Goldbug Oyster Restoration
Land Trust performs oyster restoration project at Goldbug
In the spring of 2016 Lowcountry Land Trust collaborated on a second oyster restoration project with The Nature Conservancy (TNC). With the help of over 150 volunteers, we installed a 240-foot long living shoreline along Goldbug Island. The reef is an expansion of work started in 2011, which will help the oyster populations and reduce the effects of coastal erosion.
With Goldbug Island situated adjacent to the Intracoastal Waterway, construction of the reef was expansive and intense. Forming a human chain, volunteers gently laid walking boards across the pluff mud and then began the slow process of building the reef from the mud up. Oyster shells wrapped in geotextile fabric were passed down the line and layered along the 240-foot designed area of pluff mud. Now, six months after the installation, the reef is thriving and producing oysters.
Thanks to the Goldbug Island East Cooper Outboard Motor Club board and its members!
To volunteer for monitoring opportunities of the living shoreline, please contact our Stewardship Program Manager, Ellen Gass at egass@lowcountrylandtrust.org.