2023 CBOCS Annual Report
Chesapeake Beach Oyster Cultivation Society
2023 Annual Report
2022 Accomplishments
The Chesapeake Beach Oyster Cultivation Society continues its vibrant role in promoting oyster restoration projects and educational opportunities for Calvert County elementary school students. We currently have 105 supporters on our membership list and look to increase active participation in 2023.
As always, the Society is only successful with the generous commitment of time and energy of all its members. We are so appreciative of your passion for the health of oysters, the health of the Chesapeake Bay, the education of our young people and your commitment to making our town a great place to live.
This past year saw a transition in leadership as the long-standing Founder and Chairman of CBOCS, John Bacon, stepped down after many years of passion and devotion to this vital environmental effort. John is the heart and soul of this society, promoting oyster health and restoration at every opportunity. In conjunction with the Calvert County Public School system, John was integral to bringing the Chespax Oyster Studies program to Fishing Creek. Through his commitment to education, over 10,000 5th grade students have been educated on oyster growth and development as well as the critical role oysters play in the health of our beloved Chesapeake Bay. John also oversaw the creation and continued development of an oyster reef in the Chesapeake Bay, coordinating delivery of one hundred to two hundred of bags of spat from the Maryland Grows Oysters program to the reef maintained by CBOCS each year.
A retirement reception was held in August to celebrate John’s dedication to this society. Over 50 attendees joined John at Abner’s restaurant for this social event where he was presented with a mural designed from the art created by the 5th grade students oyster mural projects held annually at Beach Elementary School.
Sue Alexander has stepped into the role of Director of CBOCS after spending three years supporting the 5th grade field trip program. She acknowledges in no uncertain terms that she has VERY big shoes to fill and is dedicated to promoting CBOCS mission in the town and county.
In July CBOCS embarked on a new project to grow its own spat on shell. We obtained one million larvae from the Horn Point Hatchery, University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science in Cambridge Maryland. The larvae were placed in containers in the Oysterarium on Fishing Creek. Water was cycled through the containers and the shells were monitored for 10 days. As this was a new venture that the team had not attempted before, we were not sure of our success. At the end of the 10 days, shells were pulled from the containers, pictures were sent to Horn Point where they confirmed larvae had successfully attached to the shells and developed into spat. Continuation of this project will be discussed as we move forward.
September saw the return of our 5th grade oyster field trip program encompassing all elementary schools in Calvert County. 15 CBOCS volunteers supported the Dept. of Parks and Recreation Naturalists over the course of 10 weeks with logistical support during the day, setting up and taking down teaching stations, driving the ever-popular golf cart and providing storage facilities for the equipment. At program completion, over 1,079 students and 301 teachers/chaperones were educated on requirements for a healthy oyster environment and the vital role oysters play in the health of the Chesapeake Bay. 232 volunteer hours were recorded for this program. Many thanks go out to the volunteers who came out in heat, cold, rain and sunshine to support this major effort.
In October, CBOCS received 200 bags of spat-on-shell from the MGO program. A spat count was conducted and it was estimated that 142,000 spat were attached to the shells. 24 volunteers of all ages assisted with delivery of the spat to the CBOCS reef. Bags were opened up and shells were poured into large buckets. The buckets were loaded on to the boat and delivered to the reef. It was an exciting, productive morning as this was the largest delivery of spat in recent memory. Many thanks to Jay Berry for the use of his boat and coordinating the trip out to the reef.
Chesapeake Beach’s Halloween Family Fun Night brought out 6 volunteers to man the CBOCS table to hand out candy. A rough estimate of 1,500 children swarmed Kellam’s Field in costume to enjoy a night of trick or treating, music and an outdoor movie. It was pretty hectic for a little while but fun and laughs were had by all.
Sue Alexander, Director of CBOCS, attended the fall conference of the Chesapeake Oyster Alliance, a division of the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, in Virginia Beach, Virginia. The conference was held at the Brock Environmental Center, one of the first buildings in the nation to embrace water and energy independence. The center is home to the mobile oyster restoration center, regional environmental education programs and the Virginia Beach Public Schools Environmental Education programs.
Three speakers engaged the conference. Claire Neubert and Linda Hamm of Shored UP LLC, Hampton VA introduced us to their ecotourism business. They conduct kayaking and walking tours of Hampton VA. Leonard Nelson, CEO of Natrx Adaptive Infrastructure spoke next. His company applies advanced technology to design shoreline erosion prevention systems and also manufactures oyster reef structures that serve dual purposes: protect against erosion as well as provide oyster restoration reefs. Isabella DeFrancesco of the Chesapeake Bay Foundation presented the final topic of the conference -using the CBF social media resources to encourage cooperative efforts and connect COA partners.
Following the speakers, the COA attendees were given a behind-the-scenes tour of the Virginia Aquarium and Marine Science Center, as well as a tour of their oyster reef in Owls Creek.
2023 Plans for the Future
The future looks bright for CBOCS. There is increased interest in maintaining the health of the bay with a major focus on the crucial role oysters play in this environment. CBOCS added 20 new volunteers to its list of members and we look forward to their support in the coming year.
March brings the start of the Reef Ball Builds. The 5th grade classes from CCPS that participated in the fall oyster field trips will be building reef balls at their school locations. CBOCS will provide volunteers to assist in the building of the reef balls at six northern Calvert County elementary schools – Windy Hill, Beach, Plum Point, Sunderland, Huntingtown and Mt. Harmony. This is a two-day event that includes building the molds, pouring the concrete and then “Hatching” the reef balls once the concrete has set.
On April 1, CBOCS volunteers will be assisting in water-quality testing of Fishing Creek. The American Chestnut Land Trust (ACLT) in conjunction with the Chesapeake Biological Laboratory of Solomons Island is testing the water quality of a number of creeks in Calvert County and has asked CBOCS to provide resources for the Fishing Creek portion of this testing.
The North Beach Wetlands Park Committee is establishing a nature center on the park site. The NB Naturalist in charge of this effort has reached out to CBOCS to potentially establish an oyster reef exhibit within the center. Sue Alexander will be meeting the Naturalist to pursue this initiative.
Plans for spat delivery to the reef and 5th grade field trips in the fall are also in the works for this year.
Volunteer Opportunities
As the year progresses, we will be reaching out for volunteers to help with our planned efforts as they arise.
Currently we would like to reestablish the CBOCS Facebook page. If anyone has an interest with setting up a page and/or helping to maintain page content, please let Sue know so we can get our message out.
Also if you hear of any events or projects that touch on our oyster mission and you think CBOCS could support, forward the information to Sue to get the ball rolling.
Thank you all for dedication and support of our mission and I look forward to working with you all in the future.
Sue Alexander can be reached at sue.alexander.2449@gmail.com