or a minute, it appears to be raining oyster shells. I’m standing on the edge of a boardwalk at an oyster farm along the shoreline of the Chesapeake Bay helping my small tour group toss recycled mollusk shells into the bay where they become a foundational part of ongoing oyster reef restoration efforts. With each staccato plop of our offerings hitting the brackish water, we are giving back. We’re helping to plant new oysters in the colonies beneath the surface and in turn rebuilding habitat for fish, crabs, and other aquatic species. It’s an easy task, to be fair, and it’s just one part of The Tides Inn’s Chesapeake Gold tour, described as a bucket-list experience for bivalve lovers. “Throw those pieces of shell out, there’s no right way!” instructs Will Smiley, the resort’s resident ecologist and all-around good guy that I’ve nicknamed the Oyster Whisperer. “Grab it and throw it, toss it like a Frisbee, dump it all out!” And so we do. Soon, our baskets are empty and our mission complete, our offerings swallowed by the bay waters.
