Throughout history, individuals, slaves, tenants, farmers, and others were engaged in crabbing, fishing, oystering, trapping and other wetland enterprises to help put food on their tables. By 1830, these activities became more commercialized and led to over-harvesting. This has resulted in the reduction of some marsh species today.

In addition to tapping wetland resources for food, local farmers pastured livestock on the marsh and made hay from its vegetation. If you use your imagination, you can see sheep and cattle grazing in the expansive wetland or picture a horse-drawn wagon loaded with loose hay destined for the city.

Imagine too, the negative effects on this habitat as these animals consumed vegetation, compacted the soil and contaminated the waters with their manure.

Though the St. Jones River was ditched and dredged many times, there was probably little thought of changing anything but the river’s course. Today we more fully understand the changes such actions may cause.

The appearance of the giant reed growing here, phragmites, is an example of this kind of change. It may be a native species that did not flourish until disturbances, such as dredging, created conditions in which it thrived. Today, phragmites covers vast areas of Delaware wetlands. It crowds out other marsh plants, thereby decreasing the value of the wetlands as wildlife habitat.