Oyster Sill & PRE

I received the following email recently, and thought that some of our readers would like to support this project:

"Public Radio East is celebrating its 25th anniversary by helping the NC Coastal Federation build an oyster sill [a horizontal layer of oyster shells] in the Swansboro area of the White Oak River.

"For every pledge received during the Spring Membership Drive March 12-20, Public Radio East will donate a bushel of oyster shells. In June, PRE staff and volunteers will help construct the oyster sills along the Jones Island shoreline in the White Oak River.

"Public Radio East is proud to be a part of the Eastern North Carolina region for the past 25 years and PRE listeners -- just like you -- understand that a major part of what makes this area so special is its natural resources. We thought the best way to celebrate our anniversary was to help preserve those resources for generations to come, but we need your help. Simply go to our
secure pledge page at http://www.publicradioeast.org/pledge.html, make a pledge...in any amount...for the future of great radio and our natural resources.

"According to the NC Coastal Federation, since the early 1900's North Carolina's Eastern Oyster population has declined an estimated 90 percent. Because of their tremendous value, oysters need to be restored. One healthy oyster reef can provide habitat for up to 300 different species including adult and juvenile fishes, shrimp, clams, and blue crabs. In addition, one adult oyster filters between 25-50 gallons of water per day, filtering out sediment, bacteria, and plankton. The final equation is very simple ... more oysters mean more habitats for aquatic species, more seafood for our kitchen tables, and cleaner water for everyone.

"Every pledge received during our Spring Membership Drive means a bushel of oyster shells for the Jones Island Oyster Reef Restoration Project. You can make a contribution to two worthy causes simultaneously by visiting http://www.publicradioeast.org/pledge.html. Approximately 700 bushels are required to create a 125-foot sill. I am confident that PRE listeners can join together to build an oyster sill in addition to supporting Public Radio East.

"Public Radio East also plans to participate in actually building the sill in June of this year. It is our hope that PRE listeners will volunteer to participate in this restoration project as a way of celebrating the 25th anniversary of the station.

"One more thing - Please forward this message and share our exciting news with all the people you know who are public radio listeners.

"Thank you so much,

"Kathy Beal, Executive Director"

You can read more about the NC Coastal Federation's Oyster Habitat Restoration Program here.

You can view a map of eastern North Carolina, showing the White Oak River & Swansboro, here.

Our latest Ocracoke Newsletter is Lou Ann's story of participating in the 2008 Christmas Bird Count on Portsmouth Island. You can read it here.

To read about Philip's new book, Digging up Uncle Evans, History, Ghost Tales, & Stories from Ocracoke Island, please click here.