Shuck it Don’t Chuck it!
So happy to see how many people loved the Twin Lights Historical Society’s booth at the Highlands Clam Festival this past weekend, but also exciting was learning more about Shuck it Don’t Chuck it! from the American Littoral Society’s booth.
Besides all the fun, games, food and drinks, as well as great camaraderie that was going on Friday night and all day Saturday, visitors had so many chances to learn more about some of the great programs and places that make Highlands and its surroundings so terrific.
The American Littoral Society, which makes its home in one of the former Officers Row houses on Sandy hook’s Fort Hancock, has this Shell Recycling program every restaurateur who sells seafood should be on board with. They even had plastic cans at the Festival so all those folks buying clams and oysters at the Festival could participate in the program.
Basically, the Society is recycling clam and oyster shells.
Their first step is in educating restaurateurs and the public about the important of doing what they’re doing, basically urging them all to save the empty shells once the delicacies have been enjoyed.
Then the Shell Recycling coordinator, along with volunteers go around to the participating locations and community drop-off sites and collect all the shells. They take them back to Sandy Hook where they’re deposited in that huge pile of shells they’ve created and leave them sit there for six months or more, occasionally turning and rotating them to let the sun and accompanying insects clean off the shells organically.
Once they’re cleaned by the sun, insects and nature, the shells go back into the ocean where they are used to build reefs, restore shorelines, and conserve other wildlife. They also plant oyster seeds and let the process start all over again.
The Society also participates in sustainable aquaculture,, where they form partnerships with oyster farmers who use sustainable practices on their farms to improve the environment by farming their oysters. Learn more about the program and how you can participate in shell recycling, check out the Society’s site at littoralsociety.org.
Our coastal waters need all the help they can get if we want to continue the beauty of the area and the availability of great seafood. Call recycled shells ammunition if you want, but recycling them does fight against rising ocean levels, local pollution, and even that climate change folks talk about. Shuck it Don’t Chuck it!
Remember their slogan: Shuck it Don’t Chuck it! There’s a drop-off site at 9 Ave of Two Rivers in Rumson…look for the yellow trash cans! You’ll enjoy your clams and oysters even more if you know saving the leftovers helps nature!
