Billion Oysters Project: one oyster at a time to bring marine life back to polluted New York harbour
Do you have a dream? Do you spend any time each day to achieve it? I was always amazed that so few people understand that the path to their dreams actually consists of many small steps they do every day.
Lord, I ask not about miracles, and not the mirages, and the strength of each day. Teach me the art of small steps.
(c) A Prayer by Antoine de Saint-Exupery.
Can an oyster change the situation with water pollution in the whole New York? And 20 oysters? And 20 million? Or 1 billion? If you make an effort and give the process time, it turns out to be possible. This is proved with success by the organizers and volunteers of Billion Oyster Project (BOP). This article is about them, about their efforts to change what few people think possible to do at all - re-create a natural eco-habitat in New-York’s Hudson River. It's a story how from the "crazy idea seven years ago" one of the leading eco-restoration and education marine project in New-York was born and continue to make small steps to its success with an oyster at a time.
The destiny to build a new marine eco-system
20 live oysters from the picture below can be a wonderful delicacy in one of the best restaurant in New York. But for this small gems of nature, there is another destiny: they will become the parents (or as they are called broodstock) of a new generation of oysters for BOP Community Reefs and Oyster Restoration Stations Projects.
According to experts from the Billion Oster Project (BOP), they can get about 2 million spat-on-shell * ( which is oyster larvae attached to an old oyster shells) from them. Incredible, isn’t it? *Source of information
Helping nature to maintain itself
If we consider how oysters are reproduced in nature, then the mechanism can be described approximately as follows:
However, in modern New York, the reproduction of oysters in a natural way is limited due to the huge water pollution, the absence of old shells which larvae can be attached to, as well as the destruction of reefs - a natural habitat for the mollusks.
A dream doesn't become reality through magic; it takes sweat, determination, and hard work.
(c)Colin Powell
The Billion Oster Project (BOP) has organized a whole chain that makes it possible to help nature to restore itself and by 2035 complete such a big goal that the project puts before itself: 'engaging one million public school students in the restoration of one billion oysters ".
It unites eco-enthusiasts, schoolchildren, scientists, restaurants of the city, as well as representatives of culture and the public, attracting attention to environmental problems in the marine field. Everyone, who cares about the future of their city can support the project through various ways. You can check more here.
Through the cooperation with restaurants, as well as organizing special stations for the oyster shells collection BOP managed to collect about 300 thousand lbs by 2017. That according to their sources can provide substrate to grow around 64 million oysters*.1
After cleaning for about a year, they would form a base for new oyster larvae to be spat on them and become a new generation of the oysters. They say that 1 shell you save can become a home up to 20 new oysters
At the same time, it is just a part of the circle. After new generation will be born in the New York Harbor School whey will be maintained in the various restoration centers across the city until they are ready to be put in wild. On each stage, the oysters will be monitored and the data will be carefully stored.
A huge network of partner schools, as well as city scientists and volunteers, supports different recreational stations as well as artificially created reefs, organizing regular inspection and measurement of the parameters of their inhabitants.
The project also supports education programs and employ specialists and scientist in marine industry research to support further developments.
If all we did was restore the oysters, got them all back into the harbor, but without building a culture of stewardship and without building the skills of maritime life and marine science understandings in the next generation of New Yorkers, that wouldn’t be a success
Susannah Black, Communications Coordinator for the New York Harbor Foundation
Project that changes the world through small actions
For me, this is a project that not only unites people with different backgrounds to make a common goal true, but it also proves that impossible things are possible. It also proves that using the natural resources and making efforts mankind can change the world.
Over the past 7 years, the project has achieved impressive success and continues to grow from year to year.
The most important though, the project statistic data is showing real changes in the environment around the oyster stations. Thus, many stations recorded improvements in water quality, and even the return of original inhabitants such as black sea bass, oyster toadfish, blue crabs, and seahorses.
The project founders hope that by 2035, when they plan to have 1 billion oysters in Hudson River and having organized 100 thousand reef areas, the natural ecosystem can be restored to its fullest, attracting to New York harbor more and more living creatures from the ocean.
The most important part
So let's ask ourselves the simple question:"Is harm the mankind done to nature really irreversible, or is there a chance for us to change it as it is just a matter of those small steps that everyone can do?"
For me, there is the even more important question: 'Can a modern society realize the importance of these small steps and start doing them now before it is too late?" After all, it is how we form the future of this Planet and future of the generations that will live on it.
Check out BOP web-site, Facebook, Instagram for more information of this wonderful and inspirational project and people who make it possible.
I support @ecotrain project, which also use #ecotrain. I want to believe that more and more people will start to think about things that help to make the world a better place. (с)@ecotrain. I also hope that more and more writers on Steemit will support the movement started by @eco-alexand @icmultitudes . As I truly believe that we are one and helping others means you are helping yourself.
I thoroughly enjoyed your article.
Eco topic on ecotrain.
Thanks.
I also posted the link in our slack group
Thank you so much, dear @likedeeler. I guess eco topics are part of my life%)) so I always try to get other people to see it too! As well as through art as you already know%)) I really thank you for your constant support and encouraging messages%) Each day I learn a lot and you are the one I really enjoy learning from. I love sharing my journey on Ecotrain with you. Be blessed and much love!
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Great Post.... Great Initiative. We need a symbiotic and co-supportive environment that enables all creatures to live and thrive in their natural habitats. Way to go towards a better world :)
It seems like a really nice project which bring all good things together. Call me silly but I still don't have any idea how oysters improve the water after reading your article, this is new to me.
Through filter-feeding.
Uhuh...
Great article!
Thanks to @ecoinstant, this post was resteemed and highlighted in today's edition of The Daily Sneak.
Thank you for your efforts to create quality content.
Ha! got my keys mixed up, so you got full upvotes and resteems from @josephsavage and from The Daily Sneak!
Oh hey! My photographs! Thank you for sharing my work :) Just searching for my name and different people that have covered me! haha
Sorry for such a delay reply - Cool to meet you here%) I loved what you do and the photos are awesome! Now I can follow you here%))
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