Ocean Career: Oyster Restoration Coordinator Chesapeake Bay Foundation

MD Oyster Restoration Coordinator

Since 2010, CBF has engaged in a focused effort to defend and implement the Chesapeake Clean Water Blueprint, a binding federal and state collaborative agreement aimed at reducing pollution to the science-based, legally-affirmed levels established by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The Blueprint is expected to be fully implemented by 2025. If the states and the federal government achieve Blueprint goals, the Bay will finally—after decades of failed efforts—be removed from the Clean Water Act's impaired waters list.

Successfully implementing the Blueprint depends on a well-informed, engaged, active, and diverse constituency of members, advocates, and volunteers who speak up and take action to save the Bay.

The Chesapeake Bay Foundation seeks an MD Oyster Restoration Coordinator in the Environmental Protection and Restoration Department to be based at the Philip Merrill Environmental Center located in Annapolis, MD. CBF has an annual budget of approximately $30 million and is supported by over 300,000 members and e-subscribers.

Working with the MD Oyster Restoration Center Staff, Senior Fisheries Scientist and Urban and Community Resilience Manager, Maryland Oyster Restoration Coordinator will manage the Oyster Gardening Program across the state, coordinate volunteers for oyster restoration events, maintain a database of all MD oyster related activities; assist in maintaining and repairing oyster restoration equipment; create and maintain outreach and communications for oysters.

In addition to these functions, the coordinator will participate in all other oyster related activities.

1. Manage the Maryland Oyster Gardening Program which includes but is not limited to:

• Recruiting new gardeners and stewarding relationships with existing gardeners through outreach and annual workshops.
• Scope and expand the oyster gardening program to new communities and geographies.
• Train Oyster Ambassador volunteers to develop their own community oyster gardening programs led by CBF.
• Lead planning, scheduling, coordination across multiple departments, and logistics to implement workshops for new oyster gardeners and oyster returns and handout for existing gardeners.
• Connect oyster gardeners with opportunities to support oyster policy.
• Maintain a database of current and future gardeners – Track and steward, use LCRM database.
• Provide support and assistance to oyster gardeners throughout season by fielding phone calls and emails. Serves as main point of contact for all oyster gardeners and oyster gardening inquiries from CBF members and the public.
• Responsible for planting of all returned year-old oysters, including coordination with regulatory agencies and data collection, management, and reporting.

2. Execute oyster restoration projects and lead all related volunteer restoration efforts and events. Coordinate volunteer involvement for oyster restoration in concert with CBF staff in all departments. Reef Ball construction and producing spat-on-shell are a primary focus at ORC, but other activities are also included.

• Shared management of the recruitment hiring and supervision of the Maryland Oyster Restoration Assistant Position. (Pre-COVID)
• Work with CBF staff and partners to organize projects and events
• Host Oyster Restoration Center tours to visiting volunteer groups explaining the restoration process, oyster biology, associated ecological services of oyster reefs and context of oyster fisheries management.
• Recruit for oyster restoration volunteer events (e.g. shell shaking, shell bagging, reef ball construction). Manage and teach volunteers while on site.
• Assist with recruitment of shell recycling volunteers when needed.
• Coordinate activities across multiple locations.

3. Volunteer Tracking and Data Management
• Work with staff and volunteers to develop and maintain the oyster volunteer database, catalog oyster gardening data and reef locations, and turn information into outreach materials.

• Manage volunteer data tracking and report out all volunteer activity to operations and grant management teams.
• Manage Oyster Restoration annual report…