The construction of reefs at Bayou Grande continues.

Keep Pensacola Beautiful completed 27 oyster reefs at Bayou Grande in Pensacola, Florida, with only 12 more to go!  

Keep Pensacola Beautiful (KPB) along with Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) office of  Northwest Aquatic Preserves and Escambia County Marine Resources Division have been building oyster reefs for habitat restoration at Bayou Grande for approximately a year. All of the shells used for reef construction are collected by KPB from local restaurants and bagged by KPB volunteers in biodegradable mesh bags for stacking.

Restoration of oyster reefs and marsh grass habitat increases oyster populations, provides nursery and foraging grounds for finfish, shellfish and wading birds, as well as aids in the filtration of stormwater runoff into the bayou. Recycling the shells from restaurants also reduces the number of shells in the local waste stream. Since the project began Jan. 20, 2015, KPB has collected 383,000 lbs (191.5 tons) of oyster shells.

Read more about the project and check out photos on the KPB website.

Here’s a time-lapse video of the Bayou Grande-Living Shoreline project and an additional KPB video describing the project.