BELLINGHAM - John Rybczyk, professor at Western Washington University's Huxley College of the Environment, has received a $24,318 grant from the Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife (WSDFW) to research the effectiveness of cordgrass-control efforts in Willapa Bay.
Atlantic cordgrass, spartina alterniflora, is an invasive marsh grass that is rapidly displacing the bay's native coastal systems, making them unable to support the clams, oysters, Dungeness crab, salmon and shorebirds that live in the estuary.
Willapa Bay is located in the southwestern corner of Washington state and is home to an economically vital oyster and seafood processing industry; nearly 10 percent of all U.S. oysters are harvested there.
"One of the things that happens when Spartina invades is that it traps sediments and changes the elevation of the marsh or mudflat," said Rybczyk. "I am looking at how fast the elevation changes and at how fast it reverts back to the normal elevation once the spartina is removed."
Rybczyk will team up with scientists from the WSDFW and Washington State University to try different techniques for sediment removal.
Brian Bingham, another Huxley professor participating in the grant, is examining how spartina changes the community of invertebrates that inhabit the mudflat and eelgrass systems.
For more information, contact Rybczyk at (360) 650-2081 or email John.Rybczyk@wwu.edu.
WWU's Huxley College of the Environment is one of the oldest environmental colleges in the nation and a recognized national leader in producing the next generation of environmental stewards. The College's academic programs reflect a broad view of the physical, biological, social and cultural world. This innovative and interdisciplinary approach makes Huxley unique. The College has earned international recognition for the quality of its programs.
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