A note from our Founder & Executive Director - Eight months in and we are off to a great start.

As 2023 concludes, I reflect on how far ORE has come as an organization and look forward to a bright future implementing impactful ecological restoration projects in the Suncoast. Our operations officially kicked into high gear on May 1, 2023, when ORE's Board of Directors hired me as Executive Director. This was made possible by grants from Charles & Margery Barancik Foundation, Manatee Fish & Game Association, and individual donor contributions. I am beyond grateful for this vote of support that allowed ORE to become established and put some great projects in motion.

A huge thanks is owed to ORE's Board of Directors and all of you who have supported our mission. With a staff of one (me) we're in the small but mighty category, and we're already making a difference. Over the next year, we will grow from this newly blossomed organization to a regional ecological restoration institution. We must do this - for our mission and our regional ecology.

ORE's growth will require increasing our donor base, winning more and larger grants, and providing fee-for-service consulting that is mission aligned. We WILL grow with YOUR help!

We have accomplished a lot in our first eight months and that momentum will carry us into an amazing 2024. See below for a summary of current projects, and a glimpse at big things to come in 2024.

Here's to a great year in 2024!

-Damon Moore

Founder & Executive Director

Palmetto Boys and Girls Club Field Trips and Pollinator Garden

ORE was honored to partner with the Palmetto Boys and Girls Club on an environmental education field trip to Emerson Point Preserve where ORE introduced club members to the importance of native plants and local ecology. With a grant from the Serenoa Chapter of the Florida Native Plant Society, we were also able to install a native plant pollinator garden at their campus. Looking forward to more opportunities with this great group of kids!

Perico Preserve Trail Head Coastal Prairie Restoration

With a grant awarded to ORE from the Sarasota Bay Estuary Program, we partnered with Manatee County Natural Resources to convert 8,200 square feet of weedy growth at the Perico Preserve trail head to a coastal meadow comprised of a rich assemblage of desirable native plants. A great group of volunteers helped us prepare the area for planting, install over 4,000 containerized plants, and harvest & sow nearly 30 pounds of wildflower and native grass seeds.

ORE continues to perform habitat establishment period adaptive management events and will be developing a public presentation "how to" guide using this project in Spring 2024. We also recently applied for small grant to fund supplemental plantings that will further enhance this area.

Philippe Park Oyster Reef Creation

ORE was honored to assist Pinellas County with the Phillipe Park Oyster Reef Project. We were awarded a grant from the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services that funded the purchase of work floats, crates, shovels, and other equipment needed to facilitate large-scale and HIGHLY productive volunteer-based oyster restoration. Over the course of four events, a total of 34 TONS of recycled shell was shoveled into crates, floated to the reef creation area, and spread evenly on the bottom. Now that's getting it done!

Manatee County Mangrove Heart Attack Mapping & Ungarelli Preserve Pilot Planting

Mangrove heart attacks (rapid decline of mangrove habitats) are unfortunately an increasingly common occurrence in southwest Florida and Manatee County is no exception. To bring awareness to this issue in Manatee County, ORE conducted a county- wide assessment of mangrove heart attacks. Detailed analysis of current and historical aerial imagery shows 46 acres of mangrove habitats in Manatee County that have succumbed to mangrove heart attacks.

Click here for an eye-opening aerial time series showing an example of local mangrove heart attacks.

ORE is solution focused, identifying the problem is only Step 1. So, we organized and implemented a pilot planting project at Ungarelli Preserve to test whether red mangrove seedlings would survive when planted in areas where black mangroves have died.

Manatee River Subtidal Oyster Reef Mapping

Stemming from detailed review of recent aerial imagery and lots of time in the water, ORE identified numerous potential unmapped existing oyster reefs in the Manatee River. Understanding the spatial extent and condition of these existing reefs is crucial for planning large-scale oyster habitat restoration. To get these reefs documented, ORE facilitated a partnership between ORE, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission Fish and Wildlife Research Institute, and Manatee County. Detailed aerial analysis and in-water inspection/mapping of over 100 sites resulted in 62 "new" oyster reefs being added to the state database of oyster reefs in Florida.

A copy of the final report can be found here.

Girls Scouts Vertical Oyster Garden Project

They asked and we answered. Several Girl Scout troops teamed up for a STEM focused day at Camp Honi Hanta on the Braden River. ORE was asked to provide educational programming that included an experiential learning activity for a group of 35 campers. We absolutely loved bringing in a tank of live oysters with all their associated epibionts (hitchhikers!) for the campers to experience the filtration power and habitat value of oysters firsthand.

To top it off the group made nearly 100 vertical oyster gardens that will grow more oysters as they hang from local docks and piers. This program was an absolute joy, and we look forward to doing more at Camp Honi Hanta in the future!

Oyster Restoration Aquaculture Areas - 16.2 ACRES!!

The biggest challenge to achieving large-scale oyster restoration in the Manatee River is funding. The second biggest challenge is getting necessary approvals from the federal, state, and local regulatory agencies with jurisdiction over waterways and the habitats within them. Recognizing that the Manatee River has large areas that meet newly developed permitting requirements for oyster restoration aquaculture (growing oysters for the purpose of ecosystem services), ORE set out to pursue the first oyster restoration aquaculture management agreement in the state.

After weeks of intensive underwater surveys and a detailed site review by state employees, ORE applied for a 10-acre lease area named in memory of one of our earliest supporters, Eileen Reed, who passed away this year. This area was approved at the December Meeting of the Governor & Cabinet! Using our site surveys, we also secured an additional 6.2 acres for Manatee County!

Manatee River Oyster Project Master Plan

ORE is thrilled to be providing consulting assistance to Manatee County, as a subcontractor to Cummins Cederberg, Inc., for the Manatee River Oyster Project Master Plan. This plan will guide large-scale oyster habitat restoration in the Manatee River for decades. Based on an actionable outcome framework developed by The Nature Conservancy and the Society for Ecological Restoration, this plan (slated for completion in mid-2024) will identify and prioritize project areas to achieve a goal of restoring over 100 acres of oyster habitat in the Manatee River. A truly transformational large-scale habitat restoration project that would help restore this multi-benefit natural resource. Check out this quick video on the historical decline of oysters in the Manatee River.

Manatee River Coastal Habitat Restoration & Resilience Project - Grant Application NOAA Transformational Habitat - $14.7 million dollar funding request.

Normally, we would not include submittal of a grant application in an update, but this one is worth it. ORE is very proud to have partnered with Manatee County in preparing a grant application to fund a series of truly transformational restoration projects in and along the Manatee River. Federal grant applications are complex and labor intensive. It takes a good team to develop a competitive proposal, and we feel this one was strong. Check out this link for a video tour of the proposed restoration areas.

Crooked River Ranch Preservation

Through a referral from one of our favorite organizations, the Conservation Foundation of the Gulf Coast, the owners of this beautiful 68-acre property along the shores of the Manatee River reached out to ORE seeking advice on how to enable preservation of their family's property in a natural state for future generations. ORE met with the property owners and provided pro-bono consulting services about how Manatee County's Environmental Lands Program works. We even worked with the owners to develop a conceptual restoration and recreational improvements plan to help demonstrate the property’s conservation and passive recreation value. On December 12^th, the Manatee County Board of County Commissioners voted 7-0 to acquire this property for conservation, making it the first acquisition stemming from the 2020 "Water Quality, Fish and Wildlife Habitat Preservation and Park" ballot measure.

Portosueno Park Living Shoreline Design & Permitting Assistance

ORE is happy to provide environmental consulting assistance to Manatee County, as a subcontractor to Cummins Cederberg, Inc., for the Portosueno Park Living Shoreline Project. This project will replace an aging seawall with a combination of living shoreline treatments to compliment the recreational use of this popular manatee viewing location while increasing the ecological values of the northern shoreline of the Palma Sola boat basin. ORE has living shoreline design expertise and extensive site knowledge what will help ensure the design and permitting process for this project is a success.

Teaching the 4th Graders at Braden River Elementary about Invasive Species

ORE was invited to give a capstone presentation to the 4th grade class at Braden River Elementary School and it was a blast. This presentation was especially fun because the kids had already learned a lot, having nearly finished a project-based learning unit on invasive species. ORE brought in samples of invasive species, showed the students online resources that land management professionals use to identify invasive species, and facilitated an interactive exercise that illustrated ecosystem response to exotic species invasion and recovery from habitat restoration.

Felts Audubon Preserve Butterfly Garden Rehabilitation

ORE provided the Manatee County Audubon Society with advice and input for land management and habitat improvement initiatives at Felts Preserve. We are happy to help this organization move habitat restoration projects forward and they come out in force to help improve the land they manage. In addition to ongoing general consulting assistance, ORE organized a volunteer workday to prepare an overgrown butterfly garden for replanting next year. We are also assisting Manatee County Audubon by writing technical specifications and providing quality control oversight for contracted invasive species removal efforts across the entire preserve. Kudos to Manatee County Audubon Society! Check out their new website and plethora of bird-related programs when you have a chance.

https://manateeaudubon.org/

Cost-Effective Oyster Restoration

Materials Prototyping

The biggest challenge to achieving large-scale oyster restoration is funding. Traditional cultch (e.g. shell or rock) placement methods are notoriously labor intensive and very expensive. The high cost is usually a major limiting factor for large-scale restoration. ORE is conducting multiple prototyping experiments aimed at reducing the cost of performing oyster restoration. Borrowing from centuries-old oyster culture methods developed for food production around the world, ORE is testing these methods (and developing some new ones) in the context of restoring oyster reefs to provide ecosystem service values without introducing additional plastics to our waterways.

Getting the word out!

A core principle of ecological restoration is sharing knowledge and lessons learned on all levels. ORE is highly active in this regard, from assisting with development of a restoration practitioner professionals' workshop to helping HOAs with development of rain garden projects, we do it all. We have provided 17 public presentations about ecological restoration in the past 8 months with more being added to the schedule each week. We have also been blessed with strong media coverage about ORE. Check out some great articles about ORE on our website.

Fundraising and Growth

We are a new organization just starting to blossom. We will need help to continue our operations and grow our organization to meet our full potential. We are in the initial stages of planning a fundraising campaign for Spring 2024. A few primary needs to ramp up our oyster restoration projects in 2024 are additional staff (hands and minds!) and a way to get them where we need them (a boat!). If you are a philanthropist and interested in matching donations for our spring campaign, please reach out to our Executive Director, Damon Moore.

If you are inspired to make a donation now, you can do so from our website, linked here.

Oyster Habitat Restoration!

With regulatory approvals in place, we look forward to implementing large-scale oyster restoration projects in the Manatee River and elsewhere. Work will be accomplished through grant-funded contractor implemented projects and large-scale volunteer events. Oyster restoration will be a major theme for ORE in 2024. We will be partnering with numerous other organizations to implement oyster restoration projects. It's going to be a big year for oyster restoration in the Suncoast!

Felts Preserve & Camp Honi Hanta Volunteer Led Exotic Species Removal

With a Bay Mini-Grant awarded to ORE from the Tampa Bay Estuary Program, we will lead volunteer based exotic species removal events at Felts Preserve and Camp Honi Hanta. This work stems from the great partnerships with these host organizations over the past 8 months and we look forward to increasing the ecological values of these work areas by removing the invasive and exotic vegetation that is diminishing ecological value.

Boys & Girls Club Field Trips

We had so much fun with the Boys and Girls Club in Palmetto that we're doing it nine more times! We have been contracted to provide nine environmental field trips for this group in 2024. Each trip will have a different environmental theme and a hands-on component that contributes to ecological restoration. Such an honor to help shape the next generation of environmental stewards!

Oyster Shell Recycling

To help increase the source of recycled oyster shell for habitat restoration purposes, ORE starting a shell recycling program. ORE's program will focus on oyster-serving restaurants from Ellenton to Apollo Beach. This area is not well serviced by existing recycling programs, and we are located in a good place to help get these restaurants involved. We've bought the buckets and we'll be reaching out to restaurants in January!