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March 28, 2008
Dominion Seeds Artificial Reef with Oysters, Shell
- Event christens 80-acre Dominion Reef at the Gooses
- MARI hopes efforts jumpstart viable ecosystem
CHESAPEAKE BEACH, Md. – Dominion and other supporters of the Maryland Artificial Reef Initiative (MARI) today christened what will be its largest project, the Dominion Reef at the Gooses, by placing oyster shell and oysters on the reef.
The MARI steering committee agreed to name the reef after
Dominion in recognition of the energy company’s support of the project.
In addition to providing $250,000 for the reef, Dominion funded
the placement of about 75 tons of shell and about 25 bushels of oysters on the
reef, with the goal of providing the new ecosystem a jump start. The oysters
and shell were spread over a select portion of the 80-acre, man-made reef. Later
in the spring, Dominion will have the reef seeded with juvenile oysters, called
oyster spat.
"The Chesapeake Bay is a national treasure, and Dominion
is excited to be part of MARI and this innovative strategy of using artificial
reefs to help protect and restore the bay," said Pamela Faggert, vice president
and chief environmental officer for Dominion.
MARI, which has 53 partners, was created one year ago and
has built four artificial reefs by recycling more than 80,000 tons of concrete
from the demolition of the old Woodrow Wilson Bridge in Washington, D.C. The
Dominion Reef at the Gooses is its most ambitious project.
"The Dominion Reef at the Gooses represents a valuable
opportunity to enhance the benthic habitat of a site in the Chesapeake that
has the potential to be a "field of dreams" for myriad species - from
mussels, oysters and anemones to crabs, striped bass and many other types of
finfish," said John R. Griffin, Maryland Department of Natural Resources
Secretary. "The ecological benefits will also translate into economic benefits
to many local bay communities, including Chesapeake Beach, Deale, Solomons,
Tilghman and Kent Island."
The Dominion Reef at the Gooses covers a 220-acre site with
about 80 acres of concrete. The reef is located on the Chesapeake Bay about
eight miles southeast of Chesapeake Beach and northwest of Dominion’s
liquefied natural gas storage facility at Cove Point.
 View a video about the Dominion Reef at the Gooses.
The artificial reef project has been successful in capturing
the imagination and the support of the public, watermen, conservation groups,
state agencies and fishermen. That support helped MARI to raise nearly $1.4
million to support the reef projects. Dominion was the largest corporate sponsor,
providing a total of $275,000 for the Dominion Reef at the Gooses.
Funding for the reef and the shell and oyster placement was
provided through the Dominion Foundation, the philanthropic arm for Dominion.
The Chesapeake Bay historically was home to thousands of oyster
reefs and billions of oysters. About the time settlers arrived from Europe,
the oyster population could filter nutrients and other sediment form the entire
bay every three days. The reefs also provided important habitat for grasses,
crabs, fish and other aquatic life.
Over the years, harvesting, disease, sediment and pollution
have dramatically reduced those oyster populations. The purpose of the artificial
reefs is to provide an opportunity to explore methods for creating new reefs
in the bay.
Dominion is one of the nation's largest producers of energy,
with a portfolio of approximately 26,500 megawatts of generation. Dominion serves
retail energy customers in 11 states. For more information about Dominion, visit
the company's Web site at http://www.dom.com.
For information about Dominion’s charitable giving, use keyword “foundation.”
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