Media Advisory: April 26, 2021 CONTACT: DEP Press Office, 850-245-2112, DEPNews@FloridaDEP.gov  Apalachicola Oyster Program Recycles Shells to Use in Restoration Projects ~Oyster Corps building oyster shell reefs on St. George Island~ EASTPOINT, Fla. – O.Y.S.T.E.R. (Offer Your Shell To Enhance Restoration) is a new pilot program in Franklin County that will recycle oyster shells from participating restaurants and use them in coastal restoration projects. Most of the shells from the oysters consumed at restaurants end up in the landfill. The Oyster Corps will pick up oyster shells from restaurants and recycle them in restoration projects. “These oysters shells can go toward protecting our shorelines instead of in the landfill,” said Kim Wren with DEP's Apalachicola National Estuarine Research Reserve. “Oysters are a keystone species in Apalachicola Bay. They create habitat that provides shelter and food for hundreds of creatures. Recycled oyster shell can be used to build reefs that reduce shoreline erosion, provide habitat for over 300 species of marine organisms and keep spent shells from restaurants out of the landfill.” How Will It Work? Participating restaurants are supplied with lidded 5-gallon buckets and are asked to save the top shell from the oysters they shuck. The Oyster Corps will pick up the discarded shells twice per week and leave clean buckets. The shells will be cured and used in the Franklin 98 Project, which includes building nearshore artificial structures like breakwaters to decrease wave energy. This helps to protect the U.S. Highway 98 shoreline. The shells also will go to the Florida State University Coastal and Marine Lab for the Apalachicola Bay Systems Initiative. As part of this project, lab specialists will place spat, or oyster larvae that permanently attaches to a surface, on the shells for research to help with restoring Apalachicola Bay. What is the Oyster Corps? The Oyster Corps is a new program under the Conservation Corps of the Forgotten Coast, a program that trains young adults on restoration practices. Now in its sixth year, the Conservation Corps has a history of assisting in significant environmental restoration projects, responding to disasters and meeting critical community needs. The Corps has employed, trained and provided service opportunities to more than 210 young adults, earning over 1,080 industry certifications, completing over 160 conservation/construction projects and responding to seven regional disasters.           If you would like to become a participating restaurant, please contact Anita Grove at the research reserve Anita.Grove@FloridaDEP.gov or call 850-653-5951.
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