Billion Oyster Project

When Henry Hudson sailed into the New York Harbor in 1609 on his way to the river that would bear his name, the waters were packed with 220,000 acres of oyster reefs. Unfortunately, by 1906, the harbor's oyster population had been decimated due to overharvesting and pollution. The Billion Oyster Project, headed by Executive Director Peter Malinowski, aims to fix that by planting one billion oysters in the New York Harbor by 2030. Why bring back the oysters? A single adult oyster can filter up to 50 gallons of water a day removing pollutants from its environment. So far, the organization has recruited thousands of volunteers to plant over 25 million oysters - an inspiring example of how communities can promote environmental stewardship and the health of our waters.