Community Shorelines Program
In several instances, mayors, council members and concerned citizens have approached VESF to see whether our donors would be able to help in the stabilizing of their shoreline through the deployment of living memorial oyster reefs. The response to these challenges must meet the need of both of the partners simultaneously. In the case of a community losing its shoreline, it is the immediate need to stabilize the area with artificial oyster reefs. Several configurations of LMORs and mini-LMORS may be installed around city docks and warfs to maximize stabilization, reduce erosion, enhance the natural habitat promoting the growth of seagrasses, other benthic fauna and flora, and attract fish. To meet the VESF vision, the reef stabilization platforms must be seeded with diploid oysters and dedicated as non-harvestable living memorials reefs which serve to repopulate the bay with oyster spat. Such dual-use purposing is a remarkable opportunity.
Prime candidates for such demonstration projects are The Town of Saxis, Tangier Island and VESF Long Point Center on the lower Rappahannock River.