Restoration

The Billion Oyster Project

“Restoring oyster reefs to New York Harbor through public education initiatives”

The Billion Oyster Project (BOP) is a non-profit organization based in New York City with the goal of restoring one billion oysters to New York Harbor. The BOP works to restore the New York Harbor to its original habitat while educating the local community. To date they have restored nearly one hundred million live oysters and collected nearly 2 million pounds of shells. The BOP understands that restoration will be fruitless without education of the public about the importance of this natural resource.

Restoration

The BOP has restored oysters at 15 reef sites. The local benefits of restoration are numerous including water filtration, large wave and storm surge mitigation, flood reduction, erosion prevention, and that reefs provide habitat for hundreds of other species.

The BOP started a shell collection program for local restaurants, which diverts shells from landfills and also doubles as an ideal substrate for reefs. The BOP has recently launched a shell recycling drop-off program for the public.

Education

The BOP works with over 100 schools in the NY city region to provide hands-on education for students to engage them with STEM fields and also to teach a new generation about the ecosystem services that oysters provide. The hands-on engagement coupled with the proximity of the restoration efforts to these students provides an opportunity to generate indelible interest and engagement among the community.

The BOP provides real-world training for students at the Urban Assembly New York Harbor School, which aims to train students for maritime careers.