NY/NJ BAYKEEPER Utilizing Volunteers in Baykeeper s Oyster Restoration Program Meredith Comi, Oyster Restoration Program Director Hooked on our Waters October 19, 2013
Baykeeper s Mission PROTECT, PRESERVE, RESTORE Advocacy, Policy, Acquisition, Restoration Clean Water!!
Passaic River, Hackensack River, Newark Bay Hudson River Kill van Kull Arthur Kill Raritan River & Bay Jamaica Bay Upper/Lower NY Bay Navesink & Shrewsbury Rivers, Sandy Hook Bay The Hudson-Raritan Estuary
Benefits of an Oyster Reef Improve water quality Increase species diversity Enhance benthic habitat Stabilize shorelines *Buffer against acidity A keystone species helps to determine the types and numbers of various other species in a community. Keystone Species
History of Oysters in the H-R-E Since settlers began developing the areas we now know as North Jersey, Staten Island, Long Island, and Manhattan, oysters have been harvested for consumption.
By the early 1800 s, natural oyster beds were exhausted and were replenished by oysters from the Chesapeake Bay and Long Island Sound. Pile of oyster shells
Causes of Oyster Population Decline Historical Overharvest Lack of knowledge of oyster life cycle (replacing shells for substrate!) Modern Pollution Dredging/Siltation Disease
Urban Restoration or Rehabilitation: The Hudson-Raritan Estuary is extremely urban and altered. Landfills and Fill Materials: Organic Pollutants Heavy Metals Altered Surface and Tidal Water Flows Storm Runoff and Combined Sewers: Fecal Coliform Bacteria
Baykeeper s Oyster Restoration Program Phases of the Program Oyster Production Reef Building Research & Collaborations Education and Community Outreach Volunteers are used in all aspects of programming.
Citizen Science: Oyster Gardening in NY Since 2000 oyster gardening has allowed for citizen scientists to monitor a cage of juvenile oysters in their local waters Oysters are kept in cages for one year and are monitored for growth and mortality. Data has allowed Baykeeper to make decisions about future restoration sites in the area and has allowed citizen scientists to become involved in oysters restoration.
Oyster Gardening Currently, there are 45 oysters gardens within NY waters, from the Bronx all the way to Staten Island. These gardens, run by school groups, local boat clubs and other individuals interested in restoration and ecology have been successful in integrating restoration science, advocacy and education.
Baykeeper s Oyster Reefs Liberty Flats (NY) Keyport Harbor (NJ) Navesink River (NJ) Bay Ridge Flats (NY) Soundview Park (NY) NWS Earle (NJ)
Oyster Restoration Research Project (ORRP) Partnership led by Baykeeper, Hudson River Foundation, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the Harbor and Estuary Program and the New York Harbor School Many other partners: Bronx River Alliance, NYC Parks NRG, Rocking the Boat universities, agencies, NGOs Part of the Comprehensive Restoration Plan (CRP) for the Hudson-Raritan Estuary Photo by: USACE
6 reef sites: Staten Island, Hastings, Governors Island, Soundview (Bronx River), Jamaica Bay, Bay Ridge Flats Approximately 15 feet by 30 feet are designed to mimic natural reefs as much as possible. Photo by: Vince Elias USACE Photo by: Ildiko Reisenbigler USACE
Soundview Park, Bronx River Most successful of the ORRP reefs Expanded from 0.1 acres to 1 acre in June 2013 Incorporated wild oysters from the site as well as shell substrate and newly placed spat-on-shell Largest oyster restoration project in the HRE
Citizen Science: Soundview Reef Allows volunteers to in monitoring activities and data collection Counting/Measuring oysters Looking for new spat settlement Installing treatments for monitoring Monitoring tires along shoreline Diverse group of partners: HRF, Harbor School, NYC Parks NRG, Bronx River Alliance
Citizen Science: Shoreline Mapping Project Baykeeper and Rutgers University CUES; volunteers Survey of the shoreline of Raritan Bay 2011/2012 Data will be used to make maps that can help guide potential shellfish restoration activities, among other things. Maps generated will be current!
Data Collected: 1. Presence of any existing shellfish species 2. Presence of sea grass species 3. Presence of bulkheads or docks 4. Water quality parameters (dissolved oxygen, turbidity, salinity, ph)
Ranking of Potential Oyster Locations, Raritan Bay 2011/2012 http://www.arcgis.com/explorer/?open=1158cd088e0 b405fa83730598067db59&extent=- 8274489.36180625,4923189.43996227,- 8213376.57631873,4953382.06612575
Acknowledgements NWS Earle National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration NY/NJ Harbor and Estuary Program Hudson River Foundation National Fish and Wildlife Foundation Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey/CUES NYS DEC NJ DEP EPA United States Army Corps of Engineers Port Authority of New York and New Jersey Reefball Foundation Urban Assembly New York Harbor School WCS
If you have any questions, please contact: Meredith Comi NY/NJ Baykeeper 52 W. Front Street Keyport, NJ 07735 732.888.9870 meredith@nynjbaykeeper.org