Oyster Bay Outlines Estuary, Marine Resources Preservation

OYSTER BAY, NY — Oyster Bay officials are developing a comprehensive Water Resources Management Strategy with aims to improve the town’s estuaries and safeguard its natural marine resources, Supervisor Joseph Saladino’s office said.

As part of the plan, the town’s Department of Environmental Resources is drafting “a multi-phase document” that will address “sustainable water resource management for future generations and provide a roadmap to overall marine health,” according to a town news release.

Environmental Resources’ aquaculturists are working with local experts, state, and national non-profit advocacy groups to identify the areas where habitat rehabilitation will result in water quality enhancement and inspire new concepts, town officials said. The “dynamic strategy” will evolve as the town continues to work with local environmental groups to ensure inclusivity and the coordination of agendas, according to Saladino’s office.

A “thorough” review of water resources was conducted along the north shore, in Oyster Bay Harbor, Cold Spring Harbor, and Hempstead Harbor by Environmental Resources and local experts, and it’s a priority to ensure water quality improvement through nitrogen reduction practices and consistent monitoring of water quality parameters, town officials said.

There are ongoing efforts of water sampling, storm drain filter installation, tidal wetland restoration, kelp line deployment, and the Environmental Resources department has increased shellfish hatchery operations, resulting in shellfish population revitalization, town officials said.

The Town has created multiple conservation management areas and spawner sanctuaries, which are used for seeding clams and oysters into protected habitats proven to be beneficial to survival and reproductive rates, something that increases shellfish population and overall health of the harbor, according to town officials.

Saladino’s administration also recently submitted a request for federal funding for the development of a coastal oyster reef in the Oyster Bay-Cold Spring Harbor Watershed to improve water quality and protect shellfish, town officials said.

So far, grant funding opportunities and collaborative efforts have “yielded quantifiable and sustainable action,” according to town officials. Water quality improvement is being fostered with shellfish nurseries within the Harry Tappen Marina in Hempstead Harbor, officials said. The nurseries, which are the only nurseries of their kind within the harbor, filter the harbor’s water and help improve water quality, according to town officials.

On the south shore in South Oyster Bay, multiple spawner adult clam sanctuaries have been acquired through the Long Island Shellfish Restoration Project, which is a multi-agency collaboration with Stony Brook University and the state’s Department of Environmental Conservation, town officials said.

The sanctuaries were constructed based on the physical circulation of the currents and their benefits to provide larvae survival, and as similar efforts are executed in Oyster Bay Harbor, the practices will result in improved water quality through nitrogen bio-extraction and will promote reproductive advantages for marine life, according to town officials.

Saladino said that “protecting Mother Earth” and reducing the town’s impact on the environment is a top priority in his administration.

“Together, we developed a Water Resource Management Strategy to improve our estuaries and safeguard marine resources on both the north and south shores of the Town,” he said. “We will ensure that our precious resources are protected and maintained for generations to come and that procedures are in place to mitigate potential environmental degradation.”