IMPACT
Remediating one of
the world’s nature wonders
In the wake of the wetlands’ industrial past, a series of ongoing initiatives are improving the overall ecology, protecting critical species, and mobilizing the community.
Remediating one of
the world’s nature wonders
In the wake of the wetlands’ industrial past, a series of ongoing initiatives are improving the overall ecology, protecting critical species, and mobilizing the community.
Our remediation philosophy is grounded in minimally invasive interventions designed to improve the overall health of flora and fauna, while constantly adapting to the site’s evolving complexion as it responds to change.
The vast majority of The Salinas Nature Reserve consists of intertidal lagoons that were significantly altered when the site operated as an industrial salt complex in the 1970’s. In a feat of modern engineering, dykes, berms and levees channeled seawater into one square mile of shallow, inland hypersaline ponds that enabled salt harvesting through solar evaporation.
A tugboat would transport the sea salt from the lagoon interior to the coastline, where the salt would be transported, processed, and sold. While much of the lagoon system remains impacted by restricted water flow and hypersaline conditions, nature has begun to reclaim the wetlands over time. Since the salt operation’s closure, native flora and fauna have increased in population as well as diversity. Our job now is to advance the reclamation work that nature has already begun, while using modern technology and resources to imagine a new future for this critical wetlands habitat.
PARTNER WITH US
The Salinas Nature Reserve is designed to be cherished for generations to come, which means protecting the species that make this part of the world so special in perpetuity.
Intertidal wetlands like The Salinas Nature Reserve provide protected breeding grounds, rest stops, and permanent habitats for many marine and terrestrial species in the Caribbean, including shorebirds, fish, and epifauna. Establishing disturbance areas throughout the nature reserve helps to ensure the health and survival of plants and animals that the overall ecosystem depends on.
The wetlands are home to a wide breadth of both migratory and resident birds, including American Flamingo, West Indian Whistling Duck, White-Crowned pigeon, Reddish Egret, Snowy Plover, Kirtland’s Warbler, Bahamas Mockingbird, Osprey, and Bahama Mockingbird, amongst many others. Low disturbance areas around these birds’ nesting sites help preserve food sources and maintain peaceful habitats for populations to continue to grow.
Bonefish, lemon shark, snapper, barracuda, and sergeant major can be found throughout The Salinas Nature Reserve lagoons. Along the coast, Parrotfish, Snapper, Nurse Shark, Horse eye Jack, Blue Tang and others are readily spotted. Protecting nursery sites and establishing no-take zones for bonefish and grouper, two particularly important species from a conservation point of view, will enable stable population growth over time.
Queen conch, stingray, blue crabs, sponges, and corals— including mustard hill coral, finger coral, star coral, amongst others—are found throughout the interior lagoons and coastal waters. Low disturbance areas and coral regeneration programs contribute to creating additional healthy habitats for surrounding marine fauna. Establishing conch nursery zones and no-take areas enable the regrowth of an economically and ecologically important species that is projected to become endangered in the near future.
The Salinas Nature Reserve is ushering in a new era of economic growth and community empowerment.
Since the late 1980’s, The Salinas Nature Reserve site—a significant portion of Long Island’s natural resources—has sat unused. This has contributed to underemployment and depopulation in Long Island. People with long standing family roots in Long Island remember the Diamond Crystal Salt years as a golden age for the island’s economy. Today, local community members often visit the site for fishing, ecotours, beaching, and hiking along the lagoon paths.
Through ongoing remediation efforts, The Salinas Nature Reserve is committed to employing local businesses and employees, as well as enabling long-term entrepreneurial opportunities through the Nature Reserve’s operation, management, and programming. Additionally, areas of the Nature Reserve will be dedicated to local community activities, such as youth education, boutique salt harvesting, aquaponics, and other initiatives.
