Oyster River Ecology, Inc.

What Oyster River Ecology, Inc. does

Oyster River Ecology (ORE) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in late 2022 by Damon Moore and headquartered in Wimauma, Florida. The organization restores oyster and watershed habitats and delivers environmental education across Manatee, Sarasota, Hillsborough, and Pinellas Counties on Florida's Gulf Coast. Its principal initiative is large-scale oyster reef restoration targeting the Manatee River, where an 1888 U.S. Army Corps of Engineers map documented approximately 132 acres of oyster reefs that have since been depleted to near zero by commercial harvesting, navigation dredging, shell removal for construction, and reduced freshwater flows from reservoir construction.

ORE's core technology is the proprietary Oyster Rag Pot (ORP) method, which uses cement-soaked cotton rags as low-cost substrate for oyster larvae to settle and form functioning reef ecosystems. Production cost is approximately $0.85 per square foot, and the organization delivers full restoration at $7 per square foot, compared to several million dollars for traditional rock-based methods. The organization has secured permits for a 10-acre restoration site at Eileen Reef in the Manatee River, described as the largest active oyster reef restoration project in the region, and completed its first full restored acre in June 2025, projected to support over 4.4 million oysters filtering up to 110 million gallons of water per day.

As a nonprofit, ORE generates revenue through donations (individuals, donor-advised funds, planned giving, estate gifts), environmental grants (Tampa Bay Environmental Restoration Fund, Tampa Bay Estuary Program, NOAA), and community partnerships. It secured over $750,000 in funding over the trailing year, including $650,000 in May 2026 alone. The go-to-market is community-led: volunteers build ORPs at warehouse events, install them in the river, and participate in education programs. The organization employs 1-10 staff, including a founder/executive director, an ecological projects coordinator, and Oyster Rag Pot technicians, and is governed by a seven-member board of directors.

Name

Oyster River Ecology, Inc.

Legal name

Oyster River Ecology

Website

https://oysterriverecology.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Oyster River Ecology is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that restores oyster and watershed habitats in Florida's Gulf Coast counties using its proprietary Oyster Rag Pot method, serving communities, volunteers, and environmental funders across the Manatee River region.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Environmental Restoration Services

NAICS

Aquaculture (11251), Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting (11)

akta.pro primary industry

Marine & Freshwater Conservation (BPAGAGAE)

akta.pro secondary industry

Oceans, Coastal & Marine Resource Management (BPADALAI)

Keywords

• Oyster reef restoration
• Watershed habitat restoration
• Marine ecosystem restoration
• Environmental education programs
• Substrate restoration technology

Headquarters

HQ city

Wimauma

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, ORE relies on donations from individuals and community supporters. They accept donations through their Network for Good portal and offer various giving options including one-time and recurring donations.
2. Environmental Grants: ORE receives funding from environmental foundations and government programs. Secured over $750,000 in funding over the past year including $650,000 secured in May 2026 alone from multiple environmental funders. Funders include Tampa Bay Environmental Restoration Fund, Tampa Bay Estuary Program, and NOAA.
3. Planned Giving and Estate Gifts: ORE accepts support through donor-advised funds, real estate gifts, bequests, and IRA rollovers as tax-smart giving options.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Oyster River Ecology is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that restores oyster and watershed habitats across Florida's Gulf Coast using a proprietary Oyster Rag Pot (ORP) method — cement-soaked cotton rag substrates that cost roughly 85 cents per square foot to produce and support larval oyster settlement. It also delivers watershed habitat restoration (uplands, freshwater wetlands, pine flatwoods, and Florida scrub) and environmental education programs through volunteer events and experiential learning.

Product overview

Oyster River Ecology is a nonprofit organization offering a portfolio of three interconnected ecological restoration programs: Oyster Habitat Restoration, Watershed Habitat Restoration, and Environmental Education. The core offering is the Oyster Rag Pot (ORP) method—a cost-effective and scalable oyster restoration technique using cement-soaked cotton rag substrates that serve as surfaces for larval oysters to settle and form functioning reef ecosystems. The organization restores oyster reefs at $7 per square foot, operates the largest active oyster reef restoration project in the region at Eileen Reef (10 acres), and integrates educational programming into every restoration project to engage volunteers and cultivate environmental stewardship.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Oyster Rag Pots (ORPs) Cement-soaked cotton rag substrates that serve as surfaces for larval oysters to settle and form functioning reef ecosystems. These cost-effective restoration units are produced at ORE's warehouse in Palmetto, FL and placed in targeted areas of the Manatee River to rebuild oyster reefs, which naturally filter water and enhance local habitat.
• Oyster Habitat Restoration Program Large-scale oyster reef restoration program focused on rebuilding oyster populations in Florida's Suncoast. Includes permits for a 10-acre restoration site at Eileen Reef in the Manatee River, the largest active oyster reef restoration project in the region, with a long-term vision to restore 132 acres of oyster reefs within 15 years.
• Watershed Habitat Restoration Program Broader ecological restoration work encompassing uplands, freshwater wetlands, and other vital ecosystems. Includes technical expertise in large-scale upland restoration, native ecosystem groundcover restoration (pine flatwoods, Florida scrub), and freshwater wetland restoration for clients and partners across Florida's Gulf Coast.
• Environmental Education Educational programming emphasizing experiential learning with focus on reaching individuals with limited exposure to the natural world. Involves volunteer involvement, youth engagement, and community outreach to cultivate environmental stewardship, integrated into every restoration project.

Quantifiable outcome

• 4.4 million oysters supported per restored acre, filtering up to 110 million gallons of water per day
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Colony CovecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 12 November 2025Extended collaboration with Colony Cove, an age-qualified residential community in Ellenton, Florida, for community-wide sustainability initiatives. Residents and employees built nearly 1,000 oyster rag pots over three volunteer events. Colony Cove was recognized with Manufactured Housing Institute's Leadership in Sustainability Award in 2023.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Chesapeake Bay Foundation: A large regional nonprofit focused on restoring the Chesapeake Bay, including substantial oyster reef restoration programs. Comparable because it executes oyster restoration at scale using volunteer labor and government/funder grants, but operates in a different watershed.
• Oyster Recovery Partnership: A Chesapeake-region nonprofit that builds, plants, and monitors oyster reefs with volunteer and partner support. Directly comparable to ORE in mission (oyster reef restoration), production method (substrate-based cultivation), and reliance on community labor and grant funding.
• Billion Oyster Project: A nonprofit restoring oyster reefs in New York Harbor with the goal of planting one billion oysters. Closest direct peer to ORE — same mission (oyster reef restoration), same community-volunteer production model, and overlapping revenue mix of grants, donations, and corporate partnerships.
• Tampa Bay Watch: A Tampa Bay–area nonprofit dedicated to bay habitat restoration including oyster reef, mangrove, and seagrass projects. Direct regional peer operating in the same Florida Gulf Coast geography with similar volunteer-driven restoration programming and grant funding model.

Others

• Tampa Bay Estuary Program: An EPA-funded regional program coordinating Tampa Bay restoration science, policy, and funding — and one of ORE's anchor funders. Adjacent/ecosystem relationship: OTHERS rather than competitor because TBEP funds rather than executes restoration projects.

Broad incumbents

• Environmental Defense Fund: A large national environmental nonprofit with marine and fisheries programs that intersect with oyster habitat restoration. A broad incumbent with substantially more funding, science capacity, and policy influence than ORE.
• The Nature Conservancy: One of the largest global conservation nonprofits, with active coastal and oyster/mollusk restoration projects. A broad incumbent in the same environmental restoration category with vastly larger funding, geographic reach, and brand.
• Restore America's Estuaries: A national coalition of coastal and estuary restoration organizations. Comparable to ORE as an umbrella entity in the same restoration space, but it operates as a network/advocate rather than a single-project restoration nonprofit.

Regional players

• Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana: A Louisiana-focused nonprofit restoring coastal wetlands and barrier islands, including oyster reef work. Comparable restoration nonprofit model with grant funding and volunteer events, but operating in a different Gulf state geography.
• Suncoast Waterkeeper: A Florida Gulf Coast water-quality advocacy nonprofit chaired by ORE board member Rusty Chinnis. Regional peer with overlapping waterway protection mission but focused on advocacy and water quality rather than direct reef installation.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/oyster_river_ecology
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/oyster-river-ecology-inc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Oyster River Ecology, Inc.