CICEET Progress Report for the period 9/16/06 Through 3/15/07

Project Title: Evaluating buoy-deployed seeding for restoration of eelgrass (Zostera marina) in San Francisco Bay
Principal Investigator(s): Katharyn E. Boyer
Additional Investigator(s): Laura Reynolds, Sandy Wyllie-Echeverria, Sarah Cohen, Brian Ort
Project Start Date: September 1, 2005

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Tasks to meet objectives
1) Collect flowering shoots from one remaining donor bed, place in seed bags, deploy at three restoration sites.
2) Check seed bags for release of developed seeds. Remove bags.
3) Deploy hazard and interpretive buoys.
4) Visit restoration sites periodically during fall and winter to check and repair experimental apparati.
5) Begin SCUBA or snorkeling surveys to estimate seedling and vegetative shoot densities at restoration sites (March 2007).
6) Install dataloggers and begin tracking salinity and other water quality parameters that may partly influence site-specific restoration success.
7) Process samples from donor beds for microsatellite analyses.
8) Work with Save the Bay staff and volunteers on multiple tasks. Develop project web page for outreach and dissemination of results.

Progress on Tasks
1) Flowering shoots were collected from the Crown Beach donor bed in late September. These were placed in the pearl nets and attached to buoys at three restoration experimentation sites. We reported on collections from two other donor beds in our last report.
2) Seed bags were removed from buoys in October/November, allowing each donor’s seeds to drop over a period of at least 6 weeks.
3) Hazard and interpretive buoys and anchors were assembled and deployed at restoration sites in October.
4) All restoration sites were visited at least once per month during the months of October through February. Buoys and bat ray exclusion fences were found to have remained in place during the winter months.
5) As this report deadline was moved forward 2 weeks, surveys have not begun during this reporting period (will begin in March as planned).
6) Dataloggers are not yet installed at the restoration sites. To accommodate dual PAR sensors for light attenuation measures, free standing holders must be constructed and made secure before equipment can be placed in the field.
7) Genomic DNA has been extracted, checked for purity, and quantified from all samples from the three donor sites. Genotyping at six microsatellite loci is under way. Conditions are being optimized for genotyping at two additional loci.
8) Please see outreach activities described below.

Have the results/data gathered during this reporting period changed the project objectives when compared to your original proposal?
No.

Dissemination activities during this reporting period
Workshops/ conferences/ trainings coordinated/conducted by your project team
Funded by the California Coastal Conservancy, K. Boyer and the project team convened a workshop (Nov. 3, 2006) with seven invited speakers from other regions to help inform eelgrass restoration science in San Francisco Bay. PIs Boyer, Wyllie-Echeverria, and Cohen reported on current CICEET and related work (see below, under presentations), End User Advisor Natalie Cosentino-Manning (NOAA Restoration Center) described the history of eelgrass study in San Francisco Bay, and project advisors Mark Fonseca and Chris Pickerell were two of the invited speakers. Approximately 50 people from resource agencies, the regulatory and regulated community, and academic institutions attended and participated in panel discussions. A proceedings document is being developed currently.

Project related presentations/poster sessions at workshops/conferences:
Boyer, K. E, L. K. Reynolds, and S. Wyllie-Echeverria. Invited. Experimental evaluation of eelgrass seeding and transplantation techniques in an urbanized estuary: lessons from San Francisco Bay. Special session on SAV restoration throughout the US. Restore America’s Estuaries annual meeting, New Orleans, LA, December 2006.

Boyer, K. E., L. K. Reynolds, S. Wyllie-Echeverria, C. S. Cohen, M. Fonseca. Invited. Seagrass conservation in San Francisco Bay: the merging of science, restoration, and policy. Symposium: Conservation Science and the Status of Marine Habitats. Western Society of Naturalists annual meeting, Redmond, WA, November 2006.

Boyer, K. E., L. K. Reynolds, S. Wyllie-Echeverria, and S. Cohen. Experimental evaluation of eelgrass (Zostera marina) restoration techniques in San Francisco Bay. San Francisco Bay Eelgrass Restoration Workshop, November 2006.

Boyer, K. E. The potential role of hard substrate (oyster shell) in aiding establishment of eelgrass. Field trip presentation, overlooking pilot oyster shell reef/eelgrass project funded through CICEET. West Coast Native Oyster Restoration Workshop, September 2006.

Cohen, C.S., B. Ort, E. Crumb, K. E. Boyer, L. K. Reynolds, and S. Wyllie-Echeverria. Genetics considerations in San Francisco Bay and beyond. San Francisco Bay Eelgrass Restoration Workshop, November 2006.

Wyllie-Echeverria, S. and J. Jarvis. Seagrass restoration with seeds: conservation issues. San Francisco Bay Eelgrass Restoration Workshop, November 2006.

Wyllie-Echeverria, S., A. Hysert, Z. Hughes and K.E. Boyer. Does variation in the weight of Zostera marina seeds influence the depth at which germination can occur? Pacific Estuarine Research Society, University of Victoria, Victoria, B.C., February 2007.

Outreach Activities
In February 2007, we met with Marilyn Latta, Habitat Restoration Director at Save the Bay, to plan staff and volunteer participation in upcoming monitoring of our restoration experimentation sites. We are also working to schedule one or more public seminars to explain the project and educate about eelgrass habitats and volunteer opportunities. A web site describing the project and disseminating results has been developed and will go online within the next few months. A Save the Bay website continues to showcase the project and announce upcoming volunteer opportunities.

Contact with End User Advisor
We communicate with periodic emails/calls to Natalie Cosentino-Manning (NOAA Restoration Center) to update her on project activities. We interacted with her to develop the format for a San Francisco Bay Eelgrass Restoration Workshop held last November, and currently are working with her to develop a “lessons learned” document.

Student activity (e.g. theses, dissertations, etc.) on the project (please identify students as graduate or undergraduate)
Many students participated in the project in 2006/2007:
Boyer lab research technician Laura Reynolds has just begun doctoral work at the University of Virginia (advisor, Karen McGlathery) but continues to be actively involved in the project.

SFSU masters student Lindsey Carr is participating in all aspects of the project, and is now pursuing epifauna sampling and evaluation of impacts on eelgrass as part of her thesis project. Ms. Carr is a student of K. Boyer.

SFSU masters student Esa Crumb contributed to development of bulk DNA extraction methods to increase efficiency of genotyping and is helping with the genotyping currently in progress. Ms. Crumb is a student of S. Cohen.

SFSU senior Gavin Archbald has contributed extensively to fieldwork and has developed an undergraduate thesis project evaluating flowering phenology and detachment timing. He is funded through an NSF Biology/Math program fellowship in K. Boyer’s lab.

SFSU seniors Gwen Santos, Nishad Patel, and Biaca Dailey have assisted with fieldwork and sample processing as student interns with K. Boyer.

UW senior Kate Selting participated in 2006 fieldwork and is using her experience as part of a senior project in the 2006/07 academic year. Ms. Selting continues to work on seagrass related projects in the lab of S. Wyllie-Echeverria.

UW senior Adam Baines participated in 2006 fieldwork and completed a 1 unit Independent Study with S. Wyllie-Echeverria during Spring term 2006.

UW doctoral student Ginger Shoemaker participated in 2006 fieldwork and used insight gained to form her research prospectus. Ms. Shoemaker is a student of S. Wyllie-Echeverria.

Doctoral student Jessie Campbell Jarvis from Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS), after participating in 2006 summer fieldwork on this project, has decided to expand her research program to include work in San Francisco Bay. Ms. Jarvis is a student of Dr. Ken Moore, VIMS, and Dr. S. Wyllie-Echeverria is on her committee.

Difficulties
Apparent amphipod damage to flowers at the Crown Beach donor bed led us to reschedule our collection there until late September. In a related project funded by NOAA Restoration Center, we had similar difficulties in collecting flowering shoots at another extant bed (Point San Pablo) in 2005. In both cases, extensive monitoring led us to schedule flower collection for optimal development, yet flowers were badly damaged upon our arrival, coincident with high densities of the native amphipod Ampithoe valida. Research technician Laura Reynolds and masters student Lindsey Carr have been conducting preliminary experiments to assess the impacts of amphipod grazing and what seems to be a preference for flowering shoots and perhaps seeds. We are concerned that amphipod damage could negatively impact future attempts at restoration by seed in San Francisco Bay.

Buoys and bat-ray exclosures are attracting migratory birds in large numbers, so much so that CA Audubon and USGS scientists have begun monitoring bird use in and out of buoy arrays at the Richardson Bay restoration experimentation site. We are not sure whether to categorize this as a “difficulty”, as it is unclear whether any of the birds will consume eelgrass transplants or seedlings, or if there will be a fertilization effect of feces, which could have positive or negative effects.

Dataloggers, because of their dual PAR sensors, need to be set up away from pilings and overhead structures to avoid shading. We will be delayed approximately one month in our deployment of the dataloggers at the restoration sites as we are in the process of fabricating stands and a locking system to protect the loggers from theft/vandalism.

Data Generated to date
We will begin collecting data on establishment and persistence of eelgrass seedlings and transplants beginning in March 2007.

Project Objectives for Next Reporting Period

Objectives
1) Conduct monthly monitoring of seedling establishment and transplant success at restoration sites.
2) Conduct monitoring of pilot eelgrass seeding and transplants adjacent to oyster shell reefs at the MRGC.
3) Track environmental variables using dataloggers throughout the growing season at restoration sites.
4) Complete analysis of donor bed genetic data.
5) At two time points, collect tissue from recruited seedlings for genetic analysis.
6) Collect tissue from donor beds and restoration sites for nutrient analyses.
7) Observe condition of bat ray exclusion fences and repair as needed; remove when necessary (e.g., if become torn or otherwise damaged) to avoid damage to restored eelgrass.
8) Work with Save the Bay staff and volunteers when possible on monitoring tasks.
9) Continue to promote educational experience for students from SFSU, UW, VIMS, and UVA to supporting project objectives as well as develop related theses and senior projects.
10) Analyze and interpret data, produce final report, hold meeting to discuss results with end user advisor and other interested parties.

Dissemination Objectives for next reporting period
We plan to make our web page available to the public within the next few months and will post results as they become available. The project team will begin to disseminate results at local, regional, and national meetings, as applicable. We will conduct an informal meeting of interested resource managers and our end-user advisor to discuss results.

Overall Project Timeline Update
We are generally on track for our proposed timeline.

Expenditures
Expenditures were as expected for the project period.

End User Advisor Feedback
Name: Natalie Cosentino-Manning
Organization: NOAA Restoration Center
Location: Santa Rosa, CA
Phone number: 707-575-6081
E-mail:Natalie.c-manning@noaa.gov

At this stage, what are the potential applications for this research? Please discuss how you and others could potentially use the technology.
The NOAA Fisheries Restoration Center is looking towards restoring native eelgrass beds to San Francisco Bay. The traditional methods used in the past, such as whole plant transplants, have not been successful and therefore we are looking towards innovative methods to restore the beds. We hope to use the technology to restore injured eelgrass habitat due to anchor chains, oil spills, and groundings. We also are interested in enhancing stewardship possibilities by using techniques that the community can be involved with.

What are the key challenges to application of this technology? Please consider the technology itself as well as issues related to regulation, politics, socio-economic pressures, trends in the field etc.
We are learning that there are other natural factors that may inhibit the success of this technology. Amphipods, bat rays and birds (potentially) may affect the outcome of this technique. With regards to politics, efforts have been good to educate local and federal agencies on the benefits of restoring eelgrass beds. To date there has been no negative feedback.

Has anything changed about this project's potential applicability since the last reporting period?
No, I feel that we are learning a great deal of information from this project. I think that we are getting closer to understanding these beds and the potential use of this technique in San Francisco Bay.

Questions/comments/ suggestions for the researchers?
Continue to keep a log of issues that arise during your efforts especially those that may affect future management of the eelgrass resource.

PI Response to End User Advisor Feedback
We will be happy to keep a log of issues, and to continue to inform our End User/Advisor and other interested parties of our progress and findings.