• To enable student scientists to practice real-world problem-solving, engineering, monitoring, and data analysis

• To increase public awareness of importance of water quality, especially during a time of changing climate

• To support oyster reef restoration as these mollusks are keystone species in the health of the Chesapeake Bay

With St. Mary's River Watershed Association, we have about 14 BOB locations in Southern Maryland, with eight in Breton Bay, two in the Patuxent River, and five in St. Mary's river. We are working at:

• Calvert Marine Museum in Solomon's Island

• Leonardtown Wharf

• The Friends of St. Clement's Bay oyster sanctuary at Lover's Point

• Chesapeake Biological Laboratory (occasional placement for testing)

• The St. Mary's College of Maryland dock

• Breton Bay Estates community pier

• Private docks south of Lover's Point, north of Foxes Point, south of Paw Paw Point, and in Canoe Neck Creek 

• Five existing and potential oyster restoration reefs in the St. Mary's River

This work has been made possible by three Environmental Education grants from The Chesapeake Bay Trust to the Dr. James A. Forrest Career and Technology Center. The project was conceived of and is largely driven by the volunteer efforts of Norman and Shelly O'Foran, in partnership with Natural Resources Teacher Dorothy Birch and her students. We collaborate with other classes, such as Nathan Swick's Engineering and Casey Page's Graphic Communications. 

We also work with St. Mary's River Watershed Association, which has related grants to build and deploy eight BOBs at its existing and potential oyster restoration sites. We share data, lessons learned, upgrades, and other resources.