Now that all the MD oyster gardeners have their new spat-on-shell we have a few bags left…

Soooooo lets build a new oyster reef! This new unique reef will be built in Black Walnut Creek next to CBF’s Annapolis office.

Date: Friday, November 13, 2009
Time: 2:00 p.m. till it’s done ~ 5:00 p.m.
Followed by ORC Potluck Party at 6:00 p.m.
Where: CBF’s main office at the Phillip Merrill Center in Annapolis
Why: New oyster reef for CBF's Education Department and to study a "trap estuary" reef
What you need: Foul weather gear, boots, gloves, spare set of clothes (just in case)

ORC staff will load ~300 spat-on-shell bags (with the R/V Patricia Campbell’s crane on Parrish Creek) onto the Spatmobile and transport them to CBF's office. Once in Annapolis, the Spatmobile is too heavy to drive down the path to the creek, so we will need to transport the bags via carts to the canoes, then it’s a short paddle out to the reef area on the creek.

The canoes will be lashed together in tandem to form a stable platform for cutting and ripping the shell bags open and spreading the spat on the new reef.

The bags are heavy and dirty, so a sturdy pair of waterproof pants is recommended; we should have a few extra pants and gloves available to get the job done.

Once the reef is built, we will move inside for the ORC Potluck Dinner upstairs in the Merganser Room. All are welcome, plenty of food and drink if you don’t have a dish. Please RSVP so we know what time to expect you. kwilley@cbf.org

This year’s potluck dinner will be held at our main office since we will be building an oyster reef next to the building on the same day—more on that later. Back to the fun and festivities! Bring a dish to share and we will provide drinks, a full kitchen for food prep will be provided. Park out front, come in the main lobby, up to the second floor, and back to the kitchen where all the good parties end up.

When: 
Friday, November 13
6:00 - 8:30 p.m.

Where:
CBF Merrill Center
6 Herndon Avenue
Annapolis, MD  21403

Directions

Have you ever wondered what oyster gardening is all about? Watch this video from nbcwashington.com.

ORC is shifting gears this week to oyster gardening and next month to oyster reef monitoring. We are also planning a volunteer potluck dinner at ORC on November 13 right after the "Shell Bag Ripping Party" aboard the R/V Patricia Campbell when we take the last oyster gardening shell bags out and seed a sanctuary oyster bar. If you want to get on the e-mail list for details, drop a note to Stephanie at sreynolds@cbf.org.  Meanwhile, here's what's up this week!

It's Oyster Gardening Madness! This is the big time! We need lots of help—tell your friends!

Please send an e-mail to sreynolds@cbf.org or kwilley@cbf.org to let us know when/where/if you’ll join us—especially if you’d like a ride in the Spatmobile—so we don’t leave anyone out and so we make sure we have enough room for folks. Thank you in advance!

Wednesday, Oct 21: Workshop at Merrill Center
1:00 - depart Merrill Center in Spatmobile for Mill Creek (meet at the octagon, where the truck is parked)
1:30 - arrive Mill Creek; load spat
3:30 - depart Mill Creek
4:00 - arrive CBF; start setting up for workshop
5:30 - registration table opens
6:00- 9:00- workshop
10:00- clean upfinished

Friday, Oct 23: Load truck for weekend events
We need LOTS of help for this one!!!! We will be loading for two large events.
Noon - depart Merrill center in Spatmobile for Mill Creek (meet at the octagon, where the truck is parked)
12:30 - arrive Mill Creek; load spat
3:30 - depart Mill Creek
4:00 - arrive CBF; load remaining supplies into truck for Saturday’s event

Saturday, Oct 24: Spat Hand Out, St. Michaels
7:30 - depart Merrill center in Spatmobile (meet at the octagon, where the truck is parked)
9:30 - arrive St. Michael’s Maritime Museum
10:00 to 1:00- spat hand out/ oyster collection event
2:30 - meet Choptank Riverkeeper Drew Koslow at boat ramp to plant oysters
4:30 - return from planting oysters
6:30 - back at Merrill Center

Sunday, Oct 25: Workshop at Merrill Center
8:00 - start setting up for workshop
9:30 - registration table opens
10:00 to 1:00 - workshop
2:00 - clean up

Next event: final workshop, Solomon’s, Saturday, October 31 (truck loading Friday, October 30). Stay tuned for the schedule.

This year Maryland's ORC produced over 17 million spat-on-shell plus over 150 spat-on-reef balls thanks to our volunteers.  Each year, ORC produces more spat than last and this year is no different! The success is partially due to CBF and partners like Horn Point Lab honing skills, being more effective in oyster restoration, thus ramping up the oyster population in the Bay.  Next year, ORC is projecting an even more productive spat year, plus we have a target of creating more than 240 reef balls this fall and spring. 

Thank you for being part of the team!

Stay tuned for an update of up coming events!

-Karl Willey

LAND CREW NEEDED! Well almost -- because you will get wet from your toes to your nose. The Oyster Gardening (OG) team needs about 80 spat-on-shell bags (sos) for an OG workshop at the Merrill Center. The Spatmobile truck will leave the Merrill Center at 12:30 and arrive at Greenbury Point nursery site at 1:00. Park the truck on a boat ramp about 50’away from the submerged sos, we will retrieve then ferry sos over by float to truck and load. Volunteers will be in 3’ of water moving sos from pallets to truck and a few volunteers will be on the truck loading sos in the bed.

WHO: We could use 6 volunteers
WHAT: Move shell bags from Mill Creek pallets to truck
WHEN Wednesday, September 16th, 1:00pm – 2:30pm
WHERE: USNA annex small boat marina at Mill Creek
Hooper High Rd on Greenbury Pt.
WHAT TO EXPECT: Lots of water, the sos are in about 3’ of water but you need to stoop down almost up to your chest to grab a bag. Wear cloths that can get wet or a wet suite and bring spare cloths for the car ride home. There is a spot to change and fresh water to wash. Wear closed toed shoes and bring gloves the oysters can be sharp. CBF will supply extra gloves! The drill again is to load a few sos bags at a time on a raft, walk the raft to the truck, load in truck bed then repeat. With 10 folks we could be done in less then an hour.
IT’S ALL ABOUT TEAMWORK!!!!

Directions to Greenbury Point nursery site:
(on Navy property on Mill Creek)

From Rt. 50 East, take the St. Margaret's Road exit.
-You will pass a Wawa and an Exxon station.
-At the 4-way stop sign, turn right onto St. Margaret's Road.
-Go about 3 miles. Turn left onto Baltimore- Annapolis Blvd. (Route 648).
-Turn left onto Greenbury Point Road.
-Follow Greenbury Point Road (which becomes Bullard Road) about 2.5 miles. You will pass through a Navy golf course.
-Turn left onto Mclean Road, and left onto Hooper High Road.
-The waterfront is about 1/8 mile directly ahead.

From Rt. 50 West, take the St. Margaret's Road exit.
-At the stop sign, turn left onto St. Margaret’s Road.
-Go about 3 miles. Turn left onto Baltimore- Annapolis Blvd. (Route 648).
-Turn left onto Greenbury Point Road.
-Follow Greenbury Point Road (which becomes Bullard Road) about 2.5 miles. You will pass through a Navy golf course.
-Turn left onto Mclean Road, and left onto Hooper High Road.
-The waterfront is about 1/8 mile directly ahead.

But wait there’s more!

Help Needed for Oyster Gardening Events!

We need help loading the truck with spat before each event, registering people and handing out spat during each event, and set-up and clean-up. Event dates and locations are at http://www.cbf.org/MDOysterSchedule (The Annapolis events are full new gardener workshops and spat hand outs/oyster collections for existing gardeners; the events at St. Michael’s and Solomon’s are spat hand outs/ oyster collections only—no new gardener workshops on those two dates). If interested, please e-mail mdoystergardening@cbf.org

SAVE THE OYSTER - SAVE THE BAY!

For more information and to RSVP, contact
Karl Willey
Oyster Restoration Center 410-867-4746
CBF Office 443-482-2071
Cell 410-353-0564
kwilley@cbf.org
Visit our website: www.cbf.org/orc

LAND CREW NEEDED at Horn Point Lab (HPL) to move oyster gardener spat-on-shell (SOS) bags from tanks. This will be fun, exciting, and very, very dirty! CBF and Oyster Recovery Partnership (ORP) will work together unloading 2 tanks of 600 SOS bags onto pallets. ORP crew will then transport the pallets to the dock where the R/V Patricia Campbell (PC) will load them onto the deck with her crane. Finally, the PC loaded with SOS will journey to Mill Creek Oyster Nursery, offload 1,000 bags for CBF’s Oyster Gardening Program, and then offload 200 bags in Harness Creek, South River for the South River Federation.   

WHAT:              Move 25 lb. SOS bags from tanks to pallets = 1,200 bags total
                          (It’s really not that heavy and you do not have to bend over to lift
                          them. It’s all in the arms.)

WHEN:             Thursday, September 3rd, 9:00am – 11:00am

WHERE:           Horn Point Lab in Cambridge, MD
                         2020 Horn Point Rd, P.O. Box 775
                         Cambridge, MD 21613

Directions:         http://hpl.umces.edu/
Horn Point Laboratory is located just outside of Cambridge, in Dorchester County on the Eastern Shore of Maryland.
                        From Baltimore: From the Beltway, I-695, take I-97 south to Rt. 50/301 east to the Chesapeake Bay Bridge. Once on the Eastern Shore, stay on Rt. 50 to Cambridge, MD, crossing the Choptank River on the Frederick Malkus Bridge.*
                        From Washington D.C.: Take Rt. 50 east from the Washington DC Beltway I-95/495, to Cambridge, MD on Maryland's Eastern Shore, crossing the Choptank River on the Frederick Malkus Bridge.*
                       *After the bridge, go to 3rd stop light and turn right. Go one block and turn right again onto Washington St. (Rt. 343). Stay on this road for about 3.5 miles. Look for the UMCES sign on the right side of the road. Bear right on Horn Point Rd. Continue for about 1.5 miles. The entrance to the lab is flanked by two statues of sheep. The reception desk is in the first building on the right at about .5 miles down the lane. Map of Horn Point Campus.

WHO:               We could use 15 volunteers

What to expect: Lots of mud slinging and repetition, handing SOS bags from one person to another. Wear clothes that can get dirty and bring a spare set of clothing for the car ride home. There are bathrooms available for washing up and changing. Also, bring a rain jacket, pants, and closed-toe shoes so you have options for comfort. A scarf or hat for you head will keep the mud out of your hair and long gloves will cover your wrists from the sharp shell bags (if you wear a jacket, short gloves work). CBF will supply extra gloves and foul weather gear! Bring your reusable water bottle and a small towel to dry off after you clean up with the hose. Volunteers will line up in a ‘chain gang’ to pass the shell bags from tank to pallet in repetition until all 1,200 bags are out of the tanks. If we have 7 volunteers in a row at tank 1, and 7 volunteers in a row at tank 2, we can have the tanks empty in an hour. IT’S ALL ABOUT TEAMWORK!!!!

But wait - there’s more!
HELP NEEDED for Oyster Gardening Events!

We need help loading the truck with spat before each event, registering people and handing out spat during each event, and set-up and clean-up. Event dates and locations are at http://www.cbf.org/MDOysterSchedule. (The Annapolis events are full new gardener workshops, and spat hand-outs/oyster collections for existing gardeners; the events at St. Michael’s and Solomon’s are spat hand-outs/oyster collections ONLY—no new gardener workshops on those two dates.) If interested, please e-mail mdoystergardening@cbf.org.

SAVE THE OYSTER SAVE THE BAY!

For more information and to RSVP, contact:
Karl Willey
Oyster Restoration Center 410-867-4746
CBF Office 443-482-2071
Cell 410-353-0564
kwilley@cbf.org
Visit our website: www.cbf.org/orc

The Oyster Restoration Center in Shady Side, Maryland  has produced over 7.5 million oysters this season and counting!

Thank you volunteers!