LRNow is very pleased to report that we completed the placement of crushed concrete on the Pleasure House Creek reef complex in the beginning of April. This constitutes the construction portion of Phases 1 and 2 of our National Fish and Wildlife Foundation grants. It took 190 barge loads of concrete on Mike Steelman’s shallow-draft barge, to establish 11 acres of restored reefs in the creek.

The major portion of the work is done. The pilings and signage still have to be placed, the reef profiles need to be leveled off, and a  final shoreline cleanup must be done. Finally, with LRNow’s CBF partners, we will add approximately 4 million spat-on-shell this summer. Once that is done, all the pvc stakes will be removed from Pleasure House Creek and the creek will be returned to its natural splendor. 

Once the City of Virginia Beach approves the continued use of the Lesner Wharf, the concrete placement process for the 5 acres of Phase 3 in the Eastern and Western Branches will begin! While that 5 acres of construction is underway, Virginia Marine Resources Commission will hopefully provide approval for the remaining 9 or so acres. That will complete Phase 3 of the largest LRNow restoration project ever!

 In total, we will have built 25 new acres  of restored oyster reefs. If all these newly-constructed reef complexes are successful, they could easily support well over 10 million new oysters in the Lynnhaven!

Progress.

Semper Crassostrea virginica! – Brent James

Click here to learn more about LRNow oyster restoration.