Oyster Gardening

Local citizen scientists and volunteers join our program to raise their own oyster gardens for restoration.

Our goal is to promote environmental awareness and facilitate hands-on learning for students and volunteers by restoring one acre of oyster habitat in Choctawhatchee Bay. Community stewards, students, and CBA staff seed newly constructed reef breakwaters with community-grown oysters.

Requirements:

To get involved, volunteers must contact our Program Coordinator: Tucker Reynolds at reynol59@nwfsc.edu

• Volunteers must be free of any Fish and Game violations within the past three years.
• Volunteers must have access to a dock or pier.
• Volunteers must be able to lift up to 30 pounds.
• Volunteers should be able to pick up (or arrange for pick up) Oyster gardens in Late April/Early May at the Move your mollusk event.
• Volunteers should be able to spend roughly 60 minutes per week caring for their garden. A hose makes the cleaning easy but not required. Weekly maintenance involves removing mud, algae, fouling organisms, and predators such as blue crabs and oyster drills from gardens.

Additional Reading:

http://Eastern Oyster - NOAA