20M Oysters To Be Planted In Severn River, Clean Local Waters

ANNAPOLIS, MD — Environmentalists will plant 20 million oysters in the Severn River this Friday. The organisms will clean local waters, combat erosion and create marine habitats.

Workers will place the juvenile oysters in existing reefs near Jonas and Anne Catharine Green Park. This is by the north side of the Maryland Route 450 bridge in Annapolis.

Oysters are natural filters that remove pollutants from water. Their reefs also disrupt strong tides and waves. This keeps shorelines intact while giving sealife a safe home.

The project is called Operation Build a Reef. It is a grassroots campaign organized by the Severn River Association and the Oyster Recovery Partnership.

Smyth Jewelers sponsored the project, donating 1,000 oysters for each engagement ring it sold this summer. Bay Paddle, a group that paddleboards the length of the Chesapeake Bay to raise environmental awareness, also donated $10,000 to the effort.

More information on the plan is available here.

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