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Brightwaters board backs Great South Bay oyster‑restoration pilot with volunteer crates
Summary
Trustees approved participation in a volunteer oyster‑gardening program that would deploy about 10 Cornell‑supplied crates (start‑up $250 per crate) to grow and then transplant juvenile oysters into sanctioned restoration sites.
A representative of the Great South Bay Oyster Project asked the board for support to host oyster‑gardening crates and volunteers to rear juvenile oysters before transplanting them into protected sanctuaries.
The speaker, who identified himself as the project's director, explained the methodology: growing baby oysters in modified crates for roughly three months so they reach a size less vulnerable to predators, then planting them in sanctuaries for long‑term restoration. The presenter described DECs and Cooperative Extension oversight and said the first‑year startup cost is $250 per crate; the group asked the village to host roughly ten crates and help recruit volunteers.
Trustees moved and voted to approve participation in the program. The project leaders said restoration oysters would not be harvested for food and that monitoring and volunteer maintenance were core to the program's success. “These are, restoration oysters. These are not for eating at all,” the director told the board when asked about harvesting.
