Aquaculture and Restoration Ecology Laboratory
UMCES Horn Point Laboratory
P. O. Box 775
Cambridge, Maryland 21613
410.228.8200

Broddus and Margaret Anne Jones Oyster Culture Facility

For most, contributing to environmental research is a way of conserving and preserving fragile natural surroundings. For David "Skip" Jones, supporting environmental research at the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science is also a way to honor his parents, life-long enthusiasts of Chesapeake Bay. Jones fondly remembers boating in and around the Choptank River with his family, where his parents often pointed out the Horn Point Laboratory.

Named for Jones' parents, the Broddus and Margaret Ann Jones Oyster Culture Facility was dedication on November 20, 2003. It is devoted to forging new tools and techniques for spawning disease-free oysters with the optimal chance of survival in Chesapeake Bay. Located in the Center's new $25 million Aquaculture and Restoration Ecology Laboratory, the Jones Oyster Culture Facility builds on more than 78 years of oyster research at the Center and will replace the existing hatchery. The former facility has been producing oyster spat, which develop into full-grown oysters over a period of three years, for nearly a decade and turned out more than 130 million spat for restoration and research activities in 2003 alone.

As the Jones Oyster Culture Facility becomes fully staffed and operational, it will increase tenfold the researchers' ability to produce spat and enhance restoration activites in the open fishery and protected oyster bars. These restoration efforts are done through a lasting partnership with local government and nonprofit organizations dedicated to restoring oyster populations and Maryland's environment.

The new facility is part of the Center's mission of supporting science for sustainable development of our living resources and effective restoration while integrating aquaculture that is economically and environmentally sound. It is also part of the Jones family's dream of a healthier Chesapeake Bay.

As president of the Atlantic Concrete Company, Jones and his family have lived on the Delmarva peninsula for the past 55 years in Milford, Delaware. He is active on several nonprofit environmental boards, including Ducks Unlimited as a Life Sponsor, Delaware Nutrient Management Commission where he is a charter commissioner, and the Bayhealth Medical Center in Delaware.

"I have been fortunate to make a contribution that helps the important work at the Horn Point Laboratory while at the same time honoring my mother and father who instilled in me a sense of appreciation for the life that surrounds us," Jones said.

For more information on making a donation to the Center, please contact, UMCES Vice President of Development Jonathon Powers.