Inland Salt Marshes of Central New York

Alex Petzke, PhD student at SUNY ESF studying inland salt marshes

Saturday, July 20th | 10 am – 4 pm

Inland salt marsh is a globally rare and little-known ecosystem, and Central New York is one of the best places to see these fascinating wetlands and their salt-tolerant flora.

We will meet in the Howland’s Island Parking area 0.7 miles up Carncross Rd. after turning right off Savannah Spring Lake Rd., then walk 1.7 miles through the island’s forest, botanizing along the way, to reach one of the few high-quality inland salt marshes in New York. The trail should be dry, but insect spray is highly recommended. Next we will stop at another salt marsh surrounding a rare salt pond (slightly mucky), then finish the day at a successful constructed inland salt marsh site owned by The Wetland Trust. Target species for the trip include lesser saltmarsh sand spurry (Spergularia marina), salt-loving spike rush (Eleocharis parvula), and the state-rare American saltmarsh bulrush (Bolboschoenus maritimus ssp. paludosus) and annual saltmarsh aster (Symphyotrichum subulatum).

If you have any questions about the trip before registering,  please email inlandsaltmarsh@nyflora.org.

All NYFA field trips are free and open to all.