The St. Mary’s River Watershed Association is inviting public input as it prepares to expand successful oyster restoration efforts with two new sanctuary sites in the St. Mary’s River.
Building on the recent establishment of a self-sustaining five-acre oyster reef near St. Mary’s College of Maryland, the organization is proposing the 2.4-acre “Bryan” site and the 1-acre “Pagan” site. Community feedback will play a key role in shaping the projects.
Residents can share their thoughts by completing a brief online survey available at smrwa.org/oyster-restoration-feedback-2026. The form closes Friday, August 16. Two public meetings are also scheduled at the Lexington Park Library:
- Tuesday, August 25, 1:00 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.
- Thursday, August 27, 6:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.
Both meetings will take place in Meeting Rooms A & B at 21677 Franklin Delano Roosevelt Blvd.
“As we look to restore two new sites in the St. Mary’s River, our community’s input is a valuable part of the planning process,” said Emma Green Ewing, Executive Director of SMRWA. “We want to ensure these new reefs not only maximize ecological benefits like water clarity and habitat creation, but also respect and support the local residents, boaters, and anglers who share these waters.”
The projects will utilize reef balls — hollow concrete structures designed to elevate oysters above the low-oxygen river bottom. These structures replicate historic oyster mounds, provide ideal attachment surfaces for larvae and create complex habitat for fish and crabs.
Eastern oysters serve as a keystone species in the Chesapeake Bay ecosystem. Expanding the reefs is expected to improve water clarity through filtration, enhance habitat for commercially important species such as blue crabs and striped bass, reduce shoreline erosion and increase larval production that can benefit public fisheries.
The initiative receives partial funding from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
