Paper, plastic and oyster shells all have one thing in common in Brevard County. All of them have a path to being recycled on the Space Coast.

During late August meeting of the Brevard County Commission, commissioners approved the recommendation of the Tourism Development Council (TDC) to award $113,840 to Brevard Zoo to continue its Shuck and Share program. It falls under the purview of the zoo’s conservation organization, Restore Our Shores.

“Our Shuck and Share program does not fall within the operating budget of the zoo, so all of our programs like this are grant funded,” said Olivia Escandell, the conservation manager, for Restore Our Shores. 

Oysters are a key organism for the Indian River Lagoon ecosystem because each adult can filter up to 50 gallons of water each day.

The program was first started up in New Smyrna Beach in Volusia County and has grown from there. Brevard Zoo and Restore Our Shores started receiving funding from the TDC during their first funding cycle five years ago. 

It involves collecting oysters from sea food restaurants; storing them in an undisclosed location so that they can quarantine and dry out; and then bundling them up for projects like research and oyster gardens for the Indian River Lagoon.

“It’s got such a great tie-in with tourism and with the lagoon as well because we’re able to make that connection with people visiting Brevard County,” Escandell said.

The money has not only allowed them to gain some important items, like a truck to collect thousands of oyster shells each week from around the Space Coast, but also to support the purchase of the metal gabions to house the shells for various projects.

“We’ve been able to support a few other organizations and their oyster restoration work,” Escandell said. “The Marine Resources Council and the City of Cocoa Beach recently installed a very large living shoreline project, and we were able to supply shell for that project.” 

“We’ve also worked with FIT (Florida Institute of Technology) to supply them shell as well for some of their living docks programs.”

She notes that volunteers help drive the success of the Shuck and Share program since the Restore Our Shores team is fairly small. Escandell said they’ve trained over 1,600 oyster gardeners throughout Brevard County, which help add the live element when they’re ready to build a new oyster garden.

“We probably engage in tens of thousands to help fill oyster bags, build gabions, like this, and to help collect shells from the restaurants,” Escandell said. “So, we’re so thankful for all those hours that again, have really made all these projects possible.”

During a gabion-filling event on Friday, first-time volunteer Laura Perkins said she was thrilled at the opportunity to get involved with a zoo-related project. The Palm Bay resident was one of roughly two dozen to take part in the event.

“Brevard Zoo is my love. It’s actually where I decided to spend a lot of my time,” Perkins said. “My kids grow up at every zoo there is. We travel around to many zoos to let them learn about the real world and all the animals and how to respect them.”

There are several volunteer opportunities coming up in October. To learn more, click here.