Colliflower & Peterson Inc.
Marine Contractors
Local Businesses Support
St. Mary's River Oyster Reef Project
Okay so you've heard this many times before... but really, We Could Not Have Done This Project Without the Generous Donations from Several Local Businesses. This e-newsbrief celebrates three important contributors to the St. Mary's River Oyster Reef Project: Carruth & Son Inc. (Charles Carruth), Colliflower & Peterson Inc. (Steve Peterson), and Reliable Marine (Dave Vollmer).
Clean water is a fundamental necessity for life and a resource that we take for granted. St. Mary's River Watershed Association is one of the organizations devoted to clean water for future generations. One of our tools to achieve this goal is oyster restoration. Oysters used to be able to filter all the water in the Chesapeake Bay and surrounding waters in less than three days. Now, depleted Bay wide to less than 1% of their historic numbers, it takes them more than two years. We must turn this disaster around - oyster restoration is fundamental to a healthy Bay.
"The oyster is a keystone specie in the Chesapeake Bay. Everything in the Bay is impacted by the oyster reef ecosystem," commented Professor Bob Paul at a recent talk on the reef project. "The Bay will never be the same until the oyster reefs come back."
The oyster restoration project came together in the winter of 2011-12 when Steve King from the Leonardtown Rotary club approached the college and the Association and said we need to do this and we can do this. A formal partnership was born and the rest is becoming our history. We will complete the project this year. To date, more than 475 people have become involved in the project in some way. Today we will highlight the contributions of three local businesses.
One of those companies is Carruth & Son, Inc., a concrete manufacturer, serving Southern Maryland since 1976. Owners Charles & Mary Carruth and their dedicated workers welcomed us to their Lexington Park plant where we set up a reef ball manufacturing assembly line. Carruth & Son provided a proprietary ready-mix concrete product—enough to manufacture 390 three-hundred-pound reef balls—at huge savings (40% off retail cost). Carruth & Son, Inc. also donated 360 tons of recycled concrete rubble—enough to create eleven concrete rubble reef mounds where spat (baby oysters) will make their home.
Steve Peterson, principle partner at Colliflower & Peterson, Inc. (licensed marine contractor), responded to our RFQ for installation of the structural componets of our reef design. Their low bid was higher than our budget and beyond our fiancial reach. Still, Steve came back to us and said that the project was something that Colliflower & Peterson wanted to see completed—AND they wanted to be a partner. Over the past year they installed 360 tons of concrete rubble into the shape of eleven 20-foot diameter mounds (pyramids) up to six feet tall, and six "mounds" of reef balls—three made with 31 reef balls stacked two levels high and three mounds made with 37 reef balls stacked three levels high. In all we were able to save about 50% on the true cost for this work.
Where would we be if we did not have a boat? Many of you being boat-owners, you know that the only thing more costly than a boat is your offspring. (especially when they decide to go to college!!) Our vessel, the Nancy McAllister, has served us well and we are grateful for the generous support from Reliable Marine in Solomons. Reliable owner and oyster reef partner, Dave Vollmer, continues to look after our needs and has generously underwritten the cost of extensive repairs on our 1993 Mercury outboard including replacement throttle linkages, starter, and many parts and servicing.
This spring and summer we will continue to make and install reef balls, build another concrete rubble mound, and install treatments of shell and spat—all with volunteers. We're looking to begin the two weekends after Mother's Day and complete the full reef as designed by August 1. Please take a look at your calendar, and email us at info@stmarysriver.org to volunteer. We need your help!
Upon completion later this year, the St. Mary's River Oyster Reef project will contain at least 540 reef balls and 12 concrete rubble mounds. This venture has been a complex and demanding process. Carruth & Son, Inc., Colliflower & Peterson, Inc., and Reliable Marine have made it easier through their generosity, professionalism, dedication to their craft, and commitment to the St. Mary's River. St. Mary's River Watershed Association extends their utmost gratitude and thanks! Hats off!!
Please show your appreciation by supporting these businesses.
The St. Mary's River Oyster Reef is a partnership project of the local Rotary clubs and Rotary District 7620, St. Mary's College of Maryland, and the St. Mary's River Watershed Association.
