| Name Our Mascot |
The Oyster Recovery Partnership is working on naming our new Oyster Mascot and his mud crab sidekick....any suggestions on names for either character? Enter names on our ORP Fan Page. |
| Find us on Facebook |
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 Visit our ORP Fan Page today! Send any content ideas to the Fan Page administrator.
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DNR to Hold Open Houses for Proposed Oyster Restoration and Aquaculture Development Plan |
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 The Maryland Department of Natural Resources (MD DNR) will hold four open houses this month to inform citizens and serve as the formal scoping meetings for the plan proposed by Governor Martin O'Malley in December. All materials will also be online at the Shellfish Program web page, and comments can be submitted by email. Remaining Open Houses include:
Upper Western Shore
January 14th, 12:30-8 p.m.
MD Dept. of Agriculture, Harry S. Truman Building
50 Harry S Truman Parkway
Annapolis, MD 21401-8960
Lower Eastern Shore
January 20th, 12-8:00 p.m.
Black Diamond Lodge
PO Box 299, Rt. 13 North
Fruitland, MD 21826
Lower Western Shore
January 26th, 12-8:00 p.m.
Solomons Volunteer Rescue Squad
13150 H.G. Trueman Rd.
Solomons, MD 20688
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| Outreach Events |
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January 29-31, 2010
Ocean City, MD
February 6, 2010
12pm-4pm
Baltimore, MD
Feb. 19 6pm-10pm
Feb. 20 12pm-9pm
Washington, DC
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| Oyster News |
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Read the latest in local and national oyster news.
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| Meet Our Board Members |
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 Ken Binnix, Secretary
Ken Binnix has spent the past 30 years pursuing the best interests of the Chesapeake Bay. A pioneer in oyster restoration, Ken helped to create and direct the Oyster Recovery Partnership during its formative years as Chairman of the Board of Directors from 1994-1997 and is currently the Board Secretary. He also currently serves as President of the Chesapeake Area Professional Captains Association (CAPCA). A familiar face to many, he assisted the Maryland Watermen's Association in their oyster shucking demonstrations during the Chesapeake Appreciation Days event that ran from 1985 to 1994 at Sandy Point State Park, has served as Chairman of the Chesapeake Appreciation Days, Inc. from 1990-1991, and was a member of the famous Windjammers of the Chesapeake Club from 1990-1995.
An avid oyster advocate, Ken explains, "The oyster is a critical component of the Bay's ecology and after development of the Round Table plan, and as Chairman of CA Inc., I saw this as an exciting opportunity to take on an active role in an effort that could make a difference in the restoration of the oysters and the improvement of the Chesapeake Bay."
By day, Ken is the Executive Vice President of the Days Cove Reclamation Company in Annapolis and Vice President of William J. Gleason & Sons, Inc. in White Marsh. Days Cove Reclamation Company is a full service solid waste management firm, specializing in reclaiming surface mining and other industrial sites in conjunction with the management of construction and demolition debris landfills. William J. Gleason & Sons, Inc. provides expert major and minor repairs for construction, industrial, and marine equipment. Ken presently is also serving as Chairman of the Maryland-Delaware Solid Waste Association.
Ken and his wife, Carol, make their home in Annapolis, MD. Ken has 3 children and 10 grandchildren.
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| Oyster Recipe |
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Oyster Pie
1 pie crust
1 pint shucked oysters
4 cups oyster crackers, crumbled
Butter
1 cup of fresh cream
Salt and Pepper
Directions:
Bake crust, let cool. Drain oysters, save liquid. Grease bottom of pie crust with butter. Layer oysters, then crumbled crackers, then oysters. Top final layer of cracker crumbs with a mixture of oyster liquid, cream, salt, and pepper. Dot top of pie with sliced butter. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes. Yields 4-6 slices.
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About the Oyster Recovery Partnership |
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The Oyster Recovery Partnership is a non-profit organization dedicated to restoring the ecologic and economic benefits of the Chesapeake Bay. Created in 1994, the ORP actively works with a dozen diverse stakeholder groups to rehabilitate historic and relic oyster bars by producing and planting disease-free oyster seed. This unique partnership has become one of the largest groups actively restoring oysters in the Chesapeake Bay.
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Maryland Oyster Restoration:
2009 in Review
At the Oyster Recovery Partnership, restoration and preservation happen together. We are grateful for your interest in the recovery of one of the Chesapeake Bay's most valuable native species, the Eastern oyster. The past two years of our oyster restoration activities have been pivotal, with notable accomplishments that strengthen our cause. These are shared by our extraordinary partners, volunteers, and community alike.
In 2009, we achieved new planting records, planting more than 650 million disease-free spat on shell from the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science (UMCES) Horn Point Lab hatchery on more than 350 acres of oyster reefs. As a result, Maryland now has 1,300 acres of replanted oyster bars under management. Of note: the UMCES Horn Point Lab hatchery team has consecutively produced more native oyster larva than any other non-commercial hatchery in the nation.
With the Chesapeake Bay losing hundreds of acres of hard bottom oyster habitat every year, we are working towards minimizing this loss by preserving Maryland's historically-productive oyster bars for a natural spat set and/or planting of disease-free hatchery seed. In 2010, this effort will be kicked off with the upcoming derelict gear retrieval and oyster shell rehabilitation projects.
Thank you for your support and dedication toward restoring oysters, cleaning our Bay and preserving our heritage. From all of us at the Oyster Recovery Partnership - See you on the Bay!
Stephan Abel, Executive Director
Oyster Recovery Partnership |
| Preservation of Productive Oyster Bars Marks First Project of 2010 |
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With a record-breaking planting season behind us, we begin the new year with two watermen programs. The Oyster Bar Rehabilitation and Derelict Gear Retrieval projects begin this month with the selection process. This year, Derelict Gear Retrieval areas include the mouth of the West, Rhode and South Rivers, Crisfield, Rock Hall, the Patapsco River, Hooper Strait/Upper Tangier Sound, the Little Choptank River, the Patuxent River, and the Northeast River. The Oyster Shell Rehabilitation Program areas are not set in stone as of yet, but will likely cover areas of the Upper Western Shore, Lower Western Shore, Upper Eastern Shore and Mid to Lower Middle Eastern Shore in preparation for hatchery seed planting in 2010.
Coordination and execution of these programs are a collective effort between the Department of Natural Resources, the Maryland Watermen's Association and the Oyster Recovery Partnership, as part of the effort to compensate watermen due to crab harvest restrictions. The Derelict Gear Retrieval Project begins in early February and lasts through March 2010, while the Oyster Shell Rehabilitation Project is projected to start in March. Notifications will be sent out in early February by telephone call and/or letter. |
| Ask a Scientist |
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 Q: What are 3 important elements in the life cycle of an oyster?
A: Suitable water temperature, salinity level, and substrate. Oysters prefer to spawn in water with a temperature of between 74-86 degrees F (20-30 degrees C). Salinity levels above 10 ppt are preferred for spawning. When oysters are in the pediveliger stage, they begin searching for a hard substrate to which they can attach for their transformation into an oyster spat (baby).
Steven Allen, MSc, Senior Manager, Aquatic Restoration & Scientific Diver
Oyster Recovery Partnership |
| Partner Profile |
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 The Maryland Watermen's Association is a charter partner with the Oyster Recovery Partnership, assisting in the State-wide effort to enhance and preserve the Chesapeake Bay oyster population since 1994. Formed in 1973, the group is dedicated to the interests of all who derive beauty and benefit from Maryland's Chesapeake Bay Waters. Representing all commercially-licensed watermen from Maryland, its Board of Directors is comprised of watermen from all Bay-bordering counties. |
| Out & About |
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 One of the oldest cities in Maryland, Cambridge was settled in 1684 and is the county seat of Dorchester County. Rich in maritime history, Cambridge is an authentic Eastern Shore waterfront community located on the southern bank of the Choptank River in the "Heart of the Eastern Shore".
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| Did You Know? |
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Approximately how many bushels of oysters were harvested in the Maryland portion of the Chesapeake Bay in 1980?
a. 500,000 b. 1,000,000 c. 2,000,000 d. 5,000,000
Answer from last issue's question: During b. 1880 the Chesapeake Bay's oyster production exceeded the rest of the world combined. This statistic was extracted from the document: History of domestic and foreign commerce of the United States, by Emory Richard Johnson, Thurman William Van Metre, Grover Gerhardt Huebner, and David Scott Hanchett. Published in 1915 and reprinted in 1922. "When the first complete survey of the oyster industry was made in 1880, Maryland, Virginia, New Jersey, New York, and Delaware ranked in the order named as regards the quantity of oysters obtained. Of a total of 22,195,000 bushels of oysters taken in the United States, 20,700,000 bushels came from the Middle Atlantic States -- Maryland producing 10,600,000..." |
| A Look Inside Oyster Recovery Partnership |
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 After the record-breaking 2009 oyster restoration season for those integral organizations involved with the Oyster Recovery Partnership, ORP Director of Field Operations and former waterman, Eddie Walters, shares his thoughts on the challenging process and what it means to him as this season comes to a close.
Q: What does it mean to you to play such a large role in helping to revitalize our Bay?
A: I would like to think that I am making a difference and that my small part is helping to bring back the Bay or sustain it so that the next generation can enjoy and experience the same wonderful things that I have.
Q: What's the most challenging part of the oyster restoration process?
A: One of the most challenging parts is trying to coordinate all the partners involved in the restoration process towards a common goal of a healthier Chesapeake Bay. We couldn't make such a large dent without our partners' involvement.
Q: What has been your biggest accomplishment to date?
A: I've been happy to see this operation grow so quickly over the past 9 years. Personally, I find it rewarding to take a group of very rural Cambridge kids just out of high school and mentor them into a highly-skilled, reliable workforce. Also, I enjoy being a part of the solution. We've been able to successfully implement adaptive management strategies to increase our production every year. By using a common sense approach -- which I feel was given to me, in part, by my father's similar work and deep respect for our Bay -- we always seem to improve on how we do things as the needs arise.
Q: How has the program changed over the years?
A: Everything was done pretty much manually at first, so we saw right away in order to increase production we would have to take a different approach. With our partners' help and funding, we have been able to acquire the equipment and manpower to make this process happen. We get the shells washed, loaded into stainless steel containers and then loaded onto the Robert Lee vessel to be planted on the designated sites throughout the state of Maryland. Without the captain of the Robert Lee working with us tirelessly, this would not have been possible.
Q: Any final thoughts on what makes ORP such an important part of Bay restoration?
A: Having grown up on the Bay, I know it takes many partners to get this job done, and done right. It's been an honor to work with so many who also care about our Bay's health, future generations and making a difference. Thanks to everyone involved. Now, I'm off to ready our field crew and equipment for the 2010 season.
 A little more about Eddie.....he is a graduate of the University of Baltimore, but spent much of his life as a commercial waterman on the Chesapeake Bay. Joining the Partnership in 2000, Eddie oversees ORP's on-the-ground field program and seven staff located on the campus of the UMCES Horn Point Laboratory outside of Cambridge. Eddie's father spent 20 years with DNR, finishing his career as Captain of the state vessel "Fifty-Fifty". Eddie spends much of his free time playing golf, with his wife Sam and his daughter Nicole. | |
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