Mount Vernon — To the Editor:
Thank you for your recent article by Gerald Fill calling attention to the plight of Dyke Marsh. A remnant of a once-larger marsh, Dyke Marsh was lauded by George Washington, by Louis Halle in Spring in Washington in 1947; protected by the U. S. Congress in 1959 who enacted legislation to set aside Dyke Marsh “as an irreplaceable wetland, “ and by many others before and since. Dyke Marsh is a beloved place of solace, renewal, protection and beauty for us and for our fellow creatures. It has been sadly degraded by human activity in the 20th century.
As noted by U.S. Geological Survey scientists in their 2010 study, the marsh is eroding by six to eight feet a year and will disappear soon without further human intervention to reverse the erosion, including specifically the renewal of a wave break at the south edge of the marsh. Our attention to the marsh and its restoration should be of paramount concern to us who live nearby; we are all stewards of the natural world around us.
The National Park Service, who administer the marsh as part of the George Washington Memorial Parkway, deserve praise for their response and have asked for comment on options for restoration of the marsh. They deserve our support for full restoration of this national and local treasure.
Dorothy McManus
Alexandria