A Little Good News

 Aren't you ready for even just a little bit of good news?  I know I am. So here it is.

https://www.billionoysterproject.org

The oyster is more than just a delicious and luxurious treat.  with a little help from us, it's going to save the Planet, starting with New York Harbor!

Here are some of the reasons to love your oysters besides the fact that they're adorable, at least in Tenniel's  illustration for Alice in Wonderland and The Walrus and the Carpenter. 

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Oysters are a sustainable food across the board;  not only do they have no negative impact on the environment but oyster farming has a positive impact on the environment in these ways.

The Oyster is a Keystone species which means that Oyster beds provide architectural complexity and structure which serves as an essential habitat for many other species to raise their young and hide from predators. 

Oyster reefs act as barriers to storms and tides, preventing erosion and protecting productive estuary waters.

Oysters filter and clean the surrounding water.

Oysters are an indicator species; their health and abundance tell us a lot about the surrounding waters.

Isn't that adorable?  Who knew? Now you know!

the Billion Oyster Project has all sorts of educational and volunteer projects and if you join you get a discount on oysters at participating restaurants.

Look at this haunting image, by artist Jacqueline Sferra Rada from her Hudson River Spirit series.

acrylic glaze/gessoed paper 24 x 30

This is what she says:

This series relates to the remnants of the wooden piers of the past on the Hudson River coast of Manhattan. As the eye gazes across the spectacular variety of shapes and sizes scattered up and down the beautiful river they seem to embody the energies of the multitudes that the original piers once carried in and out of the metropolis.

  I'll add that if you look under the surface you'll see teeming life, including our friend the oyster, busily making a home for everyone and filtering and cleaning the water.  So thank you to the lovely oyster.

Here's some one who I'm sure will welcome back the oysters;

the American Oystercatcher.  Maybe she'll made a come back as well!

I heard about the Billion Oyster Project on the Brian Lehrer Show, ten o'clock every week day morning. So, thank you Brian, my friend I've never met and thank you WNYC and NPR!