Young Baltimore Filmmaker Inspires Hope through Oyster Restoration
A new short film by 27-year-old Baltimore local Jacob Jackson highlights the healing power of oysters in the Baltimore Harbor. In his video, Saving the Bay: The Untold Story of Oyster Gardening, Jackson shows how oysters can both clean the water and inspire a community to connect to local waterways and the Chesapeake Bay.
“For me, this project came from a lifelong sense of wonder about the natural world — the same curiosity that made me chase frogs and turtles as a kid,” said Jackson. “The more I’ve learned about the Bay and its wildlife, the more I’ve realized that some of the most impactful restoration work is also the most approachable. I wanted this piece to show that anyone, no matter their background, can take part in rebuilding something as vital as our oyster reefs.”
Jackson’s film showcases the Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF)’s oyster restoration efforts in Baltimore. The program includes hundreds of volunteer oyster gardeners, like Jackson, who help CBF grow young oysters and tend to their cages, which hang off marina docks around the city.
Last year, the Baltimore Oyster Partnership, a collaborative effort between CBF and Waterfront Partnership of Baltimore, added roughly 500,000 oysters to the Harbor. The partnership plans to expand that number, with a goal to grow 5 million oysters by 2030.
Once grown, the oysters are planted at the Fort Carroll oyster sanctuary reef in the Patapsco River where they’ll forever filter the water and provide habitat for other iconic Bay species like rockfish and blue crabs. An adult oyster can filter up to 50 gallons of water a day.
“Oyster restoration simply could not happen without dedicated volunteers like Jacob,” said Morgan Shapiro, CBF’s Baltimore Oyster Restoration Coordinator. “This program fills a real need in the Baltimore community for hands-on environmental stewardship. To see how it’s made a difference in someone’s life through the lens of this film is truly inspiring.”
Watch Jacob Jackon’s oyster video here to get inspired. And those interested in oyster gardening can learn more here.
