Last weekend my coworkers and I had the unique opportunity to get our feet wet in Mobile Bay and help our partners build a living shoreline. This amazing restoration project took place at Pelican Point near Fairhope, Alabama. Over 600 volunteers, including 300 airmen from Keesler Air Force Base, turned out early Saturday morning to help construct what in a few years will become an oyster reef teeming with life.

A living shoreline is an innovative approach to protecting an eroding shoreline, as well as creating habitat for the creatures that live in the bay. The Pelican Point living shoreline was created using structures called “oyster castles,” which are made up of interlocking concrete blocks. These concrete blocks weigh about 35 pounds each, so volunteers not only got to participate in building a reef, they also got a great workout!

A total of four oyster reefs will be built with 20,500 of these blocks when the project is complete. These four reefs will protect 329 feet of natural shoreline by helping to minimize erosion from boat wakes and strong waves generated by storms. Baby oysters, also known as spat, will attach to almost any hard substrate. These oyster castles will soon serve as a home for thousands of tiny oysters, and the reef will begin to come alive with all manner of marine life. Oysters are also a great way to improve water quality. Just one of these small bivalves has the ability to filter up to 50 gallons of water per day.

This restoration project is part of the 100-1000 Restore Coastal Alabama initiative. In the wake of the BP oil disaster and led in part by our own Bethany Kraft, the Alabama Coastal Foundation, the Nature Conservancy, Mobile Baykeeper, and the Ocean Foundation came together to launch the 100-100 Restore Coastal Alabama partnership as a first step in restoring the Alabama coast. The initiative will build 100 miles of oyster reefs and living shorelines to promote the growth of 1,000 acres of coastal marsh and seagrass beds. The Pelican Point project puts the 100-1000 initiative over the two mile mark for oyster reef restoration.

Ocean Conservancy would like to send out a big high five to the organizers of the Pelican Point restoration project, as well as to all the volunteers, military personal, contractors and organizations who participated. Keep up the great work, and we look forward to the next 100-1000 project!