ALABAMA BEGINS POST-SPILL OYSTER RESTORATION PROJECT
Contact:
GoodPR: Bryan Hughes, (202) 870-1818, hughes.bryan@yahoo.com
The Nature Conservancy: I Ling Matthews, (512) 672-9815, imatthews@tnc.org
ALABAMA BEGINS POST-SPILL OYSTER RESTORATION PROJECT
100-1,000: Restore Coastal Alabama Kick-off at Helen Wood Park on January 22;
Volunteers Needed to Build a New Oyster Reef in Mobile Bay
WHO: 100-1000: Restore Coastal Alabama
WHAT: The official kick-off to 100-1000: Restore Coastal Alabama. Volunteers build the first quarter mile of oyster reef. The goal is to build 100 miles of oyster reefs and 1000 acres of coastal marsh and seagrass
This habitat restoration project is the first of the 100-1000: Restore Coastal Alabama Partnership and offers citizens one of the first opportunities to actively engage in Gulf Coast restoration in the wake of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.
WHERE: Helen Wood Park
Directions: From Interstate 10, take exit # 22 and head south on Dauphin Island Parkway (AL-163 South). Travel approximately 5.5 miles and take the access road on the right just before the large Dog River Bridge. Take your first left under the bridge and then another left to enter Helen-Wood Park (the sign says Wood Park).
WHEN: Saturday, Jan 22 – 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 pm CST.
WHY: Volunteers will be deploying approximately 23,000 bags of oyster shells to create new reefs and habitat at the mouth of Dog River. The tide will be very low--wear sturdy shoes that can get quite muddy and dress for the weather. Please bring work gloves. Lunch and refreshments will be provided. Coastal Alabama has experienced significant loss of marsh, seagrass and oyster reef habitats through development practices, erosion, storm events and most recently, the impacts of the Gulf oil disaster. These challenges make Mobile Bay one of the largest potential areas for outright restoration, replacement and enhancement of lost habitats on the Northern Gulf coast.
About 100-1000: Restore Coastal Alabama
In 2010, four leading conservation organizations – Alabama Coastal Foundation, Mobile Baykeeper, The Nature Conservancy, and The Ocean Foundation – formed a coalition to address not just the environmental impacts of the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill but reverse years of damage from pollution, storms, development practices and erosion along the Alabama coast. Visit www.100-1000.org for more information.
** VISUALS AND INTERVIEW OPPORTUNTIES **
Volunteers building oyster reefs
Interviews with coalition partners from Alabama Coastal Fund, Mobile Baykeeper, the Ocean Foundation, The Nature Conservancy.
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