Salt Creek, First landing State Park, VB

A tidal Salt Creek winds it's way to a larger creek which feeds into the Lynnhaven River system. These creeks teem with life: crabs, shrimp, shellfish, marine worms, and many species of fish. Since most of these critters are small and know that to be seen is to be eaten, it is easy to think there is not much there.

But these creeks, and the larger Salt Marshes, carry the Bays and Oceans on their backs. They supply much of the food consumed by wading and shorebirds (like the beautiful herons and egrets) and the fish we eat, too. They are the nursery grounds for many game and foodfish, providing cover and concentrating the tiny things the juvenile fish eat. Oysters, clams, and mussels thrive here.

Besides being interesting, pretty places to wander through, these creeks and marshes are the key to healthy, vibrant Bay and Ocean systems. Treat them well, we need them much more than a casual glance would reveal.