Local commercial real estate organization teams with
Chesapeake Baysavers and Oyster Recovery Partnership
Baltimore, MD (October 8, 2010) – The Developing Leaders section of NAIOP-Maryland delivered 200 oyster cages throughout sections of the waters of Spa Creek and Severna River this past Friday. Teaming with Chesapeake Baysavers and the Oyster Recovery Partnership, the “Day on the Bay” project is designed to stimulate the population and improve the health of local oyster beds in an effort to upgrade the overall water quality that exists in theChesapeake Bay.
A fleet of boats left Annapolis Maritime Museum at 1 pm and targeted piers attached to residential homes along Spa Creek and Severn River. The process of hanging oyster cages will encourage the bivalve mollusks to establish healthy and productive populations above the detrimental conditions found on the floor of the Chesapeake Bay. The average adult oyster can filter – and effectively clean – approximately 50 gallons of water on a daily basis. When placed in optimum conditions achieved by these cages, the oysters can filter up to 150 gallons each day, which is the equivalent of an average backyard swimming pool.
Six months to one year from now, Chesapeake Baysavers will retrieve the oyster cages and deposit the growing adult oysters into the Chesapeake Bay.
“Our goal is to identify and offer assistance and resources to important causes that provide meaningful benefits to the Central Maryland region,” stated Brendan Gill, Chair of the NAIOP-Maryland Committee Service Committee, which is overseeing this project. “The Chesapeake Bay is the lifeblood for many, and we believe there is no greater resource in our State. It is critical that we work pro-actively to maintain its long-term health and preserve the livelihood of our fisherman and related industries.”
Chesapeake Baysavers is a non-profit lobbying and action group that is working to place floating oyster beds under every dock that juts into the bay and its tributaries. The goal of the Oyster Recovery Partnership is to restore the ecological and economic benefits of oysters to the Chesapeake Bay by working to strengthen the effectiveness ofMaryland’s oyster recovery efforts and other partner activities.
The NAIOP Maryland Chapter has more than 330 members and is comprised of individuals working for real estate development companies, brokerage firms and affiliated companies such as financial institutions, architectural firms and engineers.