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Volunteers to Help Restore Native Olympia Oysters in Alamitos Bay on Saturday

  • Organizer Orange County Coastkeeper aims to restore populations of native Olympia oyster in Alamitos Bay
  • More than 85% of the world’s oyster reefs have been lost since the 1900s,
  • Oysters provide a natural buffer to protect eroding shorelines, improve water quality via filter feeding and provide an important habitat for numerous species

WHAT
Orange County Coastkeeper and a cohort of volunteers will get muddy this Saturday implementing native oyster restoration in the Jack Dunster Marine Reserve in Alamitos Bay. To encourage the settlement of Olympia oysters, volunteers will use layers of biodegradable coconut coir mesh and lay hundreds of pounds of clean Pacific oyster shells to create habitat on which the native Olympia oyster can settle.

Historically, Southern California has used concrete walls to protect coastlines from erosion, but there are natural alternatives. Coastkeeper, along with researchers from California State Universities Long Beach and Fullerton, are implementing native oyster restoration to stabilize the shoreline, improve water quality and create a valuable habitat for the native Olympia oyster.

WHY
Restoration of oyster beds is critical to the resilience of the Alamitos Bay ecosystem. Oysters increase the abundance of fish and wildlife through their creation of complex habitat and improve water quality through filter feeding. Oysters also stabilize sediments and buffer erosion and wave energy, which can reduce the impacts of sea level rise.

WHEN/WHERE

  • Saturday March 7 – 2 p.m. – 4 p.m.
  • Pete Archer Rowing Center: 5750 Boathouse Lane, Long Beach, CA 90803

INTERVIEWS

  • Katie Nichols, Restoration program director, Orange County Coastkeeper
  • Christine Whitcraft, Professor, Biological Sciences, Director, Environmental Science and Policy, California State University Long Beach

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

20 YEARS OF ORANGE COUNTY COASTKEEPER: For twenty years, Southern California residents have relied on Orange County Coastkeeper to be their leading voice in protecting clean water. The organization works collaboratively with diverse groups in the public and private sectors to achieve healthy, accessible, and sustainable water resources for the region. Coastkeeper achieves this through innovative, effective programs in education, advocacy, restoration, research, enforcement, and conservation. Coastkeeper is a member of the International Waterkeeper Alliance, which has 236 different independent programs across 29 countries. For more information, visit www.coastkeeper.org or call 714-850-1965.

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