P.O. Box 323, Bellport NY 11713 friendsofbellportbay.orgfobb.org [email protected] [email protected] Friends of Bellport Bay Inc. is recognized by the IRS as a tax-exempt public charity under section 501(c)(3), Tax ID Number 82-1658902 @ friendsofbellportbay

Table of Contents

• Overview and 2021 Initiatives 3

• Our 2021 Initiatives 4

• Our Partners 5

• Why Oysters 6 • “Ecosystem Engineers” 7

• Volunteers and Interns 8

• Sustainability and Outcomes 9

• Additional Information 10 • The FoBB Team 11 • Oyster Sourcing and Growth 13 • FoBB in the press 14 • Contact Information 2322

FoBB is a 501(c)(3) based in Bellport, New York — Suffolk County, Long Island. 2 Overview and 2021 Initiatives

• FoBB’s mission is to improve the water quality in Bellport Bay (and the Great South Bay) through shellfish/oyster restoration, marine habitat support and environmental education.

• Since our founding in 2015, FoBB has planted over one million shellfish in Bellport Bay.

• FoBB intends to plant 500K - 1 million oysters in the Bay in 2021.

• We host community educational seminars throughout the year about: • Shellfish restoration for ecosystem health • Impacts of nitrogen pollution.

• FoBB’s initiatives bring the community together and benefit all of Suffolk County: • The Bay is a free/public recreational, educational and economic resource utilized by thousands.

• FoBB intends to raise $100,000 in 2021 to complete our planned initiatives.

3

Our 2021 Initiatives

FoBB has a goal to plant 500K - 1 million oysters in 2021, more than doubling the number we planted in 2020.

• FoBB will grow hundreds of thousands of oysters to maturity in our Floating Upwelling System (FLUPSY).

• Partner with the Town of Brookhaven.

• Collaborate with local shellfish farmers to plant these oysters in our protected shellfish restoration sites.

• FoBB’s $100,000 fundraising activities will pay for: • Oyster and marine equipment • People out on the water needed to perform our restoration and planting efforts • Scientific evaluation and monitoring. Tending FLUPSY— June 2020 to the Planting Oysters -- December 2020 Planting

4 Our Partners

• FoBB has established partnerships with experts in the field of shellfish restoration/aquaculture, government entities and environmental organizations, including:

• The Nature Conservancy, Pew Charitable Trusts and U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) as part of the Supporting Oyster Aquaculture and Restoration (SOAR) initiative.

• The Long Island Community Foundation (LICF), as a recipient of a grant for oyster aquaculture.

• Cornell Cooperative Extension of Suffolk County (CCESC), an extension of Cornell University that conducts research for FoBB on oyster growth rates, population stability and ecosystem health.

• The Town of Brookhaven, which has awarded FoBB a 2 acre shellfish restoration / management site and future reef, protecting the shoreline.

5 Why Oysters

• The Bay ecosystem has collapsed as a result of the decimation of its one-time abundant shellfish populations due to rising pollution levels and decades of over harvesting.

• The Gobler Laboratory at Stony Brook University classifies the water quality in areas of the Bay as “poor” (August 2019). Heaps of discarded Blue Point Oysters shells (LI) — Early 20th C

• However, by restoring shellfish populations, this downward-spiraling trend can be reversed.

• A healthy, robust Bay ecosystem begins with a viable and sustainable shellfish population.

Young oysters growing in FoBB’s nursery — 2020 6 Why Oysters — “Ecosystem Engineers”

A single mature oyster filters approximately fifty (50) gallons of water per day, removing excess nitrogen, reducing harmful algal blooms and improving water quality.

• Oysters are an extremely efficient method to clean water.

• Furthermore, oysters are a “keystone” species. Oyster reefs provide habitat for other marine species, and strengthen and protect shorelines.

• “Ecosystem Engineers” - Professor Christopher Gobler of Stony Brook University’s School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences, referring to bivalves (including oysters and other shellfish). 7

Volunteers and Interns

• FoBB is an efficient organization with almost all activities supported by volunteers.

• 20-30 experienced local professionals volunteer their time to carry out FoBB’s initiatives.

• FoBB provides 10-15 high school students with paid internship positions annually, as part of a collaboration with the local Title 1 public high school and the area Boys and Girls Club.

• Our internship program provides students with an opportunity to gain hands-on experience working alongside scientists and experts in the field of environmental conservation. 8

Sustainability and Outcomes - CCESC & DEC

• Cornell Cooperative Extension of Suffolk County (CCESC) reviews and monitors FoBB’s operation with biannual sanctuary scuba dive visits: • Oyster growth and survival rates are recorded, analyzed and filed with CCESC and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC).

• CCESC and the DEC have determined that FoBB’s oyster survival rate is an impressive 70%.

• FoBB’s efforts will translate to 25 - 35 million gallons of water filtered every 24 hours in 2021, based on current metrics.

• We expect to see substantial improvements in the overall health and biodiversity of the Bay ecosystem: • Based on abundance and diversity of species recorded around FoBB planting sites.

9

Additional Information

• The FoBB Team 11

• Oyster Sourcing and Growth 13

• FoBB in the Press 14

• Contact Information 2223

10

The FoBB Team

Thomas V. Schultz Co-Founder & Director of Shellfish Restoration Program, Thomas is the Executive Director of the Estate collection of Armenian-American artist Arthur Pinajian. After holding a position as a Legislative Assistant for the NY State Assembly, Thomas opened Gallery 125, a fine arts gallery in Bellport Village, where he and his wife are raising three young daughters. In 2015, he produced an exhibition spotlighting sculptures created by Katia Read, which capture the natural shapes and forms found on the bay bottom including that of shellfish. They decided to donate a percentage of proceeds from art sales to efforts related to shellfish restoration in the Great South Bay. This early collaboration led to the creation of FoBB in 2015.

Katia R. Read Co-Founder & Board Chair, Katia is an environmentalist and artist. She earned a BFA in sculpture at the Rhode Island School of Design. Her work has been exhibited at The Drawing Center, Rose Burlingham Gallery, NYC, Gallery 125, and the Marquis Gallery in Bellport. In 2015, with Thomas Schultz, Katia co-founded Friends of Bellport Bay on an environmental and oyster planting mission aimed at protecting the habitat and improving water quality in the bay.

Rae Specht Executive Director, Rae is a Junior at Cornell University studying Environmental Sustainability Science and English. She is the co-founder of Four Girls for Families, a nonprofit that specializes in clean drinking water access in Cambodia. Rae is a writer and contributing editor for Earth.org, an environmental news organization based in Hong Kong, and a writer for the Cornell Daily Sun. She grew up in Bellport Village spending her summers exploring the bay and combing the shoreline for shells to make into jewelry (a hobby that she still enjoys today). She formally joined the FoBB Team in 2020.

11

The FoBB Team (cont.)

FoBB Board Members:

Steve Borghardt - Executive Director at the Depository Trust and Clearing Corp. with responsibility for Fixed income and US Equities Clearing. He has formerly served on the board of Save the Great South Bay. He has lived near the Great South Bay in Bayport since 1997 with his wife and 2 children.

Amanda Burden - Principal at Bloomberg Associates, an international philanthropic consultancy advising mayors around the world to help improve the quality of life of their citizens; previously, she was the New York City Planning Commissioner during the Bloomberg Administration from 2002-2013.

Tara Kavanagh - Practicing lawyer in Bellport for over 25 years. Tara is a graduate of Fordham University and Fordham Law. Her practice is focused on the areas of real estate, estate planning, and estate administration. Previously, she was a member of the Town of Brookhaven Planning Board from 2005-2019. She currently serves on the Village of Bellport Golf Commission. Tara lives in Bellport with her husband, Tom Ford, where they raised their four daughters.

Howard Read - Co-Founder and partner of Cheim & Read, a contemporary art gallery, located in Chelsea and the upper east side, NYC. He and his wife Katia are long time residents of NYC and Bellport.

Peter Schulte - Managing Partner, CM Equity Partners; he serves on the boards of several non-profit organizations, including the Rainforest Alliance and Lasell University, and is a former member of the boards of Marymount School in New York City, Deerfield Academy, Center for Business and the Environment at Yale University and the New York League of Conservation Voters. 12 Oyster Sourcing and Growth

Oyster Sourcing

• FoBB willpurchased purchase approximately approximately 250,000 375,000 oysters oysters from from Aeros Aeros Cultured Cultured Oyster Oyster Company Company in Marchin March 2021. 2021.

• Thousands of thousands of additional oysters will be donated to FoBB by the Town of Brookhaven, Long Island. • Hundreds of thousands of additional oysters will be donated to FoBB by the Town of Brookhaven, Long Island. • FoBB partners with local shellfish farmers whose businesses have been affected by COVID-19 as part of the SOAR program with The Nature Conservancy, Pew Charitable Trusts, and NOAA. • FoBB partners with local shellfish farmers whose businesses have been affected by COVID-19. • FoBB receives 160,000 large, spawning overstock oysters from local shellfish farmers, treats them for • FoBB purchases thousands of large, overstock oysters, treats them for pathogens, and plants them in pathogens and plants them in our protected 2 acre shellfish sanctuary — a collaboration that benefits both our protected 2 acre shellfish sanctuary— a collaboration that benefits both parties. parties.

Oyster Growth Oyster Growth • 125,000 oysters will be “grown out” from 3-4mm “seed” (oyster larvae) in FoBB’s oyster nursery. • One• quarterOur nursery of these consists 500,000+ of a Floating oysters willUpweller be “grown System out” (FLUPSY), from 3-4 a millimeterstructure designed “seed” (oyster to grow larvae) seed into maturity. FoBB’s oyster nursery. • In addition• Our nursery to the consistsFLUPSY ofoysters, a Floating FoBB Upwelling works with System Bellport (FLUPSY), residents a structureand the New designed York State to grow DEC seed to host to oystermaturity. gardens under private docks in Bellport Bay. • In these garden cages, we grow approximately 125,000 mid-sized oysters donated by the Town of • The remainingBrookhaven oysters and 250,000will be grown young from oysters approximately purchased from 6-7mm a local in mesh farmer. bags inside of garden cages in Bellport Bay. • Upon growing to 40mm, all oysters will be hand planted on the Bay bottom via boat. • Upon growing to 38-40mm, all oysters will be planted on the Bay bottom by boat.

13

FoBB in the Press

• The Long Island Advance: “Supporting oyster aquaculture and restoration: 170,000 oysters planted in • The Long Island Advance: “Supporting oyster aquaculture and restoration: 170,000 oysters planted in Bellport Bay”— December 17, 2020 Bellport Bay”— December 17, 2020 • The Long Island Advance: “Friends of Bellport Bay reaches restoration milestone” — October 29, 2020 • The Long Island Advance: “Friends of Bellport Bay reaches restoration milestone” — October 29, 2020 • The Cornell Daily Sun: “Not always as Happy as a Clam: The Cultural Clashes Underpinning Long • The Cornell Daily Sun: “Not always as Happy as a Clam: The Cultural Clashes Underpinning Long Island’s Shellfishing Industry” — September 9, 2020 Island’s Shellfishing Industry” — September 9, 2020 • The Long Island Advance: “Town creates shellfish management area in Bellport Bay”— July 23, 2020 • The Long Island Advance: “Town creates shellfish management area in Bellport Bay”— July 23, 2020 • Greater Long Island: “Volunteers planted thousands of oysters in Bellport Bay” — September 10, 2019 • Greater Long Island: “Volunteers planted thousands of oysters in Bellport Bay” — September 10, 2019 • The Long Island Advance: “Governor Cuomo visits Bellport Bay”— June 6, 2019 • The Long Island Advance: “Governor Cuomo visits Bellport Bay”— June 6, 2019 • Governor Andrew Cuomo Press Office: “Governor Cuomo announces Bellport Bay sanctuary reaches • Governor Andrew Cuomo Press Office: “Governor Cuomo announces Bellport Bay sanctuary reaches mid-point milestone in shellfish restoration effort” — June 6, 2019 mid-point milestone in shellfish restoration effort” — June 6, 2019

14

The Long Island Advance — December 17, 2020

“170,000 oysters planted Supporting oyster aquaculture and restoration 170,000 oysters planted in Bellport Bay in Bellport Bay” Thomas Schultz, a member of Friends of Bellport Bay, and Brookhaven Town employees invested in the project stand on the dock before a barge at Bellport Marina after planting on Friday, Dec. 4. ADV/WASZYNSKI Posted Thursday, December 17, 2020 12:42 pm

Randall Waszynski

The pandemic has created a surplus of harvested oysters, which creates concern for the vulnerability of the oyster market.

In order to address it, The Nature Conservancy partnered with Pew Charitable Trusts as well as local partners like Friends of Bellport Bay to create the Supporting Oyster Aquaculture and Restoration initiative, focused on purchasing the excess oysters and repurposing them in nearby restoration projects.

Friends of Bellport Bay planted 80,000 oysters in Bellport Bay from Friday, Dec. 4 into Saturday, Dec. 5 using the Gino Macchio Foundation oyster barge. An additional 90,000 oysters were planted by Friends of Bellport Bay on Monday, Dec. 14, totaling the oyster count at 170,000 over the two plantings.

“This effort required a large amount of logistical support from multiple agencies and organizations,” said Thomas Schultz, a co-founder of Friends of Bellport Bay. “We are thankful for the leadership provided by the Pew Charitable Trusts and TNC.”

Schultz said the effort and commitment from the Gino Macchio Foundation for providing vessels and staff needed to transport the oysters was invaluable, in addition to the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation as well as the Town of Brookhaven.

“The NYSDEC expedited the required permits to transport oysters. We are grateful to Brookhaven Town for creating the shellfish management area in Bellport Bay where the oysters were planted and to Bellport Village for allowing us to stage operations on the municipal dock," he said.

The Nature Conservancy is working with its partners to purchase more than 5 million surplus farmed oysters and use them in nearby oyster restoration projects, like Friends of Bellport Bay. The Nature Conservancy considers the situation a win-win for these environmentally friendly businesses and for our ocean ecosystems. 15

The Long Island Advance — October 29, 2020

“One million oysters — Friends of Bellport Bay Reaches Restoration Milestone”

16

The Cornell Daily Sun — September 9, 2020

management areas that are legally untouchable by clam diggers. “In a perfect world, I would ban shellfishing for 20 years to let the ecosystem rebuild itself and let the shellfish naturally repopulate,” explains Thomas, “but that’s not realistic for the Baymen who do this for a living, so we need to compromise by establishing protected shellfish management areas so we can move towards restoration.” This summer, the Town of Brookhaven voted to protect a two-acre parcel of land on the bay bottom for shellfish Not Always as Happy as a Clam: The Cultural Clashes Underpinning Long restoration, a huge victory for the environmentalists after years of legal struggles and extremely vocal opposition, most Island’s Shellfishing Industry aggressively from the Baymen’s Association. The area would be used to revitalize the bay’s oyster population and serve as a footprint for future expansion of the sanctuary. This decision seems like it would be a victory for all parties By Rae Specht involved, including the clam diggers and shellfish farmers. A healthier, more productive bay means, eventually, an Rae Specht is a junior in the College of Arts and Sciences. She can be reached at [email protected]. abundance of clams to be dug and sold, yet unsurprisingly, this was not welcome news for the Baymen. Recall the Dongan Patent mentioned earlier in this article, which clearly states that the bay bottom must remain The year is 1686. King James II looks on anxiously from his plushy throne in England as his New York colonial accessible “without hindrance” to all. To the Baymen, this decision by the Town of Brookhaven is an infringement on subjects become increasingly unruly. To tighten his grip on the settlers and quell whispers of rebellion, he appoints their right to clam in whatever area of the bay bottom they please. To activists like Thomas, protecting this area is still Thomas Dongan, a Royalist military officer, to govern the New York territory and issue decrees known as Dongan well within the boundaries of the Dongan Patent, since shellfish restoration improves the overall health of the Patents for the creation of trustee-run towns across the royal province. One of these towns was Long Island’s Town of ecosystem, which defends the eternal right of all people to fully enjoy the resources of a thriving bay. With no shellfish Brookhaven. management areas, the quality of the bay is diminished for the benefit of only a few individuals. A key proclamation in the Dongan Patent states that the town and its residents would have collective jurisdiction over Two acres is a relatively small area, but this decision marks a turning point in the power dynamic that has defined this the natural resources of the area, including “the tracts and necks of lands, gardens, pastures, woods, trees and marshes,” niche population’s social and political structures for the past three and a half centuries. This vote, Thomas explained, is as well as swamps, beaches, harbors and importantly, the seafloor. It grants “freeholders and inhabitants” of the town an indication of a broader cultural shift and could pave the way for greater success in future requests for bay bottom the eternal right to “enjoy without hindrance” the bounties of the bays, partaking freely in activities like clamming and protection and management areas. fishing. Karen Rivara operates a farm herself, selling oysters commercially for food, providing oyster larvae to other farms and Despite having been written nearly 340 years ago, the Dongan Patent remains extremely relevant to three specific groups of the Long Island population: Shellfish farmers, shellfish diggers and environmental activists. Shellfish farmers, to environmental groups that grow oysters for restoration purposes. She also might be considered an environmentalist or growers, raise oysters from larvae in hatcheries, while shellfish diggers, as the name suggests, go out and dig for herself, as farming oysters is sustainable since it removes nitrogen and carbon from the bay. She is familiar to and clams with a clam rake and sometimes a small rig. Both growers and diggers sell their shellfish commercially to friends with lots of farmers, baymen, baymen turned farmers and environmentalists, but has also learned to anticipate restaurants and markets for consumption. fallouts if she comes out in support of one group and not another. She explained, the vote to protect the two-acre plot angered Baymen, but it also concerned other farmers who feared that planting hundreds of thousands, even millions, of I spoke with Gregg Rivara, a Cornell Cooperative Extension’s Aquaculture Specialist and the Director of the Suffolk shellfish in the area would have broader effects on the commercial oyster market as a whole. County Marine Environmental Learning Center. Rivara works closely with commercial and non-commercial shellfish growers and other scientists, conducting research with an ultimate goal of keeping Long Island’s shellfish population Oyster farming involves huge input costs. The farmer has to acquire land to establish the farm, equipment and large sustainable. He also works with shellfish diggers, helping them solve problems and obtain the permits required to clam quantities of expensive oyster larvae, which require significant care and therefore hefty labor costs. Diggers, on the in certain waters. Gregg and his wife Karen Rivara, a marine biologist and the President of Aeros Cultured Oyster other hand, have little to no input costs according to Karen. Essentially, if they can get a clam rake and perhaps a small Company, are in a unique position at the center of a conflict between scientists, environmental activists and shellfish clam boat, they’re ready to harvest and can sell their shellfish to markets at a lower price than farmers, since diggers do farmers. They are knowledgeable about all things aquaculture, from the history of the industry to shellfish capacity for not need to account for input costs. carbon sequestration, and helped me unpack this drama. Additionally, shellfish are expensive. When they are planted on the bay bottom, it’s simply impossible to ensure that Long Island, like many coastal areas, has a vibrant shellfishing economy with rich historical and cultural value dating none will be taken, despite legally designating the site as a protected area. Oysters, for example, are sold for back thousands of years, long before European colonization. Members of the Shinnecock Indian Nation have been approximately 1 dollar-per-piece to market, so say 1,000 oysters are planted in the protected area for restoration shellfishing and farming for centuries and many post-colonial Long Island towns were established in their present purposes. If the boundaries of the area were ever to be breached (either accidentally or intentionally), the stakes are locations based on the area’s abundance of shellfish. Groups like the Brookhaven Baymen’s Association, of which most much higher for the environmental group who purchased, grew and planted the oysters and for the farmers with high members are clam diggers, have remained quite powerful in local politics over the decades, even centuries. The Baymen input costs who would be adversely affected if the oysters were illegally collected by diggers and sold to markets for a have formed strong, unified coalitions with enough weight to sway town elections by promising substantial voter profit. The success of a restoration area requires immense levels of trust between all parties who may not always harbor support to local politicians. Backed by the Dongan Patent, they have enjoyed (some would say exploited) the bounties warm feelings toward each other. of Long Island’s Great South Bay shellfish populations for decades. The Rivara’s involvement with all three of these groups has also enabled them to deeply understand the cultural At present, the Great South Bay is in critical condition. Decades of nitrogen pollution due to coastal overdevelopment disconnect underpinning this clash. Coastline gentrification, wealthy individuals moving into waterfront towns and in after World War II, coupled with severe over-harvesting of shellfish beginning in the 1960s and 70s, removing clams turn pushing out and undermining existing working-class individuals and industries, is a major point of contention. that naturally keep the bay healthy, have turned parts of it into a brown, murky dead zone. This is where environmental Through Cornell Cooperative Extension, Gregg works closely with other academics and environmentalists who are activist groups enter the scene. highly educated, well-intentioned and oftentimes well-to-do. He and Karen explained, while these individuals certainly have the bay’s best interest in mind, they don’t truly understand what it’s like to work out on the water, making a living Environmental organizations like Friends of Bellport Bay, a nonprofit based in Brookhaven, N.Y., maintain that groups with a natural resource-dependent job. That two-acre plot of recently protected land is located in an area of the bay that like the Baymen’s Association are partially responsible for the destruction of bay-bottom ecosystems crucial to the is sheltered from harsh winds and was formerly a part of the “winter grounds” where Baymen go to dig for clams in the health of the bay and survival of its many species. Thomas Shultz, an environmental activist and the President of coldest, harshest months, Gregg explained. “It’s freezing and dangerous to go out in the bay in the winter. They’re Friends of Bellport Bay, explained that when diggers move through an area of the bay, raking up clams to sell risking their lives. The winter grounds are a place where they can go when it’s cold and rough and still make their day’s commercially, they also rip up eelgrass beds and other shellfish colonies that filter out nitrogen from the bay water, pay.” sequester carbon and serve as a habitat for other animals to survive. It’s an extremely complex dilemma without a clear solution, or an absolute right or wrong. Underlying this conflict is To Thomas, the short term goal of clam diggers, obtaining shellfish to sell for consumption and using unsustainable not merely differing interpretations of a 340-year-old royal decree, but a deeper disconnect between three groups of methods, has major long-term implications that are pushing an already suffering ecosystem to its breaking point. very different people who ultimately have very similar objectives. They all care strongly about the bay and want to be Organizations like Friends of Bellport Bay and The Billion Oyster Project are on a mission to revitalize marine able to benefit from it. Perhaps Dongan’s promise to grant “all freeholders and inhabitants” the eternal right to “enjoy environments by growing and planting oysters directly onto the seafloor and establishing protected shellfish without hindrance” all of the bay’s resources isn’t quite realistic in practice and will require compromise from everyone.

The Long Island Advance — July 23, 2020

Town creates shellfish management area in Bellport Bay

Volunteers collect the 75,000 oysters that grew along the Bellport shoreline in 2019 and prepare them for planting in the bay. A new shellfish management area will prevent those from being harvested. Posted Thursday, July 23, 2020 11:30 am

Glenn Rohrbacker

The Town of Brookhaven recently passed a resolution creating a designated management area in Bellport Bay. The area provides protection for shellfish that are planted there, which are part of environmental restoration efforts.

“I am thrilled that the town is considering creating a shellfish management area in Bellport Bay,” said Thomas Schultz, president of Friends of Bellport Bay, at the July 16 public hearing.

The resolution will allow town partner and local nonprofit Friends of Bellport Bay to plant oysters in that area, undisturbed. Brookhaven supervisor Ed Romaine told the Advance that the initiative helps with the larger effort of preserving the bay through oysters.

“We believe there are areas of the bay where we need to allow the shellfish population to [improve],” Romaine said.

Schultz told the town board that his group worries about planted oysters being harvested, which prevents their continued growth and filtration of the bay. They are only allowed to plant in certified waters, which also means the oysters planted are vulnerable to harvesting.

“All the people of Brookhaven Town deserve a healthy bay ecosystem,” Schultz said.

The town has partnered with FoBB and other organizations to plant oysters for restoration. Romaine said the bay should be brought back to the quality it saw decades ago, and that Bellport Bay is an ideal place for preservation success due to the inlet, which helps to flush the bay. “Town creates shellfish

The town has sketched a 2-acre rectangular parcel that is west of the Bellport Marina. Friends of Bellport Bay will be working to adjust that shape to more of a square, which they said will management area in allow the shellfish to grow and spread more naturally within the space without being knocked out. Bellport Bay” “This is off limits for those who want to harvest shellfish,” Romaine said.

The new initiative will allow the town to partner with local nonprofit Friends of Bellport Bay, which will plant oysters in a specifically designated area, undisturbed. 18

Greater Long Island — September 10, 2019

Volunteers planted thousands of oysters in Bellport Bay by Julianne Mosher

More than 15 volunteers came out to the marina in Bellport on Saturday to help retrieve and plant 80,000 baby oysters as an initiative to restore the shellfish population.

Friends of Bellport Bay, a not-for-profit organization that was created to help improve the water quality of Bellport Bay with education and strategies, headed the group. This past weekend’s event was its fifth season involved with shellfish restoration.

It all started early this summer when Brookhaven Town nurtured baby oysters at their oyster sanctuary at Cedar Beach in Mt. Sinai. During the first week in June, the baby shellfish were moved from the north shore to their temporary home of growth in Bellport Bay. “Originally they were the size of a quarter and could not survive,” said Thomas Schultz, president of FoBB. “It’s phenomenal that in that short amount of time, they can grow that large.”

It only took three months for the babies to grow, while resting in their cages at the bottom of the bay. That’s when volunteers dived into the water on Saturday afternoon, unlocked the cages and put the shellfish on a boat, sailing them 10 minutes away to be planted in their final resting place. Schultz said that the exact location of the planting needs to remain anonymous, but added that the full-grown oysters were planted along the shoreline in an eastern part of the bay.

Some areas of Bellport Bay are considered red-zones, meaning that they are off-limits to any shell fishing. These parts of the water are where the planters are able to drop the oysters, leaving them to live in peace and do their jobs.

Shellfish help to improve water quality, mitigate harmful algal blooms, restore shellfish populations and increase biodiversity in coastal waters—so the newly planted shellfish are helping to clean out the bay’s contaminated water.

The undisclosed location is one of five shellfish sanctuaries that are part of the Long Island Shellfish Restoration Project, led by Gov. Cuomo, the DEC, the Cornell Cooperative Extension, Stony Brook University and dozens of other volunteer organizations.

In June, the $10.4 million initiative established the sanctuaries, stocking them with juvenile and adult shellfish over several years to meet the target densities necessary to support maximum water quality benefits and shellfish enhancement.

Gov. Cuomo told the FoBB volunteers earlier this summer that the initiative is one way to help fight climate change and that it’s important to bring the shellfish back. “Mother Nature had the best water filtration system, clams and oysters, but we wiped them out,” he said. “We are now restoring that natural water filtration system, but we are doing it to a grander scale than ever before and it is going to make a difference.”

It was this inspiration from the state and local government that got the volunteers involved Saturday. “I’m very excited and inspired by New York State and their shellfish restoration program,” Schultz said. “Not only am I inspired, but I’m thrilled by the actions that our local, state and federal governments are taking to restore the shellfish population… it’s nice to see after decades that the government feels the same way.” “More than 15 volunteers came out

The oyster planting in the bay is a constant job— when the baby oysters were planted in June, they were constantly monitored, sized and weighed. When they were moved to their sanctuary this week, the monitoring to the marina in Bellport on will continue with constant check-ups to make sure they are growing and surviving on their own.

“We don’t just throw oysters at the bottom of the bay and leave them there… we keep up on them,” Schultz said. There, the shellfish can naturally live their whole lifespan and reproduce each year. Saturday to help retrieve and plant

“We showed the state that they should pump money into the shellfish restoration program,” he added, “and Bellport Bay is the only sanctuary in the Great South Bay.” 80,000 baby oysters as an initiative Schultz was proud to say that the weekend’s event was successful in helping to restore the bay’s ecosystem together as a community.

“We’ve been at this for five years,” he said. “Our goal was to plant 1 million mussels, clams, oysters and to restore the shellfish population.” scallops… On Saturday we were only a little short with 950,000 shellfish planted.” 19

The Long Island Advance — June 6, 2019

“Governor visits Bellport Bay to help plant shellfish Governor Cuomo visits Bellport Bay as part of state effort to Governor Andrew Cuomo took a trip on Bellport Bay to plant some clams. ADV/ROHRBACKER Posted Thursday, June 6, 2019 12:00 am restore clean waters”

By GLENN ROHRBACKER

With a Bellport hat and a few bags of shellfish, Governor Andrew Cuomo set out into Bellport Bay to observe the state’s shellfish restoration program Thursday. The program, coordinated by the Department of Environmental Conservation, identified Bellport Bay as one of five sanctuaries for shellfish growth.

Each clam can filter up to two liters of water per day, according to DEC commissioner Basil Seggos. In recent years, using naturally grown oysters and other shellfish has been one of the primary ways to improve local waters. Through pollution, algae can overgrow and make sites inhospitable for shellfish, therefore removing a filter for the water, which in turn causes brown or red tide. Replanting shellfish restores the natural filter. Friends of Bellport Bay, a local nonprofit who has been planting oysters on its own since 2015, has secured a 90 percent survival rate, which allows the program to grow each year.

“Through our plantings and the data collection, we have been able to demonstrate through our studies that shellfish really do indeed prosper in Bellport,” said Thomas Schultz, president of FoBB.

Thursday marked the halfway point in the state’s planting goal for Bellport, a feat which the governor expects to meet, then double. Throughout the state, the halfway point to the 171 million-clam goal will be met this year, Seggos said.

“We must be aggressive and innovative in our response to environmental issues, now more than ever,” said State Sen. Monica Martinez.

Cuomo gave a nod to Brookhaven Supervisor Ed Romaine, who has been leading a town-level effort to restore the bays with shellfish farmed at the hatchery in Mt. Siani Harbor. The governor recently approved a $300,000 grant for the hatchery which allows additional electrical power to reach the site, increasing productivity.

“When you take a step back on what we need to accomplish as a society, as a community, there is no issue that comes higher on the list than the environment,” Cuomo said. “And anyone who is observing the course of the world with any reality and objectivity knows that this planet’s environment is in real, real trouble.”

Cuomo said the state is the national leader in restoring the health of waters, with more new technology and money than any other state. He called the effort a “grander scale than has ever been done before” 20

Governor Cuomo Press Office — June 6, 2019

2/7/2021 Governor Cuomo Announces Bellport Bay Sanctuary Reaches Mid-Point Milestone in Shellfish Restoration Effort | Governor Andrew M. Cuomo

JUNE 6, 2019 Albany, NY Governor Cuomo Announces Bellport Bay Sanctuary Reaches Mid-Point Milestone in Shellfish Restoration Effort

Bellport Bay is One of Five Sanctuaries in State's $10.4 Million Effort to Restore Native Shellfish to Improve Long Island's Coastal Waters and Strengthen Resiliency

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced a significant milestone in the planned stocking of millions of native shellfish that are helping to restore critical marine environments, improve water quality, support the local fishing industry and build stronger coastlines. Half of the approximately 1.6 million adult clams planned for the new Bellport Bay shellfish sanctuary have “Governor Cuomo been stocked, and additional progress is being made in implementing the Governor's $10.4 million shellfish restoration initiative that is benefitting Long Island's coastal communities. The Announces Bellport Long Island Shellfish Restoration Project was announced in 2017. Bay Sanctuary Reaches "This planet's environment is in real trouble. We're seeing it all across the state, all across the country and all across the globe: more flooding, more fires, more extremes in weather," Mid-Point Milestone in Governor Cuomo said. "Some people turn a blind eye, but I believe you will never solve a problem you refuse to acknowledge. The harsh reality is climate change is real and it's here, Shellfish Restoration and this state is doing more than any other state in the nation to address climate change. Mother Nature had the best water filtration system, clams and oysters, but we wiped them out. Effort” We are now restoring that natural water filtration system, but we are doing it to a grander scale than ever before and it is going to make a difference." 21

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The Long Island Advance — October 29, 2020

Oscar Party & predictions see 144th Year, Issue 25 | FEBRUARY 19 , 2015 | www.longislandadvance.net | $1.00 page 12 “One million oysters — Friends of Bellport Bay ReachesFoBB’s BeginningsRestoration — Milestone”2015 Article:

Friends of the bay “The leaders of a new Friends of Bellport Bay co-directors David Pate, Thomas Schultz and Katia Read hope to work along with the Cornell Cooperative Extension in an oyster-seeding program to improve Bellport Bay’s water quality. ADV/Hoey New group plans to tackle bay health organization are pitching BY PEGGY SPELLMAN HOEY exhibited ceramic work inspired by marine dents do not realize that fertilizer, unmain- it that raises funds for village improve- life at Gallery 125 and realized her mutual tained waste treatment facilities, and even ments such as the beautification of the golf The leaders of a new organization are concern for the bay and the environment in improperly disposed dog waste all contrib- course, is supporting the new group and pitching an oyster-seeding program and a conversation with gallery owner Thomas ute to the amount of nitrates that end up has highlighted the project on its website, an oyster-seeding public education campaign to improve the Schultz, and they formed Friends of Bell- running into the bay, increasing pollution. allowing supporters to make donations. health of Bellport Bay. port Bay along with Pate. “This is an opportunity for a grassroots Mayor Ray Fell, who also serves as the Friends of Bellport Bay, which was “For years, a small group of friends and organization, Friends of Bellport Bay, to program fund’s treasurer, said members are launched earlier this year, have plans to I have been growing oyster spat from the help educate and inform the public and let very interested in reseeding the bay with join along with the Riverhead-based Cornell Cornell Cooperative Extension in the bay, them know there is something that they can shellfish and making the water cleaner. Cooperative Extension to introduce an oys- with the hopes of adding to the popula- do to protect this asset,” he said. “We collaborate with anybody who has program and public ter-seeding program along an area known tion,” she stated in an email, adding that the The group also has plans to keep the pub- a project that will improve life in Bellport as Ridge Island in Bellport Bay. The seeding operation has been very small-scale. “For lic updated on the evolution of the breach, Village,” he said. “People come to us all the will likely be undertaken by a combination [Friends of Bellport Bay] to collaborate which was formed on Fire Island Nation- time and they write up a concept and we of staffers from the Cornell Cooperative with the expertise of [Cornell Cooperative al Seashore at Old Inlet, and maintain a agree to support them.” n Extension and volunteers from Friends of Extension], the possibility of a larger-scale stance of opposing its manual closure. Bellport Bay. David Pate, one of three co-di- approach to an invigorated shellfish popula- Schultz, who is spearhead- education campaign to rectors of the organization, said he and his tion in the bay would most likely filter and ing the organization’s pub- colleagues are looking to get the seeding improve water quality, create habitat and lic information campaign done sometime this summer. protect shorelines.” and will make the breach Pate said that once the oysters take hold, To fund the oyster-seeding project, the updates, said the breach they would act as natural filters, reducing group is looking to raise about $5,000 to has improved water quali- the amount of nitrates that contribute to pay for the seeding equipment to undertake ty by allowing saltwater to improve the health of pollution. Full-grown adult oysters can fil- the operation and about 30,000 oysters to flush in from the Atlantic ter up to 50 gallons of water per day. lie along the bay bottom, according to Pate. Ocean, but that’s not some- “These oysters can be placed into the Cornell Cooperative Extension Aquacul- thing that can be relied on bay in an area ture Specialist Gregg because the opening will doing basic filter- For more information about Friends of Rivara, who will be likely close on its own at ing and improve Bellport Bay, go to the Bellport Village Pro- on hand to speak some point. With that in gram Fund’s website at http://www.bellport- Bellport Bay.” the water qual- about the project at mind, there needs to be a ity,” said Pate, village501.org, and then click on the link the group’s meeting focus on decreasing nitro- who was brought featuring projects. Anyone interested in volun- on Saturday, said the gen loading into the bay to into the group teering can email [email protected]. oyster spat will like- improve its water quality. because of his ly be placed on large “We are polluting our expertise in envi- clamshells in the area own bay pretty drastically,” ronmental issues from his tenure as the known as Ridge Island near New Inlet he said. village’s mayor. and that it will take two years for them to In addition to the seed- Friends of Bellport Bay are looking to grow to adulthood. Throughout that time, ing program and public out- attract members and volunteers to help they will be monitored for progress, he reach, the group will also with its initiatives. The group’s inaugural said. The seeding operation will be much be working collaboratively meeting will be held this Saturday, Feb. 21 smaller in scale than the others run by the with the village, possibly inside the community center on Bell Street. extension, as in the cases of Moriches Bay helping with grant writing, It is set to begin at 9:30 a.m. in Westhampton Dunes and Jamaica Bay in and conduct testing around Co-director Katia Read, an artist, said Brooklyn and Queens. the bay, to monitor their she and her husband have lived in the “This is a pilot program on a smaller work, Schultz said. community since the early 1980s and have scale; they are hoping it will build up over “I think that we will grown to “know and love” Bellport and the the years,” he said. make a big dent and will Great South Bay. “In these years, we have The group also has plans to undertake establish a testing base- Friends of Bellport Bay co-director Thomas Schultz high- witnessed what seemed like a deterioration a public information campaign to reduce line,” he said. lights stormwater runoff areas and restricted waterways on in the quality of the bay and all of the life it the amount of nitrates residents contribute The Bellport Village a map down at the village marina. supports,” she said. This past summer, she to stormwater runoff. Pate said many resi- Program Fund, a nonprof- ADV/HOEY 16

Contact Information

Friends of Bellport Bay Inc.

P.O. Box 323, Bellport NY 11713 friendsofbellportbay.org [email protected] fobb.org [email protected]

Friends of Bellport Bay Inc. is recognized by the IRS as a tax-exempt public charity under section 501(c)(3), Tax ID Number 82-1658902

@friendsofbellportbay

Rae Specht Katia Read Executive Director Chair & Co-Founder Cell: (631) 488-8778 Cell: (917) 957-5458 Email:Email: [email protected] [email protected] Email: [email protected]

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