CAMP HO NON WAH OYSTER REEF BUILD

Join Lowcountry Land Trust as we team up with DNR’s South Carolina Oyster Restoration and Enhancement Program (SCORE)and Charleston Waterkeeper to build an oyster reef at Camp Ho Non Wah, a Land Trust protected property on Wadmalaw Island. Volunteers will help restore and enhance oyster habitat by planting recycled oyster shells in the intertidal environment to form new, self-sustaining oyster reefs. All reef building materials will be provided, as well as gloves, bug spray, and sunscreen. Volunteers should wear closed toed shoes, clothes they don’t mind getting dirty (because you will get muddy!), and bring a reusable water bottle. Volunteers will be in muddy conditions as they assist in transporting hundreds of oyster shell bags to build the reefs.

The purpose of the SCORE program is to restore and enhance oyster habitat by planting recycled oyster shells in the intertidal environment to form new, self-sustaining oyster reefs — all with the help of volunteers. This community-based habitat restoration project is an important endeavor because oysters play a significant ecologic and economic role in South Carolina; however, oyster populations are declining. It is important for the community to understand how oysters improve water quality, control erosion, and provide habitat for other commercially-important shellfish and fish species by learning about their biology and the human activities that can influence their well being.