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Amy Smith Kyle is among the Conservancy staff who are working on the restoration project at Vermilion Bay. © Seth Blitch/TNC

Amy Smith-Kyle (above) is among the Conservancy staff instrumental in the oyster reef restoration work at Vermilion Bay and Grand Isle.

Restoring the Gulf of Mexico. The Atchafalaya River flows into Vermilion Bay in southwest Louisiana. Here, at the National Audubon Society's Paul J. Rainey Sanctuary, The Nature Conservancy is working to restore a total of 3,050 feet (.58 mile) of oyster reefs that are being built from interlocking concrete rings 5 feet in diameter. Constructed and placed by Wayfarer Environmental Technology, the the rings are designed specifically for the soft substrate within Vermilion Bay.

The project consists of three phases. Phase I began in April, 2010, and was approximately halfway complete at the time of the explosion at the Deepwater Horizon oil rig and the ensuing oil spill. Staff and contractors resumed and completed Phase I, which included 660 feet of reef, in September 2010. Phase II, which includes 1,700 feet of oyster reef, began in June 2011 and is expected to completed by the end of July. Phase III, which includes 690 feet, is slated to begin in October 2011. In addition to providing habitat for wildlife, the rings are projected to build and protect existing marsh along nearly one mile of shoreline at the site.

The oyster reef restoration at Vermilion Bay is one of two such projects in which the Conservancy is involved at Louisiana. A second project is taking place in the Grand Isle/St. Bernard Marsh area, located about 130 miles west of Vermilion Bay.

Monitoring Results 
This demo project, funded through the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation's Shell Marine Habitat Program, is designed to determine whether or not the height of a reef impacts changes to shoreline and the quality of habitat for marine organisms. Louisiana leads the nation in oyster production. Historically this region provided ideal conditions for oyster reef formation.

Louisiana State University has developed a scientific plan to monitor both the short- and long-term success of this project as measured by reef establishment, shoreline changes and improved habitat for other marine species.