In a triumph for outdoor stewardship and clean water, roughly a dozen U.S. veterans and servicemembers joined the Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF) this week to restore oyster habitat in Maryland and Virginia.
Both events were part of a larger Chesapeake Bay fishing excursion hosted by Backcountry Hunters & Anglers (BHA)’s Armed Forces Initiative (AFI). During the trip, military members from across the nation experienced the Chesapeake Bay’s premiere angling opportunities as part of BHA’s AFI program—a community-based initiative designed to serve military members navigating post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and traumatic brain injury (TBI) through a new mission in natural resource conservation.
“Watching 2.5 million oyster shells turn from restaurant waste into living reef reminds every service member why service still matters,” said Garrett Robinson, Corporate Partnerships Manager and AFI Board member for BHA. “Sweat, saltwater, and a shared mission strip away the noise of transition and let real healing begin—proving that when we restore the Bay, it restores us right back. We’re warriors with a new mission in conservation: a mission bigger than ourselves, bringing peace and solace to lives once filled with chaos. It revives the part of us we left on the battlefield and proves that our land, water, and wildlife are still worth fighting for.”
On their trip, AFI participants gave back to the Bay by helping carry out oyster restoration efforts. Oysters are a bedrock of the Bay’s ecosystem, naturally filtering the water and providing exceptional habitat for many other species, including fish often targeted by anglers such as striped bass, speckled trout, white perch, and red drum.
Chesapeake Bay is home to the most successful oyster restoration effort in the country. After decades of overharvesting, disease, and habitat loss, partners have been able to bring oysters back from the brink of expiration all across the Bay. The Chesapeake Bay partnership is on track to complete its goal to fully restore 11 Bay tributaries for oyster habitat by the end of 2025.
On July 15, AFI members contributed to that goal by processing roughly 2.5 million recycled oyster shells at CBF’s Maryland Oyster Restoration Center in Shady Side. The group then travelled down the Eastern Shore, and on July 17, assembled 115 bags of recycled oyster shells at CBF’s Brock Environmental Center in Virginia Beach. The bags are used for various oyster restoration work including living shorelines and oyster reefs. The recycled oyster shells come from nearly 100 restaurants across Maryland and Virginia that participate in CBF’s shell recycling program. Thanks to the generosity of SITKA Gear, the AFI participants and the project support was fully funded through their Ecosystem Grant Program.
“CBF is honored to partner with volunteers who have dedicated so much to this country and continue to give back beyond their years of military service,” said CBF’s Maryland oyster restoration coordinator, Kellie Fiala. “Oyster restoration would not be one of the Bay’s greatest success stories without dedicated volunteers like them.”
“People who love fishing in the Chesapeake Bay also love oysters,” said CBF’s Virginia oyster restoration manager, Jackie Shannon. “The oyster reefs we’re building and expanding offer critical habitat for the fish anglers most enjoy. We are grateful that AFI recognized that important connection and wanted to help.”
Volunteers have helped CBF add millions of oysters back into Maryland and Virginia waters. While large scale oyster restoration has been one of the Bay’s greatest success stories, it’s at a critical juncture. Partners are currently defining what the future of oyster restoration should look like by updating current Chesapeake Bay cleanup goals. This process is happening at the same time that the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and other federal agencies critical to Bay restoration are being dismantled and defunded.
Protecting our natural resources has always been a bipartisan effort, and CBF and BHA urge Congress to fully fund agencies that support oysters, fish, and a healthy Bay.
Maryland Communications & Media Relations Manager, CBF
vdimarzio@cbf.org
443-482-2023
