Eelgrass May Become Official Massachusetts Marine Flora | WBUR

Mirta Teichberg and other scientists from the MBL Ecosystems Center are working on strategies to restore eelgrass in Massachusetts. 

Massachusetts already has an official state muffin (corn), beverage (cranberry juice) and game bird (wild turkey), among many other state symbols. Now eelgrass may become the official marine flora of Massachusetts.

The effort is thanks to two North Shore teenagers — and a handful of eelgrass supporters — seeking recognition for this little-known, but important, plant. The teens proposed a bill that received a committee hearing this month and, they hope, will eventually come to a vote in the full Legislature.

"Even though seagrasses are ecologically as important as things like kelp forests and coral reefs and salt marsh ecosystems, people know a lot less about them," said Randall Hughes, a marine biologist at Northeastern University and mother of one of the teenagers behind the project. "This bill is just one piece of the puzzle, trying to get people more aware of what seagrasses are and what benefits they provide." Read rest of article here. 

Source: Does Mass. need an official marine flora? Eelgrass fans say: Yes | WBUR