NHL, Lightning join FORCE BLUE to help preserve 'living shoreline' in Tampa Bay

TAMPA -- It takes a lot of people power to move six tons of oyster shells.

But the NHL, the Tampa Bay Lightning, a group of military special operations veterans and environmentalists were able to do just that Thursday in a stunning display of teamwork.

They also had the help of ThunderBug, the do-everything, be-everywhere mascot of the Tampa Bay Lightning, who put his back into the effort, joined by Lightning alums Mathieu Garon, Tyler Johnson, Glen Metropolit and Freddy Modin, plus more than 30 volunteers.

The work, which also included the placement of 40 concrete oyster reef buoys, each weighing upwards of 150 pounds, was part of an effort to preserve and buttress a "living shoreline" at MacDill Air Force Base Marina.

The task was spearheaded by FORCE BLUE, a non-profit organization made up of Special Operations veterans looking to do marine conservation work for the betterment of its members and the planet, and executed by Tampa Bay Watch, which is dedicated to fostering a healthy watershed through restoration projects, education programs and outreach initiatives.

All of the stakeholders were brought together under the NHL Unites banner for a day of hard work and tangible results.

"We at the NHL, and at the Lightning, truly believe in uplifting our communities and the power of teamwork for the betterment of many and that is what today is about, one oyster shell at a time," NHL vice president, social impact and strategic integration Rachel Segal said.

Those oyster shells, all six tons of them, collected from area restaurants, sat in huge piles in a parking lot at the base. In less than an hour, they were shoveled into biodegradable bags. During the following two hours, they were loaded onto boats and taken out to reinforce part of a two-mile living shoreline that began in the waters of the air force base nearly two decades ago.

It took more than three hours to finish, but nobody was complaining, not even those who trudged through knee-deep chilly seawater to claim the bags from the boats.

"This really seemed like a good fit," said Modin, who spent six of his 14 NHL seasons as a Lightning forward and won the Stanley Cup with Tampa Bay in 2004. "I enjoy fishing and do a lot of fishing down here.

"Helping the reefs and the waterways here is a big issue, so getting a chance to help out in some form is something I enjoy doing. This was great for me to come and see how they go about doing something like this. It's super interesting and educational at the same time."

Rick Radigan, the oyster program manager for Tampa Bay Watch, filled the players in on all the nuances of the project and put meaning behind the work that was happening.

Radigan talked earnestly about taking stewardship of Tampa Bay and the importance of enlightening people about the steps necessary to keep the waters in great shape. The oyster reefs, he said, serve to protect the shoreline from erosion and provide a home for new oysters. Each of those new oysters has the capability to filter two gallons of water per hour, leading to cleaner water.

FORCE BLUE provided much of the muscle and know-how. It is a charity designed for projects like these, a new mission for decorated military men and women who served in special operations across every branch of the armed services.

"It's important for our guys because you have SEALs, Green Berets, Coast Guard pararescue personnel and Marine recon and such who want to be a part of something special again," FORCE BLUE special projects and events coordinator Steve Gonzalez said. "We were part of something special when we are active duty and when we get out, whether we did four years, eight years, 34 years, we want to be a part of something special. It's a great way to continue to serve."

Gonzalez, a 34-year veteran with time as a Navy SEAL, is known as Gonzo -- "Like the Muppets, but cuter" -- and he has found a second home with FORCE BLUE.

"Everything that I did in the military, whether it was Afghanistan, Iraq, Africa, I can't really share that with my family," he said. "But now they can see what I am doing to save the planet and I can share that with them."