SGSNY Members Helping to Bring Life Back to New York Harbor
Members of the St George’s Society spent a very sunny Friday volunteering with the Billion Oyster Project on Governors Island on April 10.
It was a truly rewarding day, giving us the chance to roll up our sleeves and get stuck into oyster shell cleaning, sorting, and quality control. Very much hands-on work that directly supports the continued impact of BOP.
Our day began with a quick ferry ride over to Governors Island, followed by a walk to the Shell Pile (which turned out to be much bigger than expected - check out the photos of us climbing it!). Once there, Mikey from BOP gave us a fascinating introduction to the project’s mission, a history of oysters in New York Harbor, and some surprising oyster facts.
The goal of the Billion Oyster Project is to restore oyster populations in New York Harbor to a self-sustaining level. Oysters play a vital role in filtering the city’s waterways, helping to create a cleaner and more hospitable underwater environment that supports biodiversity. Oyster reefs also act as natural storm barriers, so just imagine the impact a billion oysters could have in reducing flood risk and shoreline erosion.
Encouragingly, the project is already making significant progress. They have restored over 140 million oysters to the harbor so far, and the team is seeing marine life return, including seahorses, pipefish, and crabs - a great sign of ecological recovery.
It was inspiring to learn more about this initiative happening right here in our city, and even more so to contribute to its ongoing success.
A huge thank you to all of our volunteers who made the day such a success - we’re so grateful for your time, energy and enthusiasm. We look forward to returning to volunteer with BOP again in the future, hopefully with even more SGS members joining us next time!
Take a look at all the photos from the day here!
If you’re interested in participating in future volunteer events with the St George’s Society, you might consider learning how to become a member.