What They Do:
The Billion Oyster Project is a multifaceted organization that, with help from members of the surrounding communities that will ultimately benefit from it, is working to restore the oyster reefs in New York Harbor in order to make it the center of a diverse, abundant estuary. Because oysters are a keystone species in NYC’s waterways, it made sense to use them to start to restore the harbor. Oysters can filter up to 50 gallons of water per day, and their reefs foster biodiversity while acting as a natural storm barrier.
How They Do It:
Through their 18 Field Station restoration sites, Billion Oyster Project offers many educational opportunities for New Yorkers of all ages. The Project relies heavily on a controlled and informed version of trial and error. Since the areas they are restoring are so urbanized, different methods may have unintended impacts, so the organization must adapt and respond accordingly. Since the initiation of their project, they have put out an annual Oyster Monitoring Report (here’s the one from 2022) to track their successes and determine what strategies are or are not working.
Core Programs:
K-12 STEM curriculum: Billion Oyster Project partners with 100 schools throughout NYC, giving students hands-on learning experiences through access to supplies, field trips, and project-based lessons.
Urban Assembly New York Harbor School: In partnership with this high school on Governors Island, staff members of the Billion Oyster Project act as advisors helping to prepare students for maritime careers.
Shell Recycling: Billion Oyster Project collects shells from restaurants both to divert them from landfills and to provide new wild oysters with a hard surface rich in calcium carbonate to settle on.
Community Water Quality Testing: For 20 weeks each year, Billion Oyster Project, alongside their partner labs, test for sewage pollution in the NY – NJ Estuary, checking for bacteria that is harmful to humans (and oysters!).
Interesting Fact:
By 1927, the water in New York Harbor was so polluted that it was nearly lifeless. It took until 1972 for the Clean Water Act to prohibit the dumping of waste and raw sewage into the harbor, and until 2000 for the water to be clean enough to once again sustain life. Billion Oyster Project is working to continue that positive trajectory and ensure that New York Harbor will never again be lifeless.
Fact Sheet:
Location: 18 active restoration sites in NYC. Based at 10 South St, Slip 7, New York, NY
Number of staff: 40
Number of volunteers: 15,000
Areas served: New York Harbor & NYC waterways: restoration efforts
Year started: 2014
Program coordinator: Pete Malinowski
Contact Information: info@billionoysterproject.org
Website: https://www.billionoysterproject.org
