North Hempstead Town Supervisor Jennifer DeSena, Council Member Mariann Dalimonte, officials from Cornell Cooperative Extension of Suffolk County, and Bay Constable Mal Nathan and his team were proud to welcome 1 million new spat-on-shell baby oysters to their residence in Manhasset Bay on June 4.
This is the third summer that North Hempstead added one million oysters to Manhasset Bay after an extremely successful pilot program launched in the summer of 2022.
The program, spearheaded by Council Member Dalimonte in partnership with the Cornell Cooperative Extension of Suffolk County, aims to restore the water quality of Manhasset Bay through the reintroduction and establishment of oyster beds.
“It truly has been a joy to work with all the wonderful partners that have made this project so successful since its inception in 2022,” said Dalimonte. “From our Bay Constables to the wonderful team at Cornell Cooperative Extension of Suffolk County, thank you for working so hard on behalf of the residents of the greater North Hempstead community. Together we are helping to restore one of North Hempstead’s most treasured landmarks, Manhasset Bay. Nitrogen pollution has posed a great threat to its water quality, but studies have shown that oysters have an impressive role to play in restoring the water quality due to of their filter-feeding capabilities. This has been a practical and innovative initiative that is very much in line with many of the Town’s past environmental projects.”
DeSena added, “Many people don’t realize just how impactful an oyster drop is. It does everything from helping marine life in our bay to protecting against erosion. It’s a long-term sustainable outlook that our town is committed to.”
The plans to embark on this project began in January 2020, when Dalimonte started exploring the idea of reintroducing oysters into the bay as a means of helping the environment.
At the April 28, 2022, board meeting, Dalimonte offered the resolution to embark on this project, which was unanimously approved.
Over the last two years, Dalimonte, North Hempstead Bay Constables, and Cornell Cooperative Extension of Suffolk County team members have continually assessed the reintroduced oyster population.
They noted that the oysters were not only alive but had grown since they were planted in the summer of 2022.
The positive status report allowed the Town to decide to move forward with reintroducing an additional one million oysters in July 2023 and now June 2024 as well.
Dalimonte and the team from Cornell Cooperative Extension of Suffolk County will continue to assess the oyster population in the coming months as the program progresses.
Pictured left to right Andy Feinstein, intern with Council Member Dalimonte; Gregg Rivera, Aquaculture Specialist; Council Member Mariann Dalimonte; Bay Constable Mal Nathan; Jesse Hopkins, Hatchery Technician; Erin Molyneux, Legislative Aide to Council Member Dalimonte. (Photo provided by the Town of North Hempstead)
