1 2017 Cape May Plant Materials Center Progress Report of Activities

Development of a Cold Tolerant Variety of Sea Oats (Uniola paniculata) The NJPMC has continued work to develop a cold tolerant sea oats release to expand the planting options of dune revegetation projects and increase plant diversity on dune systems in the Mid-Atlantic region. The germplasm in development has proven to have cold tolerance, but has not been directly compared to commercially available varieties. Replicated plots of the cold tolerant variety and commercially available varieties from North Carolina and South Carolina nurseries were installed in the spring of 2017 at multiple locations in southern New Jersey to evaluate their survival outside of the currently recommended area of adaptation for the species. Additional seed production plots of all three varieties were installed at the NJPMC to evaluate seed production and seed viability. Additionally, to determine genetic similarities between our cold tolerant germplasm and the commercially available varieties, a PhD candidate at Stockton University, Matthew Bye, is performing a phylogenetic analysis. Thus far, the work has produced a phylogenetic tree of the cold tolerant germplasm,

The Cape May Plant Materials Center (NJPMC) provides plant solutions for natural resource conservation concerns pertaining to coastal shorelines, sand dunes, critical areas, and coastal grassland habitat serving the Mid-Atlantic region. Significant accomplishments and major activities or findings from 2017 are covered in this report.

Sea oats (Uniola paniculata) growing on the back dunes of Avalon, NJ.

United States Department of Agriculture

Cape May Plant Materials Center 2017 Annual Progress Report of Activities January 2017 1536 Route 9 North, Cape May Court House, NJ 08210 | Telephone: 609.465.5901 plant-materials.nrcs.usda.gov/njpmc

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the commercial germplasms from NC and SC, the Caminada Germplasm release from the Golden Meadow PMC, and four other unique germplasms originating from LA, VA, NC, and TX. This early genetic work has shown that the cold tolerant germplasm is more genetically similar to the commercially available NC germplasm than any other germplasms examined. Additional genetic work may be pursued using randomly amplified polymorphic DNAs (RAPD) to further examine genetic similarities between germplasms. Preliminary work using RAPDs has shown some variation between the cold tolerant germplasm and the commercial germplasms from NC and SC. Evaluating Revegetative Success of Native Species Following Chemical Treatment of Invasive Common Reed (Phragmites australis) In partnership with the Cape May County Department of Mosquito Control, NJPMC staff installed study plots at a tidal marsh ecosystem where common reed invasion has caused severely degraded conditions for native species. After applying physical and chemical common reed control measures, single species replicated plots of five native plants were installed: crimson eyed rosemallow (Hibiscus moscheutos), High Tide Germplasm switchgrass (Panicum virgatum), Southampton Germplasm prairie cordgrass (Spartina pectinata), sugarcane plumegrass (Saccharum giganteum), and eastern gamagrass (Tripsacum dactyloides). This study will evaluate the success of the native species to compete with and inhibit the reinvasion of common reed in restored wetlands. Findings of the study may be of value for planners using conservation practices 657 Wetland Restoration and 659 Wetland Enhancement. Percent coverage, native plant survival counts, and common reed biomass data will be collected at the end of each growing season for the duration of the study. Initial evaluations were completed this past fall showing excellent survival of High Tide Germplasm switchgrass and Southampton Germplasm prairie cordgrass while survival of sugarcane plumegrass and eastern gamagrass was poor. Prime Hook National Wildlife Refuge Reaps Benefits of the Seeds of Success Program The NJPMC entered into a reimbursable agreement with the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to support the development of an Eastern Seeds of Success (SOS) program in the fall of 2015. SOS is a national native seed collection program managed by BLM. The goal of the program is to collect wildland native seed for

Results of RAPDs showing variation of the cold tolerant and commercially available sea oats.

Installation of study plots to evaluate the ability of five native species to inhibit the reinvasion of invasive common reed.

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research, development, germplasm conservation, and ecosystem restoration. The NJPMC’s role in this project has been to store and clean seed collections. After two years the PMC staff has cleaned 833 unique seed collections. Nearly 450 seed collections have been sampled and shipped to an Agricultural Research Service (ARS) facility for long term germplasm storage. One of the primary recipients of seed collected for ecosystem restoration thus far has been Prime Hook National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). Superstorm Sandy severely altered the ecology of Prime Hook NWR inundating managed freshwater wetlands with saline storm surges and damaging protective dune barrier systems. The USFWS has used locally collected seed provided by the SOS program to restore about 4000 acres of tidal marsh and barrier beach ecosystems. NJPMC staff had the opportunity to visit the refuge this past year and see the progress that has been made in this massive restoration effort. Learn more about the project at the USFWS website or by watching this USFWS YouTube video. Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe and Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head Aquinnah Pilot Project The NJPMC had the opportunity to provide assistance for a pilot project addressing the climatic concerns of the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe and the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head Aquinnah. Both Tribes are located on the shores of Massachusetts and have expressed concern of environmental impacts due to climate change. The team working on the project included Tribe Elders, Tribal staff, an AmeriCorps VISTA intern placed by the American Indian Higher Education Consortium (AIHEC), and USDA employees from the Northeast Climate Hub, NRCS-MA, and the Plant Materials Program. From the list of environmental impacts, the Tribes stressed the importance of the restoration of culturally significant plant species that have shown decline in certain areas. The two species of greatest concern are eastern red cedar (Juniperus virginiana) and sweetgrass (Hierochloe odorata). The NJPMC was invited to provide assistance specifically for this concern. NJPMC staff visited several impacted sites to provide site assessments and discuss possible options for restoration efforts. NJPMC staff also assisted during the seed collection phase of the restoration efforts. Plans have been made to provide a training session at the NJPMC on seed processing methods and propagation techniques to Tribal staff and the AmeriCorps VISTA intern. To learn more about the project, visit the USDA Climate Hubs’ website.

Smooth cordgrass (Spartina alterniflora) pictured in the lower left corner being loaded for aerial seeding at Prime Hook NWR. Photo: USFWS

Site of Tribal concern due to the impact of more frequent storm events on the plant community, especially the eastern red cedar population.

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New Jersey Sea Grant Consortium Dune Manual Publication The New Jersey Sea Grant Consortium (NJSGC) orchestrated the writing and publication of the Dune Manual publication to provide an educational tool on the ecology of coastal ecosystems, how they mitigate coastal storms, and proper management and restoration strategies for healthy dune systems. The manual is the product of a group of experts from Federal agencies, nonprofit groups, and members of academia. Our own NJPMC manager, Christopher Miller, provided his expertise of coastal dune systems as a contributing author for the collaborative project. While the manual has a strong focus on the dune systems of New Jersey, much of the information and strategies discussed are applicable to the broader Mid-Atlantic coastal region. Download the PDF or order hard copies of the manual at http://njseagrant.org/dunemanual/.

Don Hamer: Earth Team Northeast Region Individual Volunteer Award Recipient Long time Earth Team volunteer and former NJPMC manager, Don Hamer, was awarded the 2016 Northeast Region Individual Volunteer Award. New Jersey State Conservationist Carrie Lindig presented the award to Don and remarked “We are so pleased that Don Hamer has been recognized for his contribution to this significant work”. The bulk of Don’s volunteer time has been focused on the development of a cold tolerant sea oats (Uniola paniculata) for release. Find out more about Don’s work as an Earth Team volunteer at the NRCS-NJ website.

Christopher Miller Receives Outstanding Professional Conservationist Award NJPMC manager, Christopher Miller, was presented the 2017 Outstanding Professional Conservationist Award from the New Jersey Association of Conservation Districts. The award recognizes Chris as a valued training resource for the New Jersey Association of Conservation Districts and the success of the many projects and outreach events of which he has been an integral partner of the Cape Atlantic Conservation District. Read more about the award in the Cape Atlantic Conservation District newsletter. Cape May Plant Materials Center The Cape May Plant Materials Center (NJPMC) was established in 1965 and is operated by the United States Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service. Approximately 80 acres of land are leased from the State of New Jersey for production and field studies while all infrastructure is situated on 8 acres of federally owned land. The NJPMC was added to the Plant Materials Program network of plant materials centers to address coastal restoration needs following Hurricane Donna of 1960 and to mitigate the impacts of future coastal storms. The NJPMC is ideally located to focus on coastal ecosystem conservation concerns given the location of the center near tidal marshes, coastal dune communities, and extensive wetlands.

Cover of NJSGC Dune Manual.

Don Hamer inspecting sea oats trial plantings.

Christopher Miller receiving the 2017 Outstanding Professional Conservationist Award.

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Program Emphasis The mission of the Plant Materials Program (PMP) is to find plant solutions to solve conservation problems through the development of plants and plant technology. The Plant Materials Program uses an integrated approach to transfer developed plant products and plant technology utilizing all NRCS staff levels, other government agencies, academic institutions, and private groups. The NJPMC provides plant solutions for natural resource conservation concerns pertaining to coastal shorelines, sand dunes, mined lands and critical areas, and coastal grassland habitat serving a nine-state area, including parts of Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, Massachusetts, Long Island- New York, New Jersey, North Carolina, Rhode Island, and Virginia.

Cape May PMC Staff Christopher Miller, Manager (609.536.6352) Scott Snell, Natural Resources Specialist (609.536.6354) Michael Yacovelli, Farm Foreman (609.536.6355)

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