As the waves softly hit the shoreline, multiple volunteers placed oysters on concrete castles with a very important goal in mind, to protect and restore the Lafayette River.
Naval Support Activity (NSA) Hampton Roads partnered with the Elizabeth River Project on an oyster castle installation project along the shoreline of the Lafayette River Annex on July 16 and 17.
“The NSA Hampton Roads Environmental Program has focused efforts on protecting the shoreline at Lafayette River Annex through increased natural vegetative buffers and wetland plantings to reduce erosion and increase native habitat,” said Taylor Austin, Natural Resources
Manager for NSA Hampton Roads. “The Chesapeake Bay Program has also established an active oyster reef just off shore of Lafayette River Annex and it is our intent to continue to enhance their oyster restoration efforts while protecting the shoreline.”
Oyster castles are interlocking concrete blocks placed in the water to reduce erosion, preserve the shoreline, and clean and filter the waters. These blocks mimic oyster reefs by offering a hard
surface for the baby oysters, called spat or larvae, to attach.
“These will help the wetlands here because there is some erosion, and it also benefits the oysters because they love three-dimensional structures,” said Pam Boatwright, River Star Business Programs Manager with the Elizabeth River Project.
The two-day event consisted of volunteers installing more than 500 oyster castles equaling approximately 90 feet along the shoreline.
Approximately 20 volunteers from the NSA Hampton Roads Public Works Department, Naval Facilities Engineering Command (NAVFAC) Atlantic, the Elizabeth River Project, DoD Chesapeake Bay Program, Lafayette River Wetlands Board, and a resident from Lincoln Military Housing participated in the oyster castle installation.
“This event is just superb because it is naturally improving the protection of this vulnerable shoreline and helping to continue to restore the health of the river. And we are doing it all with COVID-19 precautions in place,” said LCDR Elise Chapdelaine, Public Works Officer for NSA Hampton Roads. “This is a great example of the important effort and partnering the NAVFAC and NSA Hampton Roads environmental team does in support of the Navy and our local environment.”
In addition to some environmental benefits, the oysters will attract fish, crabs, shrimp, and snails to the reefs.
The success of the oyster castle installation event began with required review and site visits from the Norfolk Wetlands Board, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Virginia Department of Environmental Quality, and the Virginia Marine Resource Commission.
“The Elizabeth River Project was a major partner in assisting with design, the application package, and implementation of the project,” said Austin. “The oyster castles themselves are supplied through Allied Concrete. The Chesapeake Bay Program provided the oyster spat that were collected from their cages and dispersed along the reef.”
Following the oyster castle installation, the site will be monitored in hopes that the oysters will continue to thrive.
“An event like this is important for many reasons. It helps educate the public on ways the Navy is working to protect and restore our local rivers,” said Austin. “It also provides an opportunity for tenants and residents of the Hampton Roads area to build relationships and understand how we are all tied together in our effort to protect the environment. It helps people understand the various ways they may be able to help in their own backyards.”
| Date Taken: | 07.16.2020 |
| Date Posted: | 07.20.2020 17:19 |
| Story ID: | 374241 |
| Location: | NORFOLK , VA, US |
| Web Views: | 164 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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