Oyster Pick-Ups This June

DEAR GROWERS,

Summer is coming and it is time again for us to gather the oyster cages and transplant the oysters you have grown onto protected, state-sponsored oyster reefs. We will pick up the cages from your residence on May 31st or June 1st. You will be receiving a phone call from Kelsey Harned shortly in order to schedule a convenient time for us to come by and pick up your oyster cages.

We would like to sincerely thank you for your time, dedication, and participation in the Chesapeake Bay “Advance & Protect” Oyster Reef Recovery Initiative. It took decades for the oyster population in our bay to fall to the current record low level, and it will take consistent and continued effort from caring citizens, like you, in order for us to rehabilitate our oyster reefs. So, again, THANK YOU for being a part of the solution and we hope that you will be able to participate in the program for years to come.

As a token of our appreciation, we would like to invite you to our 2nd Annual Oyster Social which will be held June 13th at 5:30 pm at the Tidewater Inn of Easton. Drinks and hors d’oeuvres will be served and you will have the opportunity to mingle with other participants and share experiences about growing your oyster gardens. This will be a fun event so save the date, and we hope that you can make it! (A formal invitation will follow).

Finally, when we pick up your cages, we will be providing you with instructions on how you can utilize our website www.oystersforthebay.com, in order to enter in your oyster gardening data as well as dialogue and share experiences with other oyster gardeners. We hope you will participate so that we can continue to compile information on the real results from our initiative.

The very best way to increase the number of people who are growing oysters is for current participants to encourage fellow dock owners to participate in the available programs. May we request that you ask your neighbor, or any other dock owners you know, to join you at the upcoming oyster social? Our Oyster Reef Recovery Initiative has the potential to grow exponentially if we all make an effort to spread the word!

Warmest regards and wishes,

Scott W. Eglseder
Founder

The Chesapeake Bay "Advance & Protect" Oyster Reef Recovery Initiative - Oysters For The Bay

The 2nd Annual Shred Fest, hosted by our founding sponsor Eglseder Wealth Management Group, Inc was a tremendous success! Throughout the day we had a huge turnout of people and the atmosphere was definitely a festive one.

Aside from having an opportunity to rid their lives of sensitive, outdated documents, the participants also had a chance to visit with some vendors that were in attendance for the event. One of the most popular attractions of the day was the free antique appraisals given by Charlene Upham Antiques.

Thanks to all of the wonderful supporters that came out and a big thank you to the vendors listed below that helped to make this year’s Shred Fest such a great event.

• Eglseder Wealth Management Group, Inc
• Avery Hall
• CBIZ
• Londonderry
• Talbot County Health Department
• Cross Court Athletic Club
• Home Instead
• Talbot County Senior Center
• Charlene Upham Antiques
• Smith Travel
• Talbot Mentors
• Talbot Count Department of Emergency Services
• Mid-Shore Bed Bug Dogs

Till next year!

The Chesapeake Bay "Advance & Protect" Oyster Reef Recovery Initiative - Oysters For The Bay

As oyster stewards, the care you provide your young spat is crucial. While the wire cages protect the developing oysters from predators and burial in the mud or sandy bottom, you are needed to fully protect the spat until it is time to relocate them on an oyster sanctuary reef next spring. Periodic cleaning and attention to how the cages are hanging from your pier will enhance oyster growth & survival.

HANGING YOUR CAGES

Cages should be tied off about one foot below the surface of the water at low tide: this will keep the oysters in the water and alive. If the tide drops lower than normal, brief exposure to the air is not an issue as long as the air temperature is above freezing. In the winter it is essential that the oysters remain underwater whenever there is a chance of freezing air temperatures. Winter tides can drop very low so careful observation is needed to make sure the oysters are always in the water.

CARING & MAINTENANCE FOR YOUR OYSTERS

• Maintenance for  your oyster cages is minimal. Cleaning  once every week is recommended for optimal growth. Simply dunk the cages in and  out of the  water, like steeping a tea bag. *Critical: Jostling will remove silt and algae, which can smother the spat.
• If you observe heavy  fouling on the cage, rinse with a garden hose and possibly  use a scrub  brush to remove  the  buildup. Heavy fouling  restricts water flow and oyster growth.
• Preferred option: Another option is to let the cage sit out of water for up to 2 hours, during which time the fouling organisms will dry out and die. This can be done up to once a week during warmer months, but oysters should never be exposed to heat for longer than 2 hours or they may die.
• If oysters sit too long without a rinse or jostle, they may begin to grow through the wire mesh of the cage. It then becomes difficult to remove them without breaking their young shells and killing the oysters. Frequent cleaning will help  prevent this!
•  During cold winter months, the spat will go dormant and no cleaning is necessary. Be sure to resume cleaning when the weather warms up, however!

(Click the image for larger view)

The Chesapeake Bay "Advance & Protect" Oyster Reef Recovery Initiative - Oysters For The Bay

The health of the bay is getting better, but there is still a long way to go!

A recent article published by The Chesapeake Bay Foundation reports that the health of the bay has had a 10% improvement in less than five years. Of the 13 indicators used to generate the report, there was marked improvement in five categories with only one category in decline.

The report goes on to say that with a current score of 32, we still have a long way to go in order to reach a target score of 70, which would mean a saved bay. In order to reach these goals, the CBF lists the following as their priorities for 2013:

• Fully funding the Bay Trust Fund, which is responsible for providing technical and monetary support for local jurisdictions
• Achieve pollution reduction goals by working with other jurisdictions
• Defend the advances made during last years legislative session to reduce pollution in the Maryland waterways

While there is still much work to be done, it is clear that we are definitely on the right track. As long as the many bay-related agencies continue to work together, there is no doubt that we can reach our goal in the not-too-distant future.

Click here to read the full article

2012 State Of The Bay Report – Courtesy of www.cbf.org

The Chesapeake Bay "Advance & Protect" Oyster Reef Recovery Initiative - Oysters For The Bay

The Chesapeake Bay "Advance & Protect" Oyster Reef Recovery Initiative - Oysters For The Bay

Article: An Oyster in the Storm
Article & Image Source: www.nytimes.com 

Hurricane Sandy missed the residents of the Chesapeake Bay, but the storm did inspire a wonderful article on the New York Times’ website last week. 

In short, the article discusses how a healthier oyster population would have reduced the impact of the storm surge produced by Sandy, through filtering the water more effectively and allowing for a thicker marsh root structure.

Unfortunately, the oyster population is on the decline in New York as well (although efforts are being made to remedy this) and future storms are likely to have the same effect according to the article.

To read the full story, click the link below….

An Oyster in the Storm

The Chesapeake Bay "Advance & Protect" Oyster Reef Recovery Initiative - Oysters For The Bay

Saturday, October 13th

Over this past weekend, we got to lace up our running shoes and do some awkward stretching, all to run in The Horn Point Laboratory’s Spat Dash & 5k run.

Needless to say, the event was certainly a physical challenge, but it was also a ton of fun!

Because not everyone from the Oyster Reef Recovery Initiative could make the event, we even had a few team members participate  as “Sleep Walkers” (people that are there in spirit and have donated to the cause).

Additionally, a big congratulations goes out to our founder, Scott Eglseder, for winning the bronze medal in his age group. Wohoo!  

It was a wonderful event and we can’t wait it to come back around next year.

Read more about the event here…

The Chesapeake Bay "Advance & Protect" Oyster Reef Recovery Initiative - Oysters For The Bay

What a day!

This year’s Oyster Delivery couldn’t have gone better. Because oysters cannot be out of the water for more than a few hours, coordinating the deliveries can be somewhat of a logistical symphony. Fortunately, we were able to deliver cages to all of our 32 households throughout Talbot & Queen Annes.

After only a week of having their cages, we already have quite a few of our growers logging their results on our website. Our growers are the best! 

Thank you to our volunteers!

Although we delivered over 100 cages this year, The Oyster Reef Recovery Initiative couldn’t have done it without the help of our fabulous volunteers! A special thanks goes out to the following people:

Volunteers: Carl Doll, Bob Barton, Bob Lucas, Harvey Stewart, John Prahl, Mike Payne, Dudley Soulsman, Bob Bowers, Jim Hoffman, Lee Hoffman, Jeff Downs

Eglseder Wealth Management Group, Inc. Staff – Scott Eglseder, Kelsey Harned, Jenika Downs, Kim White, Bertha Bryan

To sum the day up… Our Founder said it best

“We are very excited about the 300% increase in the number of oyster growers that we were able to enlist between the first and second years of our initiative. Our goal for next year’s growing season is to once again triple the number of growers and cages participating in our program. We are grateful for the enthusiastic help of our volunteers. Through our initiative, we are determined to make a positive difference in the health of the Chesapeake Bay” – Scott Eglseder

We still need volunteers!

People interested in growing oysters or volunteering for oyster pick-ups and deliveries can either call Kelsey Harned at 410.822.9143 or contact us by clicking here.

Here are some pictures from the day’s events. Enjoy!

The Chesapeake Bay "Advance & Protect" Oyster Reef Recovery Initiative - Oysters For The Bay

We would like to thank all of our clients who were able to attend the 3^rd Annual Client Appreciation Crab Feast on Saturday, September 22^nd.  We were blessed with gorgeous, warm fall weather and the company of people who have become like family to us over the years. The food, catered by Chesapeake Bay Seafood Caterers, was as delicious as ever. They dished out steamed crabs, succulent sweet corn, and all the fixings to 140 people without missing a beat!

Our guests were entertained by the Bay Country Chorus who graciously made the rounds throughout the venue and sang classic harmonies. They even did educational demonstrations of how each member of the barbershop quartet contributes to the overall sound of the harmony. Also entertaining the crowd was Scott’s two-year old granddaughter, Lily, who  had great fun drenching herself in the hand washing buckets and then parading around with them on her head!

Click here to watch Lily in action

 We raffled off prizes for dinner for two at Mason’s, a crab lover’s gift basket, and tickets to the upcoming Waterfowl Festival. Even after all of our guests had their fill of pickin’ crabs, there were still some left over so we were happy to see that no one went hungry!

Thank you again to all of our clients for your continued business and support. We are truly grateful for the trust and friendship that you have bestowed upon us.

 See below for more picture of the event…

The Chesapeake Bay "Advance & Protect" Oyster Reef Recovery Initiative - Oysters For The Bay

We are gearing  up for our 2nd year of oyster growing here at The Chesapeake  Bay “Advance & Protect” Oyster Reef Recovery Initiative, and we are so glad that you have decided to grow this year! In the first year of our oyster deliveries, we delivered 33 cages to growers in the area. In our second year of oyster deliveries, we will be delivering  106 cages! Whoooo hooooo! We are thrilled with the growth that our program has made in just one year! We couldn’t have done it without you and your dock!

The delivery date for this year is: Friday, September 28th 2012

On the morning of the 28th, the folks with the Marylanders Grow Oysters program will show up at our business office, located in Easton, Maryland, with bags of spat on shell and empty oyster cages. Part of our job that morning will be to distribute the spat on shell into the oyster cages where they will live and grow for the next six to eight months. After the spat on shell is in their temporary home we will then start the process of delivering the cages to docks throughout the local area.

As you can see, with having  106 (Whooooo hooooo!) cages to distribute this year we could use a few extra hands. We are asking any dock owner who is able and willing to come out and lend a hand or two!

We encourage anyone who has a truck and would be willing to deliver a few cages come out and volunteer some time. Can’t lift heavy objects?  That’s okay, we could use someone to open bags of spat or help count stacks of cages. Got the kids or grandkids that day? That’s okay, bring them out and we will help you tire them out so you can all get a nice afternoon  nap that day. Any and all help is welcome and appreciated.

We will provide a continental breakfast  to all those who can volunteer their time. Please call me at (410) 822-9143 or go online at  www.oystersforthebay.com to sign up.

We will call each grower individually to inform you of the approximate delivery time for the 28th.

While it is preferable, it is not absolutely necessary for you to be home during your delivery time.

We are looking forward to another successful year of growing and making a difference in the Bay……. one oyster at a time!

The Chesapeake Bay "Advance & Protect" Oyster Reef Recovery Initiative - Oysters For The Bay