Restoration Webinar Series: Upper Newport Bay Living Shorelines Project

The Olympia oyster is the only oyster species native to the West Coast. Due to over harvesting and habitat loss, it has been functionally extinct in Southern California. A collaborative project n Upper Newport Bay, Newport Beach, California, targeted the restoration of the Olympia oyster and eelgrass through an innovative living shoreline approach.

Oyster reefs can provide ecosystem services, such as stabilizing shorelines, improving water quality, and forming habitat for fish and other species. Because of the potential benefits of combining oysters and eelgrass habitat, this project targets their integrated restoration to promote greater ecosystem connectivity and function.

This webinar will discuss the implementation of this project and present the results of paired eelgrass and oyster restoration on a variety of ecosystem variables. 

About the Restoration Webinar Series

The Restoration Webinar Series, hosted by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, is a venue for sharing new approaches, best management practices and innovative restoration techniques to some of our nation’s greatest restoration challenges. The series covers a broad spectrum of topics including: planning and implementing restoration projects; project monitoring and evaluation at multiple time scales; accounting for a changing climate in restoration; regional restoration planning and priority setting; and permitting.