Since LBC’s first water quality symposium in 2019, we have focused on educating the public on ways to improve water quality in their own backyards and neighborhoods. The Lemon Bay Watch Committee, with the help of our partner agencies—Coastal Heartland National Estuary Program (CHNEP), the Boy Scouts, local homeowners’ associations and local restaurant owners Tim and Joy Kierstead and Chef Kyle of TJ’s Market Grill in Placida is launching an exciting new project: Oyster Gardening, Improving Water Quality One Dock at A Time.
We have attended CHNEP training sessions to learn how to create strands of oyster shells and properly install them on docks along the Intracoastal Waterway and the rivers and creeks that flow into the ICW. These strands of shells will attract baby oysters that will attach themselves to the strands to grow and develop. A mature oyster is capable of filtering a surprising 50 gallons of water a day! The improvement in water quality can be significant. We hope that all dock owners will want to participate in our project.
The Lemon Bay Watch Committee will hold its first local workshop to teach dock owners how to construct oyster gardens in February (date to be determined) at the Eagle Preserve in Englewood. The Lemon Bay Watch Committee will provide the necessary materials and instruction. Other neighborhood workshops are being scheduled and notices will be posted on the Lemon Bay Conservancy website and Facebook. Stay Tuned!
