Coastal Preservation

Jesuit High School’s Environmental Club was hard at work on Saturday (Nov. 18) helping to restore and preserve a Hillsborough County coastal area.

Ten members of the Environmental Club, along with moderator Vindri Gajadhar, spent Saturday morning establishing an oyster shell bar along an island in the Alafia River in Riverview.

The students shoveled fossilized shell into mesh bags, and transported the bags via boat, placing the oyster shell bags on the shoreline to create a series of oyster bars. The project was coordinated by Tampa Bay Watch, an organization dedicated to habitat protection and restoration in Tampa Bay.

All totaled, Tampa Bay Watch volunteers shoveled 30 tons of shell, which was used to construct 2,400 square feet of new reef. It will help to restore lost habitat systems to the bay, prevent further erosion of the shoreline, and improve water quality through natural biological filtration.

Representing Jesuit's Environmental Club on Saturday , along with Mrs. Gajadhar and her daughter, Nivet Gajadhar, were: Drew Carson '21, Nolan Forrest '18, Carson Jeffords '21, Frankie Machado '21, Nico Machado '21, Brendan McDonald '18, Alex Orr '19, Jaden Pask '19, Anthony Ramirez '18, and Tyler Thomas '21.

Click below for a photo slideshow from Saturday: