>>> NEW YORKERS LOVE OYSTERS.

THAT'S A WELL-KNOWN FACT.

BUT WHAT ISN'T SO WELL-KNOWN IS

THAT NEW YORK CITY WAS ONCE

CONSIDERED THE OYSTER CAPITOL OF

THE WORLD.

BUT THAT WAS THEN.

TODAY OYSTERS ARE FUNCTIONALLY

EXTINTING IN NEW YORK HEREBIER

WHAT HAPPENED?

WHY DOES IT MATTER?

WHAT CAN WE DO?

ONE PROJECT CREATED TO DO

SOMETHING IS THE BILLION OYSTER

PROJECT WHICH AMONG OTHER THINGS

ENLISTS SCHOOL CHILDREN IN THE

EFFORT TO RESTORE THE CITY'S

OYSTER POPULATION.

JOIPG US TO TALK ABOUT THAT AND

AS PART OFF YOU ARE PERIL AND

PROMISE INITIATIVE ON THE HUMAN

IMPACT OF CLIMATE CHANGE WE ARE

NOW JOINED BY PETER MALENNOUSKY,

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE

BILLION OYSTER PROJECTS AND

SALARY McGEE.

DIRECTOR AT THE NATURE

CONSERVANCY WHICH PROTONWOOD THE

BILLION OYSTER PROJECT.

LET ME START WITH YOU WHAT IS

THE HISTORY OF OYSTERS IN NEW

YORK CITY?

WERE WE THICK IN OYSTERS BECOME

IN THE DAY.

>> WHEN EUROPEANS ARRIVED THERE

WAS OVER 200,000 OF OYSTER REEF

IN NEW YORK HARBOR SOME

ESTIMATED IT WAS HALF THE

WORLD'S OYSTERS.

THOSE OYSTERS SUPPORTED A REALLY

VAST AND DIVERSE ECOSYSTEM.

WE EUROPEANS ARRIVED THEY COULD

CATCH FISH BY LOWERING A BASKET

AND BRINGING BACK UP FULL OF

FUCH.

OIF OYSTERS FILTER THE WATER.

STABILIZE THE SHORE.

PROTECT THE SHORE FROM WAVES.

YOU KNOW, IN THAT WAY THEY

ENGINEERED A WHOLE ECOSYSTEM

THAT FILLED THE HARBOR BEFORE WE

ATE THEM ALL.

>> HOW DID THEY BECOME

FUNCTIONALLY EXTINTING.

>> ONLY 100 YEARS AFTER OL

COLINIZATION WE HAD EATEN ALL

THE OYSTERS.

WE DREDGED OYSTERS OUT OF THE

HARBOR BY THE EARLY MID-180 OHs

ALL THE WILD OYSTERS FISHED OUT.

THEN THEY KBRTED THEM IN SEEDING

BEDS IN THE HARBOR AND THAT

WORKED UNTIL THE COMPLETION OF

THE CROTON AQUEDUCT AND THEN

THEY HAD AS MUCH FRESH WATER A

AS THEY WANTED AND FLUSHED

TOILETS AND TOOK SHOWERS AND IT

WENT DOWN TO THE OYSTER BEDS.

CAME AS A BIG SURPRISE TO NEW

YORKERS THAT POURING RAW SEWAGE

ON THE FOOD SUPPLY WAS A

PROBLEM.

IN THE LAST OF 190 OHs THEY

CLOSED THE OYSTER BEDS.

GIVE US THE REASON THE OYSTER

POPULATION HERE OR ANYWHERE IS

IMPORTANT.

>> FIRST IS WE WANT TO GIVE

PEOPLE IN NEW YORK THE ABILITY

TO GET OUT AND ENJOY THE WATER

MORE.

AND IF THE WATER AND ECOSYSTEM

IS HEALTHIER THEN THEY'LL BE

ABLE TO DO THAT MORE.

ANOTHER REASON IS LIKE PETE

SAID, OYSTERS, THEY'VE WONDERFUL

WATER QUALITY FILTERS.

SO YOU KNOW A SINGLE OYSTER A

SINGLE ADULT OYSTER CAN FILTER

50 GALLONS OF WATER.

>> FILTERS WHAT?

WHAT TOES IT FILTER.

>> IT EATS PHYTOPLANKTON.

>> OH.

>> AND A CONDITION LIKE THE

WATER IS IN NEW YORK HARBOR,

THERE IS TOO MUCH OF THAT.

SO YOU HAVE OYSTERS IN THE

WATER.

AND THAT IMPROVES THE WATER

QUALITY.

>> AND OYSTER REEVES, HOW MUCH

DO THEY HELP, FOR EXAMPLE WE WE

HAVE A HURRICANE AND THE WATERS

ARE COMING ONTO THE ISLAND.

>> THEY DO HELP.

THEY DEFINITELY DO.

THAT'S ONE OF THE BENEFITS OF

SHELL FISH REEF RESTORATION IS

THAT THEY PROVIDE A BUFFER FROM

STORM SURGE AND WAVES.

>> SO TELL US ABOUT THE PROJECT.

>> WELL WE'RE TRYING TO RESTORE

SUSTAINABLE OYSTER POPULATION TO

NEW YORK HARBOR AND THROUGH THAT

WORK CHANGE THE RELATIONSHIP

THAT NEW YORKERS HAVE TO THE

NATURAL RESOURCE.

WE BELIEVE THAT ACTIVE

ENGAGEMENT IN A RESTORATION

PROJECT IS A POWERFUL WAY TO

BUILD ENTHUSIASM AND EXCITEMENT

AND KNOWLEDGE OF THAT RESOURCE.

YOU CAN'T RESTORE OYSTERS IF YOU

DON'T KNOW HOW TO DRIVE BOAT,

SKUBA DIVE GROW OYSTERS AND GET

IN THE WATER AND DO THE WORK.

WE WORK WITH ABOUT 100 PUBLIC

SCHOOLS THROUGHOUT ALL I'VE

BUHROWS WHERE WE WEECH O TEACH

MATH AND SCIENCE TEACHERS TO

TEACH LESSONS THROUGH THE LENS

OF OYSTER RESTORATION.

UNDERSTANDING WHAT EXISTS ON THE

OTHER SIDE OF THE LAND OF THEARY

WATER BARRIER SEES THERE IS

ANIMALS IN THE WERT.

UNDERSTANDING TIDES AND CURRENT

AND STORMS AND EVERYTHING WITH

THAT.

>> YOU WANT TO ESTABLISH A

CULTURE OF STEWARDSHIP AMONG

KIDS.

WHAT ABOUT THE REST OF US WHO

DON'T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT IT?

>> THAT'S ONE OF OUR -- WE HAVE

NO CHANCE OF RESTORING A BILLION

OYSTERS IF WE CAN'T ENGAGE AS

MANY OF THE 8 MILLION PEOPLE

HERE AS POSSIBLE.

PEOPLE EYE WHO LIKE EATING THE

OYSTERS CAN PARTICIPATE JUST BY

EATING THE OYSTERS AND RECYCLING

THE SHELLS.

YOU CAN COME OUT AND BE A MEMBER

OR A VOLUNTEER OF THE BILLION

OYSTER PROJECT.

>> THE NATURE CONSERVANCY DOES

OTHER THINGS BESIDES PARTNERING

ABOUT THE O WITH THE BILLION

OYSTER PROJECT.

>> WE HAVE AN EXCITING NEW

PROJECT BEEN IN THE WORKS ABOUT

A YEAR NOW THAT WE JUST STARTED,

WORKING WITH SHELL FISH FARMERS.

THESE ARE THE PEOPLE GROWING THE

OYSTERS THAT END UP ON YOUR

PLATE AS A OYSTER ON THE HALF

SHELL AT HAPPY HOUR.

SO WE ARE WORKING WITH A GROUP

OF SHELL FISH FARMER WHO

ACTUALLY CAME TO US REALLY

CONCERNED ABOUT THE IMPACT THAT

THEY WERE SEEING ABOUT -- OF

CLIMATE CHANGE ON THEIR FARMS.

SO THEY WANTED TO DO SOMETHING

ABOUT IT.

THEY ARE SEEING THE IMPACTS.

AND DIDN'T REALLY HAVE THE MEANS

TO DO THAT.

SO THEY APPROACHED THE NATURE

CONSERVANCY.

AND SAID WE ARE REALLY CONCERNED

ABOUT THE CHANGING WATER

CHEMISTRY THAT'S HAPPENING, THE

INCREASED FREQUENCY AND

INTENSITY OF STORMS, YOU KNOW,

WHAT CAN WE DO?

AND SO WE HAVE CREATED WHAT

WE'RE CALLING THE SHELL FISH

GROWERS CLIMATE COALITION THAT

IS A GROUP OF SHELL FISH GROWERS

ON THE EAST AND WEST COAST AND

GROWING EVERY DAY.

>> ALL RIGHT THANK YOU, PETER

AND SALLY FOR JOINING US TODAY

PROCESSES REALLY INTERESTING AND

IMPORTANT.

>> THANK YOU.

>> THANKS FOR HAVING ME.