GOMESA Application Details
- Internal Project Number
- 1181
- 1. Title of Project
- Oyster Shell Recovery Initiative
- 2. Location of Project
- Jackson, Harrison, and Hancock Counties
- 3. Requesting Organization
- RESTOREEF NPO
- 4a. Name
- Ignacio Lopez-Morales
- 4b. Position
- 4c. Phone Number
- 970-237-0929
- 4d. Fax Number
- 4e. Address Line 1
- 34 53rd St
- 4e. Address Line 2
- 4e. City, State Zip
- Gulfport, MS 39507
- 4f. Email
- iggylm@gmail.com
- 5. FundingRequested
- $175,000
- Awarded Amount:
- $0
- 6. Other State or Federal Funding Sources
- No
- 7a. Amount of Additional Funds
- $0
- 7b. Source of Additional Funds
- 8. Total Project Funds Amount
- $175,000
- 9. Project Description/Overview
- is project involves using schools as a hub for oyster shell recovery. In partnership with Moss Point CTE Aquaculture Program and other school districts along the MS Gulf Coast, RESTOREEF aims to recover oyster shells from restaurants in a sustainable fashion. A friendly competition will be created among school districts and within schools to encourage participation. A representative from RESTOREEF will host an educational presentation on oyster reefs, they're ecological importance in our coastal ecosystem, and the benefit of using oyster shells to restore historical reefs in the Mississippi Gulf Coast. Students interested in participating will be encouraged to spread the recollection procedures to their parents and other adults. Half-shell oyster market consumers will request to take oyster shells with them to assist their children in the shell recovery competition. Students will collect and transport shells to their schools, where they will be accumulated and volumetrically tallied. Restaurants will be provided with 5 gallon buckets with lids to collect unclaimed shells. Employees from these restaurants, who have children enrolled in partner schools will take the bucket with oyster shells to their household. Students from these households will then take the recovered shells to collection hubs at their schools. If unclaimed shells remain, restaurants will be requested to contact RESTOREEF social media manager, who will then announce availability of oyster shells and disclose their locations to willing participants. RESTOREEF employees or volunteers will collect oysters from schools, and unclaimed oysters from restaurants and bring them to more centralized collection centers. Competition winners will be rewarded with field trips, summer camp scholarships, or otherwise board approved prices. Once established, funds will be generated through sale of excess oyster shells.
- 10. Project Goals/Objectives
- 1) Develop a viable and efficient means of collecting landfill-bound oyster shells to enhance restoration of Mississippi Oyster Reefs. 2) Promote education on the importance of oyster reefs to marine ecosystems, and develop in young (and old) Mississippians a sense of ability to assist in oyster reef restoration. 3) Allow young people to take part in the responsibility of restoring and conserving Mississippi's coastal marine habitat. 4) Restore the increasing deficit of natural exposure among young Mississippians, and instill in them a sense of appreciation and respect for littoral marine habitats. 5)Provide a more natural and cost effective alternative to readily available cultch materials primarily for restoration and secondarily for oyster leases. 6) Partner with other institutions and organizations in achieving a common goal of coastal conservation through education and public participation.
- 11. Which of the following authorized uses set forth in the GOMESA Act does this project fall under?
- (A) Projects and activities for the purpose of coastal protection, including conservation, coastal restoration, hurricane protection, and infrastructure directly affected by coastal wetlands losses
- Yes: This project aims to collect oyster shells exclusively to enhance oyster reef habitat and to set oyster spat used to restore historic oyster reefs of Mississippi, potentially create new ones in the Barrier Islands, and wherever viable habitat is available. RESTOREEF is a non-profit organization with the goal of littoral marine ecosystem conservation and public education of the valuable services provided by healthy coastline ecosystems. Involving schools in the restoration efforts will inspire in many young Mississippians a sense of ownership over public natural resources, and hence a sense of responsibility in their conservation.
- (B) Mitigation of damage to fish, wildlife, or natural resources.
- Yes: The 2019 Bonnet Carre Spillway disaster severely impacted oyster reefs that serve as sediment and nutrient sinks as well as critical nursery habitat for a great portion of marine fisheries. Public education and assisting natural productivity of oyster proliferation, will serve to regain ecosystem services associated with oyster reefs. Developing procedures to encourage public participation in restoration of oyster reefs, such as including schools in oyster shell recovery efforts, will help increase the perceived value of coastal ecosystems. As such a greater portion of young Mississippians will choose to act in ways that promote conservation of coastal natural resources.
- (C) Implementation of a federally-approved marine, coastal, or conservation management plan.
- Yes: RESTOREEF will initially concentrate efforts along the Gulf Coast of Mississippi. Encouraging public participation in the recovery of landfill-bound oyster shells through education, social media marketing and friendly competitions in schools, is but one of the projects that RESTOREEF strives to undertake as part of a greater effort to maximize the benefits to coastal communities by natural ecosystems. In order to guarantee success, collaboration with MSDMR, EPA, and other SeaGrant participants will take place to develop viable strategies to restore and conserve litoral marine ecosystems, especially those dependent on oysters.
- (D) Mitigation of the impact of Outer Continental Shelf activities through funding of onshore infrastructure projects.
- 12. Project Timetable/Milestones
- Train interested teachers and restaurant owners/managers in the collection procedures. Assist them in the training of students and employees respectively. Purchase and distribute collection receptacles as individual collection/storage conditions deem appropriate (ie: 5 gal buckets with lids, mesh sacks, 30 or 55 gal drums, 275 gal IBC totes, etc) Commence heavy marketing campaign collection campaign to a variety of social and news media to involve as many members of the community as possible. Procure (purchase/lease/borrow) appropriate recollection vehicles & hire part time pick-up drivers and seek out volunteers for recollection and transport. Recover landfill-bound oyster shells to be used in oyster reef restoration with excess to be sold as cultch material for on bottom oyster leases at a competitive price. Priority will be granted to underprivileged young adults that aim to cultivate on-bottom oysters. Reward highly contributing participants with educational opportunities through direct exposure to natural coastal ecosystems, field trips, summer camps, etc. Achieve a self-sustaining status within the second year of the program. Continue with the collection efforts indefinitely, constantly attempting to increase efficiency, and expansion into other Gulf of Mexico States.
- 13. Project Timing
- Deferred/Long-term
- 14. Current status of architectural/engineering plans & specifications for this project (if applicable):
- 15. In what way does this project meet the goals and objectives of the Department of Marine Resources, which includes enhancing, protecting and conserving the marine interest of Mississippi for present and future generations?
- 1) This project establishes an efficient means of recovery and short-medium term storage of oyster shells. 1.1) Reduces involvement and efforts by restaurant owners/managers 1.2) Places a greater responsibility of shell recovery on the general public, specifically the youth 2) These landfill-bound shells, will help to restore oyster reefs that provide environmental services which benefit coastal communities of taxonomic ranks (most importantly, humans) 3) Education of young Mississpians will develop an apreciation and respect for natural marine ecosystems, and will increase awareness of the gem that is the Mississippi Gulf Coast. 4) Encouraging their participation in restoration efforts will empower them and make them invested and involved in coastal conservation. 4.1) Direct participation and exposure to nature (including coastal tours, field trips to Pascagoula River Audubon Center, USM Marine Education Center, Grand Bay NERR etc) for highly contributing schools or classes. 4.2) This practice is crucial for future conservation efforts and long-term sustainability of such, as made evident by "Last Child in the Woods"- R. Louv
- 16. Estimated Years To Completion
- 2
- 17. Estimated Completion Date
- 7/30/2025
- Budget:
- Salaries,Wages, Fringe
- $89,000
- Travel
- $15,000
- Architecture & Engineering
- $0
- Legal
- $5,000
- Consulting
- $0
- Construction
- $0
- Site Work
- $0
- Equipment
- $55,000
- Indirects
- $7,500
- Other
- $3,500
- Total
- $175,000
- Application Submission Date
- 07/30/2023
- Fiscal Year
- 2025
- Project Status
- Not Awarded
- Application Status
- Accepted
- Meets Criteria
- Yes
- Internal Notes:
- Attachments:
- Hyperlink:
- Attachments