Billion Oyster Project

I first saw Bush Terminal Park under construction in 2010. It was the perfect place to test our vision of oyster restoration. We had this idea that small oyster installations at accessible waterfront sites could serve as community oyster reefs. The hope was that the installation, monitoring, and maintenance of these sites would create an incentive for local communities to get down in the water, to stand in New York Harbor, and interact with the local ecosystem. We believed that this experience, participating directly in improving the Harbor ecosystem and getting to know its wildlife, would build a life-long affinity for the City’s biggest and best-looking open space. 

It took two years to get oysters in the water. Two years of outreach in the local community, of permitting and design, of building relationships with local schools and - of course - fundraising. Finally in 2016, we installed one million oysters at this site. Almost immediately, we saw the impact of the oysters: fish, crabs, snails, and algae colonized the reef structures. Schools and community groups found their way to the park to work with us, in the Harbor. The oysters were building an ecosystem, both in and out of the water.

The success at this site led us to develop six more “Field Stations”. Six more waterfront sites that are now hubs for our restoration and education programs. At this site alone, in just the last two years, we have hosted almost 40 events and brought close to 1,000 students to the Park from schools like Sunset Park High School, PS K053, and the Peter Rouget Junior High School. Local community groups have also gotten their hands dirty; from Sunset Spark and Greenspace to Scout Troop 715. All of these young people are learning that New York Harbor is a resource worth preserving and protecting and most importantly, that they can have a positive impact on the natural world.

Thank you for being a part of our story of restoration. The oyster can bring us together, bring about change, but people — you and I — are the ones who can actually make it happen. 

Sincerely,

Pete Malinowski,
Executive Director & Co-Founder