FROM THE PUGET SOUND IN

WASHINGTON STATE TO THE

FLORIDA COASTLINE,

ACROSS THE COUNTRY,

STATES ARE DEVELOPING METHODS

TO PROTECT THEIR ENVIRONMENTS

FROM CLIMATE CHANGE.

REPORTER RICK KARR HAS

THE STORY OF ONE CITY

EXPERIMENTING WITH AN UNUSUAL

CREATURE WITH THE HOPE

OF PROTECTING ITS SHORELINE.

JUST BEFORE 7 A.M.

ON A SUMMER MORNING IS PRETTY

MUCH THE PERFECT TIME TO

GET OUT INTO THE WATER

AND GATHER SOME OYSTERS.

IF THERE ARE ANY OYSTERS,

THEY KIND OF OCCUR

IN THESE GROUPS.

WE CALL THEM CLUMPS.

THESE OYSTERS ARE NOT

FOR DINNER.

THEY CAME FROM THE MOUTH OF

THE BRONX RIVER WHERE IT FLOWS

INTO THE EAST RIVER.

THEY'RE FOR SCIENCE.

ALLISON FITZGERALD FROM THE

ENVIRONMENTAL GROUP NEW YORK

AND NEW JERSEY BAYKEEPER

SAYS SHE AND OTHER MARINE

BIOLOGISTS HAVE BEEN

FOR ABOUT A DECADE.

BACK IN 2004, THE PARKS

DEPARTMENT STARTED TO NOTICE,

AS YOU SEE HERE ON THE TIRES

OYSTERS HERE.

WE DIDN'T PUT ANY

OF THESE HERE.

THEY JUST HAPPENED TO BE HERE.

EVEN WITH ALL THE

POLLUTANTS IN THE WATER AND

ALL OF THE SEWAGE OVERFLOWS

THAT GO INTO THE WATER WHEN

THERE IS A BIG RAINSTORM,

RIGHT IN THE SHADOW OF

LaGUARDIA AIRPORT AND HUNTS

POINT MARKET, THE SCIENTISTS

WANTED TO FIND OUT HOW THEY'RE

SURVIVING HERE AND TO SEE

WHETHER IT WAS POSSIBLE TO GET

MORE OF THEM TO SURVIVE.

FITZGERALD AND A GROUP OF

VOLUNTEERS CAME OUT TO CHECK

THE ARTIFICIAL OYSTER BEDS

ENVIRONMENTAL GROUPS SET UP

LAST YEAR AND FIND OUT HOW

MANY OF THE BABY OYSTERS THAT

HAD BEEN PLANTED HAD SURVIVED

AND REPRODUCED.

THE THEORY IS THAT IF AN

OYSTER BED CAN MAKE IT HERE AT

THE MOUTH OF THE BRONX RIVER,

IT CAN MAKE IT ANYWHERE.

AND THE WATERS AROUND NEW YORK

COULD USE MORE OYSTERS.

OYSTERS ARE ABLE TO FILTER

THE WATER.

SO IF THERE ARE ANY

PARTICULATES IN IT,

THEY WILL REMOVE THAT.

THEY ARE ALSO ABLE

TO HARBOR POLLUTANTS.

OYSTERS ALSO CLUMP TOGETHER

WHEN A BED THRIVES.

AND FITZGERALD SAYS THAT'S

THE KEY TO RESTORING

THE MARINE ENVIRONMENT.

SO THEY BUILD UP THIS,

LIKE, 3D REEF,

LIKE A CORAL REEF.

THEN THE FISHES SWIM THROUGH

AND THE WORMS AND THE CRABS

AND EVERYBODY CREATES THIS

WHOLE HEALTHY ECOSYSTEM,

THAT IF THE OYSTER REEF

WASN'T HERE, IT WOULD JUST

BE A VAST MUDFLAT,

CAN'T GROW ON.

THIS IS ONE OF SEVERAL

PROJECTS AIMED AT BRINGING

MORE OYSTERS

TO THE METRO AREA.

BUT EVEN THE MOST AMBITIOUS

ONE, WHICH HOPES TO PLANT A

BILLION OF THEM IN AND AROUND

NEW YORK BAY, WON'T COME CLOSE

TO RESTORING HOW MANY USED

TO BE HERE.

NEW YORK WAS THOUGHT TO BE

OF THE WORLD.

THERE WERE 350 SQUARE MILES

OF OYSTER REEFS

AND UP TO 6 BILLION,

MAYBE EVEN 9 BILLION

OYSTERS WERE IN THE HARBOR.

EMILY DRISCOLL IS A

DOCUMENTARIAN WHOSE FILM

"SHELLSHOCKED" LOOKS AT

EFFORTS TO BRING OYSTERS

BACK TO NEW YORK.

SHE SAYS A THRIVING POPULATION

OF OYSTERS COULD HELP

NEW YORK'S SHORELINE.

WE SAW WHAT HAPPENED DURING

HURRICANE SANDY.

WE'RE SUSCEPTIBLE TO FLOODING.

OYSTER REEFS CAN DIMINISH

SOME OF THAT WAVE ENERGY.

YEAH.

THE VOLUNTEERS IN THE BRONX

INCLUDED A COUPLE OF

ARCHITECTS FROM SCAPE,

THE FIRM THAT'S PLANNING AN

ARTIFICIAL OYSTER REEF ALONG

THE SHORE OF STATEN ISLAND.

ALLISON FITZGERALD OF

NEW YORK/NEW JERSEY BAYKEEPER

SAYS THE PROJECT AT THE MOUTH

OF THE BRONX RIVER GIVES

VOLUNTEERS AN OPPORTUNITY TO

FEEL CONNECTED TO THE WATER

THAT SURROUNDS MOST

OF THE CITY.

I LOVE THE IDEA OF HAVING

ALL THESE COLLEGE STUDENTS

AND VOLUNTEERS COME OUT HERE

AND SHOWING THEM WHY I'M SO

EXCITED TO BE HERE.

THIS IS LIKE GET IN THE WATER,

GET THE WADERS ON, SEE WHAT

THE ACTUAL REEF LOOKS LIKE.

WORK ALONGSIDE THE ACTUAL

SCIENTISTS AND GET OUT HERE

AND DO SOME GOOD WORK.

FITZGERALD SAYS WE'LL NEVER

BE ABLE TO FULLY RESTORE THE

WATERS AROUND NEW YORK TO THE

WAY THEY WERE WHEN THERE WERE

BILLIONS OF OYSTERS IN THEM,

BUT IT WILL BE A STEP IN THE

RIGHT DIRECTION IF MORE

NEW YORKERS COME DOWN

TO THE WATER FOR A PERSPECTIVE

ON HOW THE URBAN ENVIRONMENT

FITS INTO THE NATURAL ONE.

YOU'RE RIGHT BY

HUNTS POINT.

RIKERS ISLAND.

YOU ARE IN THE SOUTH BRONX,

AND IT'S BEAUTIFUL.

THERE ARE EGRETS ON THE SHORE.

THERE ARE CRABS OUT THERE.

THERE ARE OYSTERS.

THERE'S MUD.

IT'S A GREAT PLACE TO BE.

ACCORDING TO A NEW REPORT

BY THE NATURE CONSERVANCY,

OYSTER BEDS ARE AMONG THE

WORLD'S MOST ENDANGERED

MARINE HABITATS.

MORE THAN 85% OF THE WORLD'S

OYSTER REEFS HAVE BEEN LOST.