BOP is an ecosystem restoration and education project aimed at restoring one billion live oysters to New York Harbor and engaging hundreds of thousands of school children through restoration based STEM education programs. Students at New York Harbor School have been growing and restoring oysters in New York Harbor for the last six years. They have learned to SCUBA dive safely, raise oyster larvae, operate and maintain vessels, build and operate commercial-scaled oyster nurseries, design underwater monitoring equipment and conduct long-term authentic research projects all in the murky, contaminated, fast moving waters of one of the busiest ports in the country. Together and with the help of many partners these students have restored over eleven million oysters. Thirty-six public schools have partnered with the project to provide authentic, place-based science and math lessons through the lens of oyster restoration. Each year, thousands of students participate in these learning opportunities.

Open Oyster provides fresh shucked oysters at private events.Check out the website www.openoysternyc.com

I teach aquaculture classes and coordinate oyster restoration activities at The New York Harbor School, a public New York City school, located on Governors Island. To date we have put more than a million oysters through our system, 500,000 of them are currently on reefs around the harbor.