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.