Oyster Shell Bagging Event / Native Plant Nursery Care Day

CRCL Restoration Headquarters – Violet, LA

6207 E St Bernard Hwy

Thursday, December 5, 2024

9:00 AM – 1:00 PM

CRCL is teaming up with the National Football League, the Super Bowl LIX Host Committee, FORCE BLUE, Chefs Brigade, Verizon, Entergy and Venture Global for a Super Bowl project to create a Living Shoreline that will help mitigate storm damage and coastal erosion in Leeville. We are excited to have you join us in Violet, LA to help prepare for that project by bagging oyster shells which will be used to create a living reef.

Launched in June 2014, CRCL’s Oyster Shell Recycling Program recycles shell from New Orleans area and Baton Rouge restaurants and uses that shell to restore oyster reefs and shoreline habitat across coastal Louisiana. Volunteers will shovel oyster shells into mesh bags to contribute to our Super Bowl reef build project. Volunteers will also help clean up our shell pile and remove trash and plastics as we bag. By helping prepare the shell, volunteers will play a role in creating a new oyster reef that will allow for the growth of new oysters, create new fish habitat and act as a wave break that will knock down storm surge and allow new land to build up behind the reef. Bags of oyster shells weigh about 30 pounds on average; if this is too heavy for you, there are many support roles available, such as cutting the mesh bags.

Installed in 2022, CRCL’s native plant nursery has grown several hundred trees that will soon be planted. Volunteers will be dividing spartina alterniflora, repotted and grown out to be planted behind our living shoreline.

Registration: 

• Everyone must sign our release and waiver of rights upon registration. Volunteers 17 years old and younger must have a parent or guardian complete the registration on their behalf.

• Please note the minimum age for volunteers is 14. No one younger than 14 will be allowed to participate. Minors are required to have a waiver signed by a parent or legal guardian and must be accompanied by an adult.

Communications:

• Please be sure to provide a good email address during registration. This is the address that will be used to communicate any last-minute event details.

• Registered volunteers will receive an additional email 2 to 3 days prior to the event with SPECIFIC driving directions and additional event details. If it is the day before the event and you have not received this email, check your spam folder. If it is not there, email volunteers@crcl.org.

Day-of Logistics & Safety:

• We will begin the intro speech and logistics discussion at 9:15, so please arrive promptly.

• Lunch, water and all necessary equipment (including work gloves, sunscreen, bug spray, etc.) will be provided to volunteers.

• Please bring a reusable water bottle to cut down on plastic waste.

• Volunteers MUST wear closed-toed shoes.

• If you have a severe allergy or dietary restriction, please email sofia.giordano@crcl.org, and we will do our best to accommodate you. We are currently unable to accommodate gluten-free volunteers. If you are gluten-free, please bring a lunch. If you have a severe allergy that requires an EpiPen, please be sure to bring it with you.

• CRCL staff members are wilderness first aid-certified. If you get injured during any activity, please report it to a CRCL staff member immediately.

• What to bring:

  • Reusable water bottle

  • Closed-toed shoes

Volunteering on our coast is a wonderful way to spend a day and we would like to ensure that everyone gets a chance to have a great experience. We require that all volunteers please register to let us know if you plan to attend.

For inquiries about any of the above, you can email us at volunteers@crcl.org