After a dark and stormy Memorial Day weekend wash-out, I was thrilled to see summer sun and heat in the forecast for the weekend ahead. I’ve been following both the Friends of Bushwick Inlet and the Billion Oyster Project organizations for years — I love watching the push and pull of conservation and development efforts on the Williamsburg Waterfront, and community organizers in both of these groups have been relentless advocates for sustainable development and thoughtful re-use of the formerly industrial shipyard slips that line the East River. So, I signed us up for an afternoon of oyster research, monitoring and measuring oyster counts and shell growth in Bushwick Inlet just a few blocks from my place.
Video by Stephen R. McFadden
The summer sun delivered, and we spent the early afternoon pulling oysters and lots of tiny water crawlers out of the inlet’s crates, using calipers to measure shell size. Our group’s crate had about 40 oysters ranging in size from 30 mm to 130 mm, and our haul also brought in small shrimp, a little crab, some water worms, and a bunch of other members of the ecosystem. The rivers and tidal estuary around NYC get a bad rap for being polluted and beyond repair, but there is real wildlife returning to the waterways and the oysters are a visible reminder of what the future could bring.
It was pretty delightful to be inside the normally fenced-off inlet with a new view of the Manhattan skyline and special access to a giant goose nest with 6 eggs in the works. As park constructions progresses on other waterfront plots at 50 Kent Ave and at Marsha P. Johnson State Park, Bushwick Inlet is a beautiful escape from city life and a north star in reimagining public access and urban re-use.
Basking in the blazing sun and thoroughly enthralled with the various volunteers and characters assembled, we made our way back through Williamsburg’s open streets to re-fuel with a margarita, only to learn that in the intervening hour, a Seastreak ferry had run aground in the inlet where we’d just been standing. The New York Times and other local news outlets primarily focused on the 100 human evacuees of this not-quite-shipwreck, but we also heard that the ferry had taken out pilings in the center of the inlet where we’d returned our oysters and their pals after the census!! I’m now officially hooked on this ongoing saga and will be keeping a close eye on waterfront happenings now that I know exactly who else shares this prime real-estate. I hope our water neighbors survived the bizarre turn of events and you’ll definitely find me at the next volunteer round!
Written by Kerry O’Brien