Artwork and story by Carol Freas
As the loaded van left the Parkway, Tom shouted, “Yo Dad, there’s the sign for LBI!” Poking his brother, Jerry scoffed, “Yeah, I saw that sign miles back, so we’re nearing the rental.
What’s that smell?”
“Don’t you remember from last year? It’s the marsh,” answered Tom eagerly.
“Yes. It’s the smell of the salt marsh along Barnegat Bay,” Mom said. “And it’s a natural part of the life cycle of the plants and microbes that live there. Decaying plant matter is broken down by special microbes. At low tide you can smell the hydrogen sulfide they emit. It sort of smells like rotten eggs. The stronger the smell — the healthier the marsh! Plus, the marsh is a nursery for all kinds of small creatures and sea life. Use your phones while we inch across the Causeway Bridge. Google some science facts about the marsh. There is so much more to LBI than boogie boards, mini golf, and ice cream. Remember the young ospreys we saw last year? I’m sure there are new fun science things at the LBI Foundation of the Arts & Sciences in Loveladies.”
Dad chimed in, “That is one of my favorite smells. It always reminds me of past summers on LBI with my buddy, Clam. In the old days, we would maneuver our dinghy toward the marsh edge, and through the sharp, spikey salt wort grass. Sometimes we’d sink knee-deep in that oozing bay mud. The tall smooth cord grass that grows further in has strong roots to help stabilize the marsh. Marshes are a super important part of the ecosystem.”
Mom pointed to a small island. “See those two guys standing in the bay? They are using a seine net to catch small fish. It’s an ancient way to gather food. We can make one this week. We can net small creatures like baby blowfish, tiny flounder, silversides, pipe fish, little shrimp, marine hermit crabs in their borrowed shells, maybe a sea horse or two and who knows what else. But we are not going to eat them. We’ll just pull them close enough to the surface to look at them for a few seconds and then let them swim away.”
Enthusiastic cheers erupted from Tom and Jerry, “We’ll all seine! It’s a great time to seine on LBI!”
