2023 Annual Report
Thank you to the 543 donors who helped us raise more than $1 million at the end of last year!
Here’s what else we accomplished thanks to volunteers, students, teachers, community scientists, and partygoers like you.
Oyster Restoration
122 million oysters have been introduced to New York Harbor since 2014!
Yankees collaboration in the Bronx: in early November, Billion Oyster Project teamed up with the New York Yankees, New York State Parks and Oris to host nearly 50 students from PS 274 and IS229. These public school students joined us at the edge of New York Harbor to measure and monitor oysters, identify local marine species, and play "Spat Tag!"
Hands-on Education
Our Education team engaged over 9,000 New York City students this year. Oyster stewardship along the New York Harbor waterfront happened via recruitment tours, field experiences, days of service,
classroom workshops/presentations, and the Annual Student Symposium.
Billion Oyster Project was fortunate to welcome two VIP visitors to Governors Island this year. In February, Yo-Yo Ma visited our staff and Harbor School students on Governors Island. Then, this September, Prince William spent two hours touring our facilities and wading into our Field Station in Brooklyn Bridge Park.
Community Engagement
In 2023, Billion Oyster Project connected 14,500 people from communities throughout NYC to our restoration and education initiatives through volunteering, hands-on engagement at our field stations, water quality sampling, monitoring oyster research stations, and tabling at public events!
Head of Bay oyster installation: this summer Lauren Scala and NBC News joined us for the introduction of 15 million oysters to Head of Bay – not far from JFK Airport – with the help of New York Harbor School students and alumni.