Volunteers needed

College of Sciences students have helped restore oyster reefs on several occasions. If you are looking to do so again, please read further.

To help restore oyster reefs in the Mosquito Lagoon, oyster mat-making workshops are held at Riverwalk: A Family Park, 5355 US Hwy 1, in Rockledge from 10 a.m. to noon the third Thursday of every month. The next workshop will be held Thursday, September 15.

Volunteers are needed to help restore dead oyster reefs for the Nature Conservancy’s Oyster Reef Restoration Project in the Indian River Lagoon. To help restore the oyster reefs, volunteers make oyster shell mats. Each mat is made up of 36 oyster shells attached vertically with zip ties.

The mats are later transported to the Mosquito Lagoon. They are then attached to each other, forming a large quilt-like structure where new oysters can settle and grow. Efforts aid the growth of oysters in the estuary and contribute to overall water quality in the Indian River Lagoon.

The event is free and open to anyone 12 years of age or older. Volunteers under 18 years old must be accompanied by an adult.

For more information or to register, contact CJ Greene at cgreene@tnc.org or call (321) 956-7711.