DATE: Friday, June 20, 1997                 TAG: 9706200703

SECTION: LOCAL                   PAGE: B5   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY DIANE TENNANT, STAFF WRITER 

DATELINE: NORFOLK                           LENGTH:   65 lines

WETLANDS PROGRAM PUTS DOWN ROOTS A $460,000 EFFORT IS ``BAYSCAPING'' NORFOLK NAVAL STATION'S QUAY AREA.

Glenn Page would be delighted to let the grass grow under his feet, even under his wading boots.

He has 12,100 opportunities.

All of them will be planted this week, one grass plant at a time, in the mud and sand next to the aircraft carriers at the Norfolk Naval Station.

The plantings are part of a major effort by the Department of Defense to restore wetlands on its property along the Chesapeake Bay.

``It's very impressive that they're doing this,'' said Page, who directs the watershed restoration program for the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay. ``It's invaluable to have a federal agency take a leadership role in this. It's a really powerful presence.''

The grasses, three kinds of them, are being planted in what will be known as Saltmarsh Park. It will provide wetlands habitat for birds and fish, and also provide recreation for sailors stationed aboard the ships that dock nearby.

``They call it the greening of the quay areas,'' said Francine Blend, natural resources program manager for the naval base. ``There is a regional effort to do this, but with shrinking dollars, there's probably not going to be a lot of this type of project done in the future.''

The $460,000 effort has included removal of industrial debris, such as concrete and timbers; sculpting clean sand into dune-like edges around the lagoon; and building gazebos and a small bridge. A fishing pier is under construction, a butterfly garden has been planted, and, ultimately, displays will tell visitors how to turn their own property into ``bayscapes,'' the alliance's word for landscaping that prevents pollution.

Four types of shorebirds were dipping into the lagoon even while volunteers, directed by alliance members, were planting. The task was simple, but tiring: dig a hole, drop in a plant, fill the hole. Adding to the discomfort was the fact that planting could be done only at low tide - which just happened to be at noon, when the sun was at full strength.

Prior to the restoration, the lagoon area had no value as wildlife habitat and certainly wasn't pretty, Page said.

To restore it, plants were needed that would provide nutrients quickly and in large amounts. The alliance, a nonprofit organization of citizens, industry and environmentalists, knew what to choose.

Given that the area is covered with water twice a day, and saltwater at that, the only plant that would grow was cordgrass, Page said.

``Not only does it do well, it does really well. It just thrives,'' he said. ``We're creating a little McDonald's for the Bay. It's like fast food.''

A different grass has been planted to stabilize the dunes. For every bit of grass visible above the sand, up to five times that amount of root is out of sight, Page said.

The roots trap sand as they grow, holding the dune in place, even in a location as windswept as Saltmarsh Park.

When the work is done, the park will add to the jogging trail, horseshoe pits, volleyball courts and other recreation facilities already in place. With its sand, birds and butterflies, it will also add a new dimension.

``We consider this all bayscaping, an environmentally friendly approach to land management,'' Page said. ``We're recreating nature here.'' ILLUSTRATION: Photo

BILL TIERNAN/The Virginian-Pilot

Teen-agers from the Virginia Marine Institute and the Chesapeake Bay

Youth Conservation Corps plant marsh grass during low tide in a

lagoon at Norfolk Naval Station near the carrier piers.

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