Meet our Members
Billion Oyster Project
Billion Oyster Project (BOP) has a mission to restore oyster reefs to NY Harbor through public education initiatives. BOP designs STEM curriculum through the lens of oyster restoration, engages students and volunteers in large-scale restoration projects, and collects discarded oyster shells from 75 NYC restaurants. BOP has planted 30 million oysters across 7 acres of reef, with the help of 6,000+ students and 10,000+ volunteers.
Community Oyster Restoration Effort (C.O.R.E)
CORE is a community effort of Long Island, NY, of oyster advocates – scientists, students, schools, restaurants, businesses, volunteers and civic leaders. Its mission is to restore Long Island’s oyster reefs by recycling oyster shell from restaurants, festivals and other sources. It is conducted out of Adelphi University.
City Island Oyster Reef
The mission of the City Island Oyster Reef (CIOR) is to restore the western Long Island Sound ecosystem in order to improve biodiversity, water quality, and coastal resilience by creating reefs of shells to encourage the population growth of the historically abundant oyster and other marine species around City Island. CIOR is building community awareness, promoting active stewardship, developing educational programs, sharing scientific data, and collaborating with like-minded organizations to achieve this mission.
Cornell Cooperative SPAT Program
The SPAT program encourages community members to become stewards of their environment and to restore shellfish to the bays. SPAT volunteers and members grow minuscule shellfish in containment, away from predators, until they reach an adult size when they release their spawn into local creeks and bays and promote wild settlement.
Friends of the Bay
Town of Oyster Bay
Seatuck's Half Shell for Habitat
Half Shells for Habitat (H4H), which was initiated by Seatuck and a host of partners in 2018, is a program to recover oyster shells from restaurants for use in oyster and habitat restoration efforts. It was established to address the critical need to return oyster shells to Long Island's estuaries.
Coastal Steward Long Island
Coastal Steward Long Island's mission is dedicated to restoring and preserving Long Island's coastline through education, raising public awareness, and community action. Engaging with local youth and communities can foster a caring connection between Long Island residents and their shoreline, and create future generations of coastal stewards.
The Pew Charitable Trusts
Conserving Marine Life in the United States. Pew & its partners work to protect valuable coastal waters & habitats by identifying and advancing science-based conservation measures that will ensure all people can enjoy & benefit from nearshore resources now & in the future. Pew works to strengthen U.S. fisheries management through policies that recognize the interconnected nature of marine life.
Shinnecock Bay Restoration Program
The Shinnecock Bay Restoration Program (ShiRP) is a Stony Brook University initiative created in 2012 to combat the deterioration of western Shinnecock Bay through research, active restoration, and robust monitoring. ShiRP focuses on restoring hard clams, oysters and eelgrass to the bay, to improve water quality, increase habitat, and create conditions that support healthy marine life. ShiRP has used donated oyster shell to create and install four pilot oyster reefs in Shinnecock Bay to date.
Town of Hempstead
The Town of Hempstead's Department of Conservation and Waterways oversees 17,000 acres of wetlands and 180 miles of coastal waterways. Committed to maintaining the Town's shellfish resources and restoring it's waterways, the department operates a hatchery and nursery system capable of culturing multiple species of shellfish and sugar kelp. All species are grown for various restoration, enhancement, and bioextraction projects within Hempstead Bay.
Friends of the Bay’s mission is to preserve, protect and restore the Oyster Bay/Cold Spring Harbor Estuary and the surrounding watershed. We have been monitoring water quality in the estuary for more than 20 years. We sponsor community and educational events and work with citizens and government officials for wetland restoration and habitat protection. Our advocacy efforts include serving as watchdogs of activities in the estuary and the watershed.
The Town of Oyster Bay prioritizes the protection and conservation of its valuable natural resources as well as the regulation and enforcement of policies geared towards environmental preservation. Its Department of Environmental Resource’s Divisions manage the Town’s coastal resiliency planning, marine conservation and habitat restoration projects, and operate the municipal hatchery, developed to enhance shellfish management and restoration efforts through breeding, maturing and seeding practices. Other sustainable measures include bio-extraction projects and shell recycling programs, initiated to work with restaurant partners and educational institutions to restore crucial marine habitat and water quality. Engaging our communities and creating awareness through educational programs are essential components and fundamental for the Town’s ongoing programs to remove shoreline debris, encourage green infrastructure practices, and restore wetland habitats and dune stabilization. Our commitment to using sustainable practices to protect our natural resources help build its strong and resilient communities and ensure their availability for all Town residents, visitors and their future generations to come.