The Northeast Florida Association of Realtors (NEFAR) Charitable Foundation joined the Northeast Florida Chapter of the Coastal Conservation Association (CCA) in donating more than $27,000 to the University of North Florida Coastal and Marine Biology program to develop an experimental “Living Shoreline — Oyster Reef” project in the St. Johns River.
NEFAR donated $17,568 to the project, which is designed to rebuild historic oyster populations, increase the habitat for oyster spat, reduce wave energy and shoreline erosion, improve water quality and increase local opportunities for fishing. CCA donated $10,000.
“Realtors are committed to the sustainability of our natural resources,” said 2023 NEFAR President Diana Galavis. “Improved water quality and protecting our waterways has been a NEFAR priority for many years. NEFAR is honored to partner on the living shoreline and oyster reef.”
The project is intended to rebuild historic populations of Eastern oysters by providing a suitable habitat for oyster spat to settle and grow. The re-establishment of oyster reefs is expected to have a positive influence on reducing wave energy and associated shoreline erosion, which will provide a greater protection to coastal properties.
Reef building is also predicted to have a positive effect on water quality because of the pollution-filtering capabilities of oysters. It is also anticipated to have a beneficial effect on local shellfish and fish populations by providing increased habitat, which in turn can improve local opportunities for recreation, such as fishing.
NEFAR’s funds were in part generated from sponsorship proceeds derived from its annual Waterway’s Clean-up Event that will take place this year from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. July 8. NEFAR’s annual Waterways Clean-up is part of Florida Realtors’ monthlong, statewide Clean-up Florida Waters Initiative. It will be organized this year by the NEFAR Community Affairs Task Force under the direction of Margarita Diaz Cavanagh, Rae Laws and Mark Feagle.
Named the “NEFAR Oyster Bar,” the project will consist of the construction and field deployment of 18-24 cement-based substrates known as “POSH” – pervious oyster shell habitat units – that are constructed of concrete and include small amounts of embedded oysters. NEFAR Realtors will assist with the construction of the POSH units later this year.
The POSH units will be placed at sites where historic oyster beds once were found within UNF’s 1,050-acre property in the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway (ICW), known as the William C. Webb Coastal Research Station.
