The Master Oyster Gardening Program will end its inaugural year with our final session this month. Since April, participants in the class met once per month to learn about the various ways that oysters serve our local communities. Participants received two informational sessions and have visited several fieldtrip locations to see the various ways that oysters have an impact on our local communities.
The final session of this Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant-supported program will include learning ways to properly handle and prepare seafood, as well as understanding the various conditions our oysters are grown in and what can cause closures in harvest areas.
Overall, we are excited by the interest and dedication to the Master Oyster Gardening Program shown by our participants. We are proud to announce that all participants who signed up for this program will receive their certification and will be the first group of Master Oyster Gardeners on the northern Gulf Coast.
Having this certification will allow these individuals to participate in other volunteer opportunities within existing oyster gardening programs.
Given the amount of community interest that the Master Oyster Gardening Program received during the year, we aim to offer it again next year. If you are interested in becoming a Master Oyster Gardener and would like to participate in our course, please send an email to [email protected] or [email protected] for more details.
Meet the author
Conrad Horst
Master Oyster Gardening Program Coordinator
As a keystone species, oysters play a vital role in improving water quality, producing habitat and reducing shoreline erosion in coastal communities. Conrad Horst is a coordinator for the Master... Read more
Phone: 251-471-2124 Ext. 15
Email: [email protected]