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Commission Approves $50,000 for Y River Oyster Restoration Project
Summary
The board awarded $50,000 to the Y River Oyster Program to match community funds and expand spat-on-shell plantings, supporting additional barges and reef restoration in a designated sanctuary area; the program said it had already raised about $110,000 from local donors.
Queen Anne's County commissioners approved a $50,000 award May 26 to the Y River Oyster Program to support expanded spat-on-shell plantings and sanctuary reef development.
Bruce Ael, representing the program, said the nonprofit has raised about $110,000 from neighborhood donors and sought county matching dollars to fund additional barges and plant 15–20 million spat on shell across roughly three acres. Ael said each planted barge filters more than 1 million gallons of water per day and that the project sites are placed in sanctuary areas where oysters are not harvested.
"Since you approved funding last fall, we've more than doubled the number of homeowners involved and the dollar amounts," Ael said. "We're asking you to help match us so we can do another 2 million gallons per day in filtration." Commissioners noted the local fundraising and community participation and approved the $50,000 award by voice vote.
The funding will be used to acquire spat and shell and support barge plantings; the program said it will provide planting data and follow-up monitoring to state agencies. Because the sites are designated sanctuaries, the planted oysters are intended to restore habitat and filtration services rather than for harvest.
Next steps: program staff plan additional plantings in early June and will provide monitoring results to county staff and state agencies.
