Shucks! Thousands of oysters to be used to construct reef at Patriot's Point

MOUNT PLEASANT, S.C. (WCIV) — They're not only a tasty meal, but they also serve as a major proponent for the environment.

The Department of Natural Resource's SCORE program, along with about 20 volunteers, will be building a 65-foot oyster reef today.

It will go along the north side of the dock right in front of the U.S.S. Yorktown at Patriots Point.

This makes reef number four built in Charleston County by DNR this year.

350 bags of shells is what it's going to take to construct it. That's about 230 bushels!

There are many benefits to oyster reefs. They upholster the shoreline and also can act as a water filtration mechanism.

Not only that, they serve as a habitat for at least 120 species in South Carolina.

"There are all these organisms that are coming to this reef for some function and if we didn’t have these oyster reefs our populations of animals wouldn’t be so high, they’d have to search a little harder for food," said Wildlife Biologist Michael Hodges,

All oyster shells used in making the reef are recycled.

If you want to catch a glimpse of it, come over to Patriot's Point at low tide. That's when the reef will be visible.

No more volunteers are needed for this event, but DNR can always use more in the future!

Click HERE to see when the next oyster reef build is, and to find out where to recycle your oyster shells.