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Kevin Holcomb
Supervisory Wildlife Biologist
Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge
U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
Bo Lusk
Marine Steward
Virginia Coast Reserve
The Nature Conservancy
Oyster Reef Restoration at
Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge, VA
8th National Summit on Coastal and Estuarine Restorationand
25th Biennial Meeting of The Coastal Society
December 13, 2016
DE
MD
VA
Chincoteague NWR, Virginia
Assateague Island, VADEL-MAR-VAMid-Atlantic
Chincoteague NWR, Virginia
Project Overview
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, The Nature Conservancy, and Virginia Marine
Resources Commission, constructed three living shorelines and two-and-a-half acres
of oyster reefs, above mean low water, that will:
increase resiliency of saltmarsh habitat and adjacent infrastructure to
withstand future storms
provide ecosystem services such as nutrient removal, uptake of
sediments, water filtration, increased water quality and increased
biomass, and habitat for other marine organisms
Assateague Bay (Service Road) SiteService Road / Assateague Bay Site
Beach Road / Little Toms Cove Site
Shell Plant Delineation at Little Toms Cove Site
Example: 7 ft. Oyster Castle Array & Layout
Oyster Castle Arrays at Little Toms Cove Site
Oyster Castle Arrays at Assateague Bay Site
Outreach
Social Media Outreach
Oyster Castle Arrays at Little Toms Cove Site
Oyster Spat on Castles ~7 months
Oyster Spat on Castles ~7 months
Oyster Castle Arrays at Assateague Bay Site
Monitor recruitment, growth, and density of oysters on castles and shell plants.
The Nature Conservancy’s Oyster Habitat Restoration Monitoring and Assessment Handbook (Baguett et al. 2014)
Wave Attenuation Monitoring
Two wave gauges are deployed simultaneously to measure wave height and energy on the landward and seaward side of each reef.
Wiberg, P.L., et al. In Preparation. Wave attenuation by oyster reefs in shallow coastal bays.
Example: Pre and Post Oyster Castle Deployment
• constructed 3,550 linear feet of living shoreline, totaling 13,750 oyster castles at two sites:Little Tom’s Cove/Beach Road (1,400’)Assateague Bay/Service Road (2,150’)
• constructed 2.5 acres of oyster reef composed of dredged fossil oyster/clam shell in Tom’s Cove
• engaged volunteers and citizen scientists• successful media outreach and interpretation• created a living demonstration area for visitors to witness coastal resilience in action
Project Outcomes
Acknowledgements
SeaDuce, LLC
Thank you!
Kevin Holcomb
Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge
(757) 336-6122 x2319
Bo Lusk
Virginia Coast Reserve
(757) 442-3560
