![]() Areas within the City of Williamsport, Pennsylvania Middle Peninsula, Virginia and Cambridge, Maryland were selected as areas susceptible to climate change within the Chesapeake Bay watershed that could benefit from green or nature-based infrastructure projects. The goal of this pilot project is to work with communities in the Chesapeake Bay watershed to design green infrastructure projects that meet both community and habitat conservation goals. The Targeted Outreach for Green Infrastructure in Vulnerable Areas (TOGI) is a pilot project being led by the Chesapeake Bay Program’s Habitat Goal Implementation Team. Of this amount, over 500 tons have been incorporated in restoration efforts in Galveston Bay, with plans for utilizing the remaining shells in the next 3 to 5 years. GBF has managed this program since 2011, collecting over 1,300 tons of oyster shells as of March 2022. The program has expanded to 26 restaurants and 3 storage sites, steadily increasing the tonnage of shells recycled on an annual basis. With the assistance of Coastal Management Program funds, donations, and sponsorships, GBF was able to purchase a one-of-a-kind heavy‐duty truck equipped with a dump bed and bin lift to facilitate the expansion of shell recycling efforts to the inner loop of Houston. Then the fully cured recycled oyster shells are returned to the bay via shoreline protection projects, small and large-scale reef creation projects, as well as reef enhancement initiatives such as volunteer oyster gardening. The shells are stockpiled and sun cured on land for a minimum of 6 months to prevent the introduction of parasites and bacteria into the bay. ![]() The shells are transported weekly by staff to curing sites where the shells are properly quarantined in preparation for reuse in local oyster reef restoration projects. To reestablish hard substrate in the bay, the Galveston Bay Foundation’s (GBF) Oyster Shell Recycling Program partners with local restaurants to collect spent oyster shells in 5-gallon buckets or 32-gallon bins. The removal of oyster shells from Galveston Bay, via harvesting practices and extreme weather events, has led to a shortage of hard substrate, a key component of successful oyster development. After oysters are consumed at restaurants, the majority of the shells are sent to landfills.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |