Draft Update: 2/18/2014
Attention all University Student Organizations:
Do you want to assist in restoring oyster reefs in Chincoteague Bay? Well now’s your
chance to do so in a fun and interactive way. As part of the Chincoteague Bay Field Stations’
(CBFS) efforts to build oyster habitat and secure shorelines at Greenbackville, some funding has
been obtained from a grant to install oyster castles upon which oysters will settle and grow. Despite
this funding, we still need additional support both in terms of service hours, but also additional
funding to extend the area of our reefs. In order to do this, we need your help!
Greenbackville Oyster Restoration Program
The intention of the program is to help build thriving oyster reefs, which will provide
numerous benefits to Chincoteague Bay water and its coastline, while stimulating and strengthening
interactions between CBFS member schools to support education, research, and service-learning.
Oysters once thrived and supported a lucrative industry in the late 1800’s to early 1900’s, but
overharvesting and disease contributed to their downfall. Efforts by The Nature Conservancy and
research by faculty and students has shown that the populations of oysters in the coastal bays are
beginning to make a comeback. Nevertheless available substrate limits their potential for
establishing healthy, sustainable populations that provide important ecosystem services that
minimize erosion, improve water quality, etc. That being said, our hopes are that by providing
substrates, we will help jump-start their return and protect the shoreline owned by the field station.
If we join forces, each organization can make small contributions, but as a group, we can make
much more significant impacts if we pool resources.
So we propose to initiate a CBFS-wide program to support this effort. As conceived, the
oyster restoration program will engage students in friendly competition while providing
Draft Update: 2/18/2014
opportunities for monitoring, research, and education. The Nature Conservancy has already
partnered and donated 200 blocks and we are permitted by the Army Corps of Engineers, VMRC,
and the local wetlands board to install 15 pyramid castles. Currently 5 have been installed and we
are waiting for summer reproduction before finishing installation. Further, the Toyota Together
Green grant has provided additional funding to purchase another 200 oyster blocks. Once permitted
and installed, these will provide four 10 foot-long reefs just off shore. Our goal is to achieve at least
double that amount for permits this season. In order to achieve this goal, we hope at least 4
clubs/organizations will make the effort to raise ~$250.00 each for the purchase of additional block
to build more 10’ reef sections. Each organization that participates will be expected to participate in
a variety of tasks to support installation, monitoring, and research activities.
Hypothetical living shoreline model. Linear oyster reefs from this project would be built just off shore.
Participation Requirements
Every group will be responsible for fundraising and installation of their oyster reef which
will be marked with a buoy/flag or other approved marker to identify the sponsoring organization.
We anticipate each group will adopt and help monitor some portion of already funded castles in
addition to the castle that they install themselves (~$250.00 for a linear reef). Additional blocks may
be purchased pending the success of the club’s fundraising activities. Castle locations will be
assigned to each group by supervising faculty and/or CBFS staff. Representatives of each club are
required to visit Greenbackville as frequently as possible to monitor and inspect changes in oyster
reefs. Outside of Alternative Spring Break, student organizations will be responsible for costs for
housing and meals at the CBFS. We recommend a minimum of three visits per year (spring,
summer, and fall) as possible during university or club field trips, summer classes, etc. During the
visits student groups should engage in the following:
 Maintenance (removal of debris/litter)
 Data collection (Temperature, dissolved oxygen, height of sediment deposition, organism
count and identification) in coordination with CBFS staff and SPARK volunteers.
 Photographs, preferably at low tide
Draft Update: 2/18/2014


Counts of oysters, and other organisms.
Participation in the Restaurant Return (RR) program as it develops (picking up shells from
participating RR restaurants that will be bagged for future reefs)
Following the field check, all photographs, data, and any other documentation of group activities
must be reported within 1 week of data collection to the program coordinator. A web-based report
system will be developed to make this as easy as possible. Megan Kelsall at Shippensburg
University will serve as the founding student coordinator. Her email is mk5314@ship.edu. Please
confirm participation and submit the required paperwork directly to Megan. If you have any
questions, please do not hesitate to ask.
Other Items
Groups should always work where possible to include SPARK members (a good time to do
this is during alternative spring break, and fall break) as a part of service learning activities so plan
to contact CBFS staff as early as possible when planning visits to the station so they can be of
assistance. Groups should share and “boast” positively about their findings online either through
their own facebook/twitter accounts or through one to be created, or both! Groups are encouraged to
continue participation in the project as much as possible and recruit new participants from the home
university. Members are encouraged to use this project as a teaching opportunity to engage with the
public by any means such as making informative coloring books for kids, publishing information on
research findings, design photo journals, etc. We anticipate the need for development of an official
program name (i.e. Ostrea Society, Greenbackville Oyster Restoration Team, or other) and logo for
future use and we hope you will engage ideas for what this program could be called officially.
By participating, all student clubs and their members will also be ambassadors for the
Chincoteague Bay Field Station. Thus they must uphold a high level of integrity in their
commitments to support the project and when interfacing with the community. If groups or any
individual of a group become involved in tampering with castles or other research projects without
permission will be grounds for immediate disqualification from the program. Should members see
another reef or castle in need of maintenance, they should notify the castle sponsor of the problem,
and notify the student coordinator (Megan Kelsall) as soon as possible. Failure to meet any of the
requirements will also result in immediate expulsion of the group.
We will plan to meet with all interested groups during alternative spring break and develop a
timeline and goals for this year’s activities. We hope someone from each university will have a
representative at the program. As the program comes together, we anticipate developing fun
competitions and promoting presentations on our progress and discoveries. Photo contests, research
project competitions, essay competitions, etc. could all be integrated into the project as it matures.
Final Notes
We hope to have some time at Alternative Spring Break to get to know each other so we
look forward to your participation. If your group is interested in participating in the pilot project, we
Draft Update: 2/18/2014
ask that you complete the contact form below and email a copy of it to Megan Kelsall
mk5314@ship.edu as soon as possible. Please complete the form completely and legibly.
Oyster Restoration Program Signup and Contact Form
Contact information:
Group Name:_____________________________________________________________________
Home University: _________________________________________________________________
Student Leader Name: _____________________________________________________
Email_____________________________ Phone Number:_________________
Alternate Student Leader Name: _____________________________________________
Email_____________________________ Phone Number:_________________
Local Faculty Advisor: __________________________
Project Supporting Members:
Name
1.
Email:______________________
Major & Year
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
If additional spaces are needed, please attach a copy of this form as page 2 of 2.
Email