Dividing each of these numbers by the number of years of deposition yielded average accumulation rates of 2.4 millimeters per year for the salt marsh peat and 0.07 millimeters per year for the freshwater marsh peat. Since 1966 the Flax Pond marsh has been owned by the State of New York and jointly administered by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and the University at Stony Brook. The building and the marsh of about 146 acres are used by the University s Marine Sciences Research Center for studies of shellfish, finfish, marine algae, and salt marsh ecosystems. New York State's Department Map of Flax Pond of Environmental Conservation also uses the building for office and laboratory space. They are interested in preserving Flax Pond because of the many benefits of salt marshes.
Salt marshes are some of the most productive environments in the world.
They produce a greater amount of organic matter per acre than any crop except cultivated sugar cane. This material is utilized by a large variety of fish, plants, shellfish and other invertebrates such as insects. These in turn are utilized by a great variety of birds, and mammals including foxes and raccoons, and the diamondback terrapin, a type of turtle. Most of the fish and shellfish harvested world wide live in salt marshes or estuaries nourished by salt marshes for at least part of their lives. Salt marshes also help protect against storm damage and act as a filter that absorbs certain types of pollutants including heavy metals.