BOCA RATON, FL — A small project beneath the pier at Rutherford Park is meant to do work most park visitors may never see.
Boca Raton volunteers helped assemble 25 strands of oyster shells in April as part of the city’s first Vertical Oyster Garden workshop, according to information from the City of Boca Raton. The oyster shell strands are now installed beneath the pier at Rutherford Park.
The workshop was held with the City of Boca Raton’s Office of Sustainability and Gumbo Limbo Nature Center.
According to the city, the shell strands provide a place for young oysters to grow. Once mature, a single oyster can filter up to 50 gallons of water per day, helping improve water quality and support a healthier Intracoastal Waterway.
The vertical oyster gardens also create habitat for fish and other marine life, adding to local biodiversity around the pier, according to the city.
The project is also being framed as a citizen science effort. Residents visiting Rutherford Park can look beneath the pier to see the oyster garden installation.
The city cautioned that the oysters are not safe for consumption.
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