None The Nature Conservancy in Mississippi Press Releases Search All Press Releases Mike Murphy, Coastal Representative (228) 872-8452 Cell: (228) 219-0954

DuPont Delisle Employees Volunteer to Help The Nature Conservancy Determine Health of Oyster Reef in Bay St. Louis

Ocean Springs, Mississippi — August 8, 2007 — The Nature Conservancy received volunteer support from 10 DuPont employees to participate in monitoring and fish sampling as part of an oyster reef restoration project the Conservancy has been working on in the Bay of St. Louis.

Last spring, The Nature Conservancy in partnership with the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources started the oyster reef pilot project by planting oyster shell material in an area of the bay where oysters would naturally grow and thrive. 

Volunteers fished on and off the new reef area in an effort to collect information. Data identifying types of fish caught and released was recorded by volunteers and Conservancy staff.

“The catch per unit effort on the reef was nearly twice as high as off the reef. This would appear to indicate that fish are concentrating on the reef and is a very good sign,” said Mike Murphy, coastal representative for The Nature Conservancy.

“We are proud of DuPont’s support of this important program both financially and with volunteers; and appreciate the leadership of the site sustainability team in this area,” said Marc Holman, DuPont’s plant manager.

The project will continue through April 2008. DuPont, a member of the Conservancy’s Corporate Council for the Environment, has been a generous supporter of the Conservancy’s efforts along the Gulf Coast.

The Nature Conservancy is a leading conservation organization working around the world to protect ecologically important lands and waters for nature and people. To date, the Conservancy and its more than one million members have been responsible for the protection of more than 15 million acres in the United States and have helped preserve more than 102 million acres in Latin America, the Caribbean, Asia and the Pacific. Visit The Nature Conservancy on the Web at www.nature.org.