Historic San Leon reef restoration a first-of-its-kind project in Texas
SAN LEON, Texas -- A San Leon oyster reef destroyed by Hurricane Ike more than 15 years ago will soon be thriving once again.
Rett Reef is a historic project several years in the making for Lisa Halili, whose family owns and operates Prestige Oysters. It is Texas' first-ever oyster reef owned by a private business.
Halili, who founded the San Leon Oyster Fest, first started the project because she was looking for a good use for tons of shells leftover from the festival. She teamed up with Texas Sea Grant and The Nature Conservancy to work on creating new oyster beds at the site of a reef that hadn't been active since Hurricane Ike.
Oyster reefs are a highly threatened marine habitat, and only about 20 - 50% of the Gulf of Mexico's original reefs remain.
"The reef is so important to all of us because when you have a live, vibrant oyster reef, you have an ecosystem," said Halili. "Oysters are a keystone species. Everything revolves around an oyster. Oysters filter 50 gallons of water a day. They're habitats to shrimp, crabs, all types of seafood."
Rett Reef is also bringing awareness to a very important cause. It is named for the rare neurological disorder Rett Syndrome. Country singer Kevin Black, whose daughter passed away from Rett Syndrome, is involved in the project and held a charity concert after the reef's christening in October.
"When I met the singer-songwriter Kevin Black, whose daughter died Cortney from Rett Syndrome, I said, I've got it, Kevin," Halili recalled. "I'm going to name this 10-acre oyster reef Rett Reef and it bears the name for Rett Syndrome."
The Halilis hope naming the reef after Rett Syndrome will help families like the Blacks, who are so deeply impacted.
"Someone that I had never met heard my story and believed that it was important to her to bring awareness to something that I've been trying to do for 20 years," said Black. "Some people are just sent down from heaven to help, and I believe that Lisa is one of those people."
