Brian Hilgers, chief oyster ambassador; his wife, Becky Hilgers; and Rand Bennett, Coastal Conservation Association representative, show off their VOGS. Photo by Rachel Mills
Brian Hilgers, chief oyster ambassador; his wife, Becky Hilgers; and Rand Bennett, Coastal Conservation Association representative, stand ready to install their VOGS. Photo by Rachel Mills
Chuck Gliechmann, chief oyster operator, and Abe Mills admire the newly-placed vertical oyster gardens at Bing's Landing. Photo by Rachel Mills
Capt. Jim Kelly, of the Flagler Beach Yacht Club and Fun Coast Yacht Services, and Logan Kennovin, Coastal Conservation Association representative, work together to install a vertical oyster garden. Photo by Rachel Mills
Two, newly placed vertical oyster gardens dangle from the dock at Bing's Landing. Photo by Rachel Mills
Brian Hilgers, chief oyster ambassador, and his wife, Becky Hilgers, hold up a vertical oyster garden at Bing's Landing. Photo by Rachel Mills
Flagler County teamed up with “Oysters for My Neighborhood” and the Coastal Conservation Association and installed 200 Vertical Oyster Gardens (VOGs) at three boat dock locations on Tuesday, June 16. Teams of Volunteers installed VOGs at Bings landing, the Moody Boat Launch at Flagler Beach, and at Herschel King Park in Palm Coast.
Oysters for my Neighborhood collects shells from local restaurants and dries them out for at least six months, “in order to kill off any diseases, bacteria, invasive species — if they were to come from Texas, Virginia, or wherever they may have come from,” CCA representative Logan Kennovin said.
Once the oyster shells are dried out, volunteers drill holes in them, put them on a rope, and then hang them on a dock.
“Think of this as condominiums or apartments for little baby oysters,“ Brian Hilgers, chief oyster ambassador, said. “Little oysters are looking for a home right now, and they attach to this and they grow.”
According to Hilgers, one oyster can filter up to 50 gallons of water per day. “It cleans out all the algae, plankton, and other stuff in the water,” Hilger said. “With cleaner water, more fish and more habitats can survive.”
“Every dock can use this. No permits needed. It’s a no-brainer,” Hilger said.
Ormond Beach resident Chuck Gleichmann founded Oysters for My Neighborhood in 2024 after reading an article about the success of VOGs on the West Coast. He felt like it could be successful on the Eastern seaboard as well.
“We started a grassroots effort in Ormond Beach to help make our river better,” Gliechmann said. “Since then we’ve installed 1,700 VOGs.”
Hilger hopes that they can continue working with Flagler County until every dock in Flagler County has VOGs. He also called on other cities to follow Flagler’s lead. “Ormond, Daytona, Edgewater, catch up to Flagler. You’re way behind. Let’s put these down there, OK?” Hilger said.
For more information on how to get free Vertical Oyster Gardens installed on your dock, go to www.oystersformyneighborhood.com.
