Town of North Hempstead Councilmember Mariann Dalimonte, in partnership with Cornell Cooperative Extension of Nassau County, Residents Forward, and Girl Scout Nicole Maliagros, has built an oyster garden adjacent to the Town Dock in Manhasset Bay.
The project follows the successful oyster garden pilot program led by the Coalition to Save Hempstead Harbor (CSHH) in Hempstead Harbor.
“After working with the Coalition To Save Hempstead Harbor on their oyster gardens in Hempstead Harbor, I knew I also had to bring it to Manhasset Bay,” said Dalimonte.
Cornell Cooperative Extension of Suffolk County’s shellfish hatchery in South Hold delivered an estimated 85,000 oysters as spat-on-shells. The oysters were distributed to cages in Tappen Beach Marina, North Hempstead Beach Park, the Hempstead Harbour Club, and Sea Cliff Yacht Club.
This is the third year of the oyster gardening program in Hempstead Harbor.
Coalition to Save Hempstead Harbor shared that this season’s spat-on-shell oysters were provided through a 2022 Community Project Grant sponsored by Congressman Tom Suozzi and administered by the Federal Environmental Protection Agency.
The grant provides up to 2 million spat-on-shell oysters to be planted in three north shore bays: Manhasset Bay, Hempstead Harbor, and Oyster Bay/Cold Spring Harbor.
Oysters feed by pumping water through their bodies, filtering phytoplankton, bacteria, and other small particles, which helps improve the surrounding water quality. Oysters also grow in clusters to form reefs, which provide habitat and protection for many different species, helping to support marine biodiversity.
“Protecting and preserving the Long Island Sound, our ‘National Park,’ and its shellfishing heritage, is a top priority and a shared responsibility,” Suozzi said.
Throughout Suozzi’s 30 years in public service, he has worked on restoring shellfishing beds, reseeding harbors, cutting nitrogen from sewage treatment plants and runoff water to help clean up pollution in the sound.
Since coming to Congress in 2017, Suozzi has helped deliver a significant increase in funding to improve the Long Island Sound and has served as co-chair of the bipartisan Long Island Sound Caucus.
“In 2021, Suozzi invited me to a press conference to announce federal funds he had allocated to Hempstead Harbor for oyster seeding,” said Dalimonte. “During the press conference, I advocated for and asked him not to forget about Manhasset Bay. He assured me that he would not forget and soon allocated $100K from the grant for oyster seeding in Manhasset Bay. Today, we deposited another million spat-on-shell oysters in Manhasset Bay with the funding Rep. Suozzi secured. I am incredibly grateful to Rep. Suozzi for hearing me and delivering for Manhasset Bay.”
CSHH’s Oyster Gardening Program offers local residents a hands-on opportunity to learn how oysters can improve habitat and water quality.
“By having community members participate in this program, our goal is to increase awareness about factors affecting Hempstead Harbor and provide information about the important role oysters play in the environment,” said CSHH’s Sarah Stromski, project manager for the program.” With increased awareness and engagement from the community, we can work toward restoring Hempstead Harbor’s shellfish resource.”
Residents Forward, a non-profit based in Port Washington that protects and advocates for resiliency and sustainability, participated in the Oyster Garden Program at the Town Dock.
“Residents Forward applauds Councilwoman Dalimonte for bringing oyster seeding and gardening to the forefront in Port Washington,” said the executive director of Residents Forward, Patricia Class. “We are proud to support her efforts and look forward to helping educate our citizens about the many ways these programs benefit our waterways.”
In addition, local Girl Scout Maliagros volunteered for the program.
“As a Girl Scout we have been taught to seek opportunities to help our community. As someone who loves the water and lives near it, I am excited to be a part of this new initiative to help clean our Bay,” said Maliagros. “It has been so exciting to learn how we can improve the oyster population and bring our community together while restoring our ecosystem. Also, working with these devoted individuals, especially Councilwoman Dalimonte, has been so inspiring for me.”
Thanks to the efforts of many, including the Hempstead Harbor Protection Committee, Coalition to Save Hempstead Harbor, Manhasset Bay Protection Committee, Cornell Cooperative Extension, Friends of the Bay, the Oyster Bay/Cold Spring Harbor Protection Committee and more, dramatic improvements have been made to water quality.
For more information, visit www.coalitiontosavehempsteadharbor.org
