In October of 2001, a dredging operation designed to remove sediment from DeBordieu Canal and a portion of Debidue Creek, in Georgetown County, South Carolina inadvertently caused extensive damage to a large tract of intertidal oyster reef. The canal system drains directly into the North Inlet – Winyah Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve (NERR), affecting the NERR. In a cooperative community-based effort, staff from the Baruch Marine Field Laboratory and the NIWB NERR worked with the DeBordieu community to restore the oyster resource, field testing the application of cement-coated stakes to enhance recruitment to the area. Significantly higher recruitment occurred on cement-coated stakes compared to bare stakes. Furthermore that upper portion of the stakes provided a predator refuge.