Murrells Inlet 2020 and SCDNR seek volunteers for wire reef build on May 6

Murrells Inlet 2020 is seeking volunteers to join them for a wire reef build on Wednesday, May 6 from 10 am to 1 pm at Belin Methodist Church (4183 Highway 17 Business in Murrells Inlet).

According to Stacey Johnson, executive director of the Murrells Inlet non-profit committed to improving water quality and marine life protection in the inlet, the project is part of the organization’s work with the South Carolina Oyster Recycling and Enhancement (SCORE) Program. This community-based habitat restoration and monitoring program of the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources will use manufactured wire boxes filled with recycled oyster shells to create and restore oyster beds in the community.

Shells retrieved from nearby oyster shell recycling collection points are sent to Charleston County to be cleaned and dried out for about six months to kill any bacteria. Then the shells will be placed in the large wire metal baskets and placed in the inlet to create new habitats for oysters.

“Just one wire reef can host up to 7,000 oysters,” Johnson explained.

The reef deployment will take place the following week on Tuesday, May 12, also starting at 10 am from Belin Church. Johnson said the deployment is a labor-intensive project, and volunteers are encouraged to wear closed-toes shoes for protection.

For more information, contact Holly Sommers, SCORE coordinator at 843.953.9397 or by email: [email protected].