California Sea Grant College Program

Non-native cordgrasses are an obstacle to conservation goals because they grow in areas normally unoccupied by grasses. Particularly problematic, they take hold in tidal mud flats, converting these important bird foraging grounds to salt marsh. Besides their ecological implications, the hybrids also dramatically change the landscape by accreting sediments, making it necessary to dredge frequently to maintain navigational channels; the state of Washington spends $2 million a year to remove hybrid cordgrasses from Willapa Bay.