploded in Willapa Bay, threatening the survival of both wildlife and the aquaculture industry in Willapa Bay. Willapa National Wildlife Refuge has entered into a ground-breaking partnership with a variety of groups including Washington State University and University of Washington, Washington State Departments of Agriculture, Natural Resources, and Wildlife, private landowners, oyster growers, the Nature Conservancy, and other private interest groups to eradicate spartina from Willapa Bay.
Willapa NWR, along with its partners, is using every available means in its goal to eradicate spartina from Willapa Bay before it does irreversible damage. Where the spartina has formed large meadows, the refuge is using large amphibious machines with precision sprayers. These machines are equipped with sensors on their spray head which detect whether the spray nozzles are over water/mud or spartina, releasing chemical only when over spartina. Helicopters are also used to aerially spray large meadows and large clone fields. Hand-crews on airboats attack the seedlings, individual plants, and small clones as well as wherever the larger amphibious machines and helicopters can't travel. Rototilling was also used, but was too slow to keep pace with spartina's rapid expansion. Rototilling is, however, very useful in rehabilitating selected areas for immediate use by shorebirds. The University of Washington in cooperation with Willapa NWR and state agencies is continuing the introduction of Prokelisia marginata (an insect) for biological control as an additional weapon in the war to preserve Willapa Bay for both wildlife and people.
For more information, visit the Friends of Willapa NWR's page on spartina.
| Impacts of Spartina in Willapa Bay | |
| Biological | |
| Shorebird migration stopover | Western species of shorebirds are unable to feed or rest in areas infested with spartina. Hundreds of thousands of shorebirds migrating between wintering grounds in Mexico and feeding grounds in Canada and Alaska depend on Willapa Bay. |
| Salmon rearing habitat | Juvenile salmon depend on the shallow eelgrass beds to grow and develop before heading out to the ocean to mature. As the spartina overtakes these beds, less and less habitat is available for salmon. |
| Waterfowl | Willapa Bay was historically a major wintering area and migration stopover for ducks, geese, and swans...especially black brant geese. As spartina increases, the eelgrass beds these birds depended on for feeding decrease. |
| Economic | |
| Shellfish Industry | The oyster and clam industry is one of the largest employers in Willapa Bay. Spartina invades the shellfish beds, making it difficult to harvest, burying the existing shellfish in trapped sediment, and raising the elevation of the beds above where shellfish survive. |
| Crab Industry | Crab use eelgrass beds in Willapa Bay as feeding and rearing grounds. As the eelgrass beds are overtaken by spartina, less habitat is available for crab. |
| Recreation & Tourism | Thousands of visitors come to Willapa Bay each year to kayak, birdwatch, hunt waterfowl, and enjoy the natural beauty. |
| Mosquitoes | Spartina meadows provide an ideal breeding ground for salt marsh mosquitoes. Aside from their nuisance effect, mosquitoes can also carry diseases such as West Nile Virus. |
Willapa
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3888 SR 101, Ilwaco, WA 98624
360-484-3482
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