Vertical Oyster Gardens in North Palm Beach, FL

Dave Colangelo, Sr. Program Manager at Earthology, was appointed in April 2026 to the North Palm Beach Environmental Committee to help support the Village’s environmental stewardship and sustainability initiatives. The committee works on projects related to water quality, lagoon protection, native habitat and tree preservation, resiliency planning, stormwater management, and community environmental education. As part of his involvement, he is also helping advance a Vertical Oyster Garden (VOG) program aimed at improving water quality and creating habitat within the local estuary by encouraging oyster growth along seawalls and marina infrastructure. This program is intended to support both environmental restoration and public awareness of lagoon health issues affecting the community.

The Environmental Committee built approximately 90 VOGs, which were constructed out of stainless steel cables with recycled oyster shells strung onto them. They will be deployed along the many waterways in North Palm Beach later this month. Once in the water, the VOGs will act as a hard surface for juvenile oysters to attach and grow on. Because oysters are filter feeders, the result of introducing these VOGs will be clearer water and better habitat for small fish and other aquatic life.

Dave Colangelo (middle) and other members of the North Palm Beach Environmental Committee posing with newly constructed Vertical Oyster Gardens.

Vertical Oyster Gardens constructed by the North Palm Beach Environmental Committee loaded into the back of a golf cart for transport.

To learn more about the Village of North Palm Beach Environmental Committee, visit their webpage here.