🧤 Volunteer: TNC – Smith Island Oyster Reef: Dumping Recycled Oyster Shells

Thursday, July 11 from 8:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.

Smith Island Oyster Reef: Dumping recycled oyster shells (max of 6 volunteers) 

 Email Jen to sign-up: jdalke@tnc.org

The Nature Conservancy is looking for up to six volunteers to dump bushel baskets of recycled oyster shell off the boat near one of our Smith Island reefs. The group will meet at the Brownsville Shop in Nassawadox to fill shell baskets and load them into the boats before driving (carpooling or driving separately, depending on your needs) to Wise Point Marina where we will launch the boats and dump shell.

Tentative schedule:

• 1.5 hours to fill bushel baskets and load the boats at the TNC Brownsville Shop
• 1 hour to drive to the Wise Point Marina boat ramp and launch the boats
• 1.5 hours to dump shell
• 1 hour to wrap-up and drive back to Brownsville

Some volunteers will be in the water dumping and spreading shells while others are needed to hand down the shell-filled baskets from the boat.

Bring: Volunteers should bring waders and gloves if you have them. It will probably be warm enough that closed toed shoes that can get wet will work fine if you don’t have waders. TNC has some extra gloves for those who need them.

Note: volunteers driving separately to the marina can park for free at the county kayak ramp and TNC can shuttle them or they can walk into the ESVA National Wildlife Refuge. Volunteers can also chose to pay a $10 entrance fee/vehicle to drive directly into the ESVA National Wildlife Refuge.

Better Impact Category 13/Oyster Reef Restoration