Harbor current issue 10 final by Billion Oyster Project

Vol. 5 No. 1

December 23, 2015

The

Harbor

Current

Sanguinem cæruleum portus effundimus Late Island Final

Founded 2011

Photograph:Courtesy of Syed Hoque Syed Hoque ’15, Vessel Operations instructor, with cages of cured oyster shell For Vessel Ops Log, see p. 4

Plate to Reef: BOP’s Shell Collection Program Moves Forward on Staten Island by Maddy Wachtel Staten Island, New York-- A key aspect of the Billion Oyster Project--and one that had for some time been stalled due to lack of an appropriate space for shell curing-- is its shell collection program. Thankfully, green energy company NRG has given the use of land on the campus of their Arthur Kill Generating Station to the Billion Oyster Project as an oyster shell curing site. With this grant of land and with the partnership of Earth Matter NY, BOP has been able to restart its shell recovery program. In addition, Billion Oyster Project was recently awarded financial support as a partner of the Governor’s Office of Storm Recovery’s Living Breakwaters project. This will allow BOP to recruit new restaurant partners and double the volume of shells recovered -- bringing the project that much closer to its goal. Because New York Harbor’s native oyster reefs are no more, BOP must secure discarded shells

Heading Down

to build reefs and to use as seeding substrate in the lab. Oysters spend the first two to three weeks of their lives as free-swimming larvae. At the end of their larval period, they settle out of the water column to the Harbor floor. If they don’t find a hard surface they fall into the mud and die. The shells of other oysters are a perfect hard substrate for larvae to attach to. Fortunately, there is an abundant source of oyster shells right here in New York City. New Yorkers eat up to half a million oysters in local restaurants every week. The Billion Oyster Project Shell Collection Program currently enlists 30 of the finest restaurants in Manhattan and Brooklyn to donate their shells for oyster restoration. Those shells are restoration gold– and even better, diverting them to BOP's reef-building program saves them from being shipped to distant landfills. To prepare for reuse, shells are shuttled from restaurants to NRG’s Arthur Kill Generating Station where they will cure for a year before being reintroduced to the Harbor as cultch and reef substrate. With the support of NRG, the Governor’s Office of Storm Recovery, as well as from the 1772 Foundation, the Overbrook Foundation, and ExxonMobil, BOP will use these oyster shells to grow new oysters– up to 20 per saved shell–, build habitat, and improve the quality of our Harbor and our City.

Photograph: Brianna Aguilar

Underwater for the City Students Dive at Tappan Zee by Jaxon Derow Hudson River-- There’s no doubt in my mind that everyone on the Croton-bound Metro North train thought we were a bunch of hooligans playing hooky, but we were far too caught up in our final dive preparations to pay them any notice. All seven of us shifted in our seats, anxious and eager to get in the water. None of us had expected to participate in a dive at the Tappan Zee Bridge, especially to help with a DEP and EPA project, but that’s what doing. We were excited to join the effort of the Billion Oyster Project and Harbor School which have been tasked with figuring out how to replace the estimated thirteen acres of oyster habitat that the construction of the new bridge will destroy. Our mission for the day was to assess the placement and orientation of the three artificial reef structures that are being tested. As the train approached our Tarrytown stop, our excitement grew exponentially. --Continued on Page 3

Inside: 4th Graders for Shellfish Sanity page 2

Dive Outtakes page 3

Vessel Ops Log page 4

Harbor School Awards Dinner page 6

Marine Biology Research Program Update page 7

Billion Oyster Policy

Fourth Graders for Shellfish Sanity: Open Letters to NJ DEP Commissioner Robert Martin Becky Blumenthal's fourth grade class at the Berkeley Carroll School in Brooklyn doesn't just restore oysters-- thanks to Blumenthal's blend of civic and environmental instruction, they're alert to policy issues that affect oyster restoration throughout the region. In particular, they have been learning about New Jersey's restrictions on oyster restoration. These students know from their own experience the value of oyster restoration as hands-on marine science, but they have also tried to understand the concerns over poaching that had led New Jersey legislators to ban BOP-style restoration in Jersey waters. Based on these perspectives, they wrote letters in which they described the environmental and educational benefits of restoration, and attempted to address the concerns while urging that New Jersey find a solution that would permit Jersey students to enjoy the same opportunities that these Brooklyn students do. On December 8, Blumenthal sent their letters to Commissioner Robert Martin of the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection. Read some of these letters below, and read the complete collection at www.billionoysterproject.org/4th-graders-for-oyster-sanity/ Dear Commissioner Martin, I am a 4th Grade student at Berkeley Carroll School in Brooklyn, New York City. I write you because I've heard about the law that New Jersey has made that banned oysters. I don't agree to that law. I want you to try to change this, and I've done some research about this issue. I understand that you are worried about somebody stealing some oysters and selling them for money. I understand that you are worried that the person who buys that oyster will get sick. That's all true. Except that the oysters are in metal cages and it would be very hard to get them out. If New Jersey allowed oysters, it would probably interact with The Billion Oyster Project, and some schools in New Jersey would have a restoration station like my school. It would be a great opportunity for kids to learn a lot of stuff and interact with live oysters. Kids will learn how to collect this data and put in down on paper. These lucky kids will have important information about the Hudson River and learn a lot about oysters. This will smarten up their brains, and this will lead to those kids becoming important people in New Jersey’s history. Those kids could be famous all because of a little oyster restoration station. I have learned that in the middle of the Hudson River, is the division between New Jersey and New York. In that case, the Hudson River also belongs to New Jersey, as much as the Hudson River belongs to New York. It's your river too! Help restore it! This could be a big step in history. The Hudson has importance and New Jersey and New York has to work together to make that importance matter. Think about it. You can make a change. From, Mitra Dear Commissioner Martin, I believe that you should lift the ban of no oyster growing on the NJ side of the Hudson River. Oysters are a very important part of the shellfish community and they do many things that you may not be aware of, or you might very well be aware of.

Oysters help us in many ways. For example they prevent lots of flooding like maybe the effects from Hurricane Sandy would have been a lot smaller and less damaging if there would have been more oyster reefs. They also give other animals a habitat to live in and feel safe. Like you, you probably have a place to go and sleep and feel safe and that's exactly what the oyster habitats provide for these animals. I know that you are deeply concerned about the oyster farmers illegally farming the oysters. So I hope you can do what you can to lift this ban. Sincerely, Margot Dear Commissioner Martin, Why are you taking oysters out of the water if you are so involved in helping pollution? Oysters help the environment too. I understand that you are cautious, but we could discover something revolutionary if you just allow people to put oysters in water for research. We could find out that oysters have a vitamin that helps cure cancer or AIDS. NJ kids should get the same learning experience that we had. If you want your kids to grow up to be something that benefits the economy, like a scientist, you should let their teachers teach them all aspects of science. Sincerely, Teddy

Dear Commissioner Martin, I believe the law about oysters isn't a good law because what are the chances of a person going on an unstealthy boat, stealing oysters out of reinforced iron bars, most too small to eat and many citizens aware of oysters! Oysters also filter the water. I believe this because I learned it in a school on a field trip visiting the Billion Oyster Project. In addition students from schools may help restoring oysters if the law is removed. Sincerely Oliver Dear Commissioner Martin, I believe that you should legalize oysters in New Jersey. I believe this because oyster reefs reduce floods, they filter the water, give a habitats for animals and help students learn. You think that poachers will steal and sell oysters but New York has been releasing oysters into the water and so far, they haven't had your poacher problem. In addition you can put cameras on the shores in case of poachers. Sincerely, Noah Dear Commissioner Martin, I believe that we need oysters in the Hudson River because they do many good things for the environment like: Oysters are filter feeders, that means that they clean the Hudson River. They filter feed the plankton in the water, the plankton is what makes the water dirty looking. In addition, the oysters attach to each other and create homes for small animals like: Very small crabs and fish. I think that you should lift the ban on putting oysters in the Hudson River. Instead I think you should ban eating and fishing for the oysters from the Hudson River. Sincerely, Lily

Dear Commissioner Martin, I believe that the oyster ban should be lifted. I believe this because oyster reefs create a barrier that prevents things like Hurricane Sandy from hitting the shoreline. Also oysters have filter feeding which eventually could make for more commercial activities. A matter a fact my teacher swam the Hudson River. And if we have more oysters we might be able to turn pollution around. Sincerely Charles

Editor-in-Chief: Melanie Smith Managing Editor: Jarely Zarate

Adviser: Susannah Black Principal: Jeff Chetirko

Contributors & Collaborators: Jessie Floyd, Maddy Wachtel, Jaxon Derow, Ava Socci, Devon Longo, Joseph Jimenez, Zoe Greenberg, William Wolf, Michael Vargas, Maya Perkins, Lisandra Garcia, John Senquiz, Mauricio González, Maura Smotrich, Cézanne Bies, Zain Bin Khalid, Clarke Dennis, Brianna Aguilar, Becky Blumenthal and her 4th grade class at The Berekley Carroll School

Special thanks to Matthew Haiken, Murray Fisher, Sam Janis, Pete Malinowski, and Aaron Singh. New York Harbor School Battery Maritime Building 10 South Street, Slip 7 New York City, NY 10004

We always welcome opinions, feedback, letters to the editor, and news tips. Reach us at newspaper@newyorkharborschool.org The HarborCurrent is an open forum for the expression of student views. The opinions expressed herein should not be taken to represent those of the administration or faculty, or of the student body as a whole.

Photo: Courtesy of Jaxon Derow Jaxon Testing the A-Frame --Tappan Zee, Continued from p. 1 Syed Hoque, a 2015 graduate turned apprentice teacher, picked us up in Diablo, the school’s fifteen-foot safety boat, to ferry us out to Privateer. As soon as we picked up speed, the spray began to soak us to the skin and we all began to laugh – none of us had expected to get wet so early! Soon after, we arrived at Privateer, where people were already hard at work collecting data from the test structures. The plan was to drop the structures back off the stern of the boat and have us, the divers, go down to gather information about the orientation of structures on the bottom. As soon as the first team (Ava Socci and Devon Longo) hit the water though, we knew that this was going to be harder than we initially thought: just under the surface, they could barely see their hands in front of their faces. They quickly realized that the structures weren’t aligned properly and the decision was made to have the second dive team (Edwin Castillo and me, Jaxon Derow) prep the structures to be pulled back up. When Edwin, my buddy for most dives, and I descended into complete darkness, we realized that the whole dive was going to be totally blind, but were determined to find all three structures and fasten them to be pulled back up. We found the line that we were told connected all three structures and, with a shrug of our shoulders, decided to try following it to the right. Feeling our way along the line, we came across the first structure, a rebar cage, and were psyched: we had chosen blindly, yet correctly. While tying off the first line, we lost contact with the cage and began searching frantically for the main connecting line. Thankfully, I felt it running along my leg and grabbed it. After pulling ourselves back, hand over hand, we realized that the current had blown us about thirty feet in no more than five seconds. Edwin finished tying off the line to the cage and we felt our way along to the next structure, making sure to always be in physical contact, for although I could feel Edwin next to me, there was no visual proof that I wasn’t alone underwater. The rest of the dive was more of the same: feeling our way along lines, hoping to end up at the next structure, fighting the current and straining our eyes to see anything at all. By the time we reached the third structure, a large concrete reef ball, I had decided to give my eyes a break and continued on with them closed, quickly finding this much more effective. While it took us about twenty minutes to tie off the first two structures, the cold began to set in, forcing us to take another twenty minute on the final structure. Our hands began to stiffen, making it harder work with our lines, but we knew that we had

In the Diablo, Heading to the Dive Site to be diligent; if any part of a single knot we tied failed, the dive would be for nothing. We soldiered on and finally finished our last knot. I attempted to check Edwin’s watch to see how long we had been under, but even with it pressed up against my mask, I couldn’t make out the number. We called to the surface that we were finished, and started up, holding each other’s wrists as not to become separated on ascent. We accidentally touched masks and I heard Edwin’s voice exclaim: “Hey, I can finally see you!” I couldn’t help but let out a shivery laugh. Despite the raging currents, zero visibility, and frigid temperatures, we were both in high spirits. E d w i n climbed out of the water, and I was hooked up to Privateer’s A-frame crane to test a new emergency procedure, which involves hoisting the diver by his or her harness out of the water and onto the deck. It was quite entertaining, and surprisingly comfortable. Everyone on board got a big laugh out of it as well! As the sun sank down behind the surrounding land, we pulled the structures out of the water and realigned them. Scurrying to get everything back down before it was totally dark, the boat was buzzing like a harmonious beehive. A feeling of pure content washed over me. We had gotten a lot done that day, and it felt good that it was the students, not the adults, taking the lead. It was almost seven o’clock at this point, the time we were supposed to be arriving back in the city, but no one cared: we were all where we wanted to be, surrounded by the water.

Photo: Jaxon Derow

We eventually headed down to the Yonkers Town Pier on Privateer to catch a train back to the city, As soon as we took our seats in the dim, mostly empty car, there was no hope of us staying awake. One by one, we all drifted off, smiles still plastered to our faces. It was an important day and we were proud of what we had accomplished. Who knew that a bunch of high school seniors could help restore thirteen acres of oyster habitat? Well, we did of course, but even so, we impressed ourselves that day.

Tappan Zee Dive Outtakes The following is a selection from the transcript of the recorded SCUBA comms, Tappan Zee Bridge dive. Note: Joe can hear Devon and Ava, but no one else can. Devon and Ava can sometimes hear Joe. Zoe can hear Joe but not Devon and Ava. Devon and Ava can hear each other but not Zoe. Joe: “Divers coming up!” Zoe: “See how close they are to each other.” Joe: ”Two feet. I can tell from their bubbles they’re going to be two feet away.” Devon, to Ava, underwater: “It doesn’t seem like they’re talking to us, but they’re pulling us in.” Joe: ”Divers, would you like to be pulled in? You’re coming out of the water now.” Devon: “Uh, NO, we were just getting pulled and we lost each other.” Joe: “Do you want to go back down?” Ava: “Of COURSE! Of COURSE!”... Joe [to Devon & Ava]:”All right! Copy!” [to Zoe]: “They’re gonna go back in.”... Ava: [laughs in delight.] Zoe: “Let’s check their air again.” Joe: “Divers, what’s your air?” Ava: “1500.” Joe [to Zoe]: “1500 for Ava.” Devon: “1750.” Joe [to Zoe]: “1700 for Devon.” [to Devon:] “Copy.” Zoe: “Tell them they have to be back at 1200.” Joe: “Divers, you have to be back on the surface at 1200.” Zoe: “So they’ve only got a couple more…” Joe: “Ava, shall we pull you in?” Read what happens next at www.billionoysterproject.org/tappan-zee-diveouttakes/

Photo: Brianna Aguilar Ava, preparing to dive

Vessel Ops Log Friday Morning Dive Support Jessie Floyd September 25, 2015

A blaring alarm woke me up at the ripe hour of 4 am. Grudgingly, I rolled out of bed and began to get ready. Then, as I yanked on my sweater, I realized what I was about to go do. Even though my alarm pulls me from sleep every morning, it is only when I’m going to work on boats that there is this amount of motivation behind my getting ready. I ran down the stairs, swinging my bag over my soldier. My dad waved groggily to me as I dashed out the front door. An hour and a half later I stood with Michael and Will, two other vessel ops seniors, and Syed, alumni, waiting for the shuttle van of the Brooklyn Navy Yard. We glimpsed the faint pinkness of the sky. We had all gathered here to help crew a prefirst period dive off the side of Governors Island. When we made it to Harbor School’s dock at the yard, we were met by a group of bleary eyed SCUBA divers and their instructors. After loading gear on the school’s buoy tender, Privateer, the sun began to peak over the buildings in eastern Brooklyn. As we left the dock, there was a collective feeling of being a part of something special. The waters were quiet. The city sat hushed. It seemed to us that we, alone, were given the chance to see something so simple and yet so stunning as the sunrise. We could not stop taking pictures. When we got to the dive site, the feeling of uniqueness grew. The SCUBA divers dove into the Buttermilk Channel to check on equipment involved in the school’s Billion Oyster Project. Everyonewhether vessel ops, SCUBA, or instructor had a clear task. I helped to set up the dock we would use as a dive platform. As I took a speed boat to my first period class, I was glad at my ability to appreciate the incredible opportunities the school offers, despite the fact that, since I am now a senior, they have become somewhat normal.

Monday Operations William Wolf September 28, 2015 Have you wondered what the bottom of the Harbor looks like? On Monday our crew got to work first hand with it and it wasn’t pretty. Our job started by loading on to the Privateer, which was waiting for us out by one of our Moorings. This was done by using “Diablo”, a small wooden boat propelled by a simple outboard engine. We took three trips to get the whole group on board and quickly got to work. As the temporary

crew captain I started assigning jobs. Lisa and Mohammed on the crane whips, port and starboard, Maya on the crane controls, and with Gino and Michael keeping the deck clear of any hazards. Our job started as we prepped to raise one of our moorings. Lisa and Mohammed would hook on the crane whips as Maya lowered them and then guided the rising mooring and chain as it rose from the water. This is where we got to see what the Harbor was like down below. As the mushroom anchor emerged from the water it carried with it a massive mound of thick black jell-o-like goo from the riverbed. We weren’t about to place all that sludge on deck so we began hosing it down to remove the pile of black gunk. The job was taking a bit of time and one of my instructors thought of an interesting way to speed things up… he told me that we needed to hurry up and to do so that I should help by sticking me hands in the sludge and pushing it off the anchor. I wasn’t quite eager to this suggestion, but none the less walked over to the stern and started shoving it off. Little did I know at the time was that he simply wanted to see my face when I pushed my hand through the gooey mass. Too late! I had already started working on the pile. Besides the fact that it was gross this new method was quite effective and I continued till it was clean. It was a messy day, but still turned out to be very interesting. After we were finished my hands were black with the sludge, I’m so glad Michael was standing by with the hose.

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CALLING ALL STUDENTS!

Heroes of the Harbor Boat Parade William Wolfe October 23

Be a Correspondent for the Harbor Current!

The Heroes of the Harbor parade was a spectacular event! Ships from all around the Harbor showed up, schooners Pioneer and Lettie G. Howard, the FDNY fire boats, etc. Getting to see the parade was one thing, however my view of it was a bit different. I witnessed it first hand on the Privateer, participating in the parade. One of my favorite historic vessels was when the schooner Pioneer, which was being captained by Mike Cohen, passed our small buoy tender to give a friendly passing wave hello. The whole while we were hard at work at the helm, on bow watch, and working on other various jobs aboard the Privateer. After spending much of the day setting up, parading past Chelsea Piers and watching the ceremony, once the parade had finished, we may have been tired, but I’m quite glad we got to join in and get a first hand experience of the day’s events.

What are you doing outside of class? A job, an internship, a project: We want to hear your stories! Write us an email or an article about your adventures, and send it to: newspaper@newyorkharborschool.e du. The best pieces will be chosen for inclusion in the next issue!

Docking Drills Michael Vargas November 20 So on Friday the 13th, the senior vessel operations class participated in some docking drills at Yankee pier, it was a routine docking drill but the wind and current made it more of a challenge for us to dock and that made it way more fun in my opinion. Mohammed and Carlyle were assigned to the dock while the remaining class was left to dock the Indy 7. So we began to go ahead and dock Indy with Maya at the helm. The currents were making things difficult so it took her a few tries but did an amazing job at the end. Commanding the helm to me is a bit nerve wracking but it’s all a learning experience. But before I knew it I was next and I got into the dock in one shot but came in a bit too fast but everyone did their job and got things done in the end. All the line handling by my fellow classmates and the focus was awesome from everyone. Let’s not forget that we were being evaluated in the process and by the end of it the evaluator was congratulating us.

It is the policy of the Department of Education of the City of New York to provide equal employment opportunities without regard to actual or perceived race, color, religion, creed, ethnicity, national origin, alienage, citizenship status, age, marital status, partnership status, disability, sexual orientation, gender (sex), military status, unemployment status, prior record of arrest or conviction (except as permitted by law) predisposing genetic characteristics, or status as a victim of domestic violence, sexual offenses and stalking, and to maintain an environment free of harassment on any of the above-noted grounds, including sexual harassment or retaliation. It is the policy of the New York City Department of Education to provide equal educational opportunities without regard to actual or perceived race, color, religion, creed, ethnicity, national origin, alienage, citizenship status, disability, sexual orientation, gender (sex) or weight and to maintain an environment free of harassment on the basis of any of these grounds, including sexual harassment or retaliation.

5 A Wrong Turn Jessie Floyd December 8

Back to Work

Aquaculture Adventures

Lisandra Garcia November 23, 2015

Maya Perkins December 7

After the class day is done, the real work begins. The whole senior class rushed to get to the MAST Center. Once we got there we found out we were going to Liberty Landing. Liberty Landing is basically a gas station for boats. Another was we were on a time limit. That made us want to work quicker but making sure everything was done correctly. We left as quickly as possible. Everyone had their own job, which made everything so much easier. Once we got to Liberty Landing, all lines were thrown over and placed in their correct place. As soon as that was done, people in charge of pumping the gas did it for both port (left) and starboard (right) tanks. Everything was done quickly and correctly and we left early. We used the extra time we had—instead of leaving early we did some in-and-outs on the dock. After our last docking we made sure everything was made fast and ended our day.

Four vessel ops students by the names of Akeem, John, Gino and me went out on Indy 7 and took the whole aquaculture class to the oyster reef in Wallabout Bay, near the Brooklyn Navy Yard. This was a chance for Aquaculture to get out on the water-- which doesn’t happen every day. Almost at every bump on the road, so to speak--well maybe in this case every wave in the water that Indy hit-- was a shock of excitement, inducing screams that came from all of the aquaculture students. But despite all of the crazy waves out on the water, the aquaculture students still remained focused at all times by continuously collecting data and recording every moment of the trip on their clipboards. Both Thomas Quinn and Jose Diaz went off Indy and onto a floating dock to pick up a huge bin of oyster shells that were so filthy. However, they both managed great, doing all they could to make their CTE proud. Vessel Ops was helping them every step of the way. Every line that had to be dealt with, all four of us were on and we did it with no hesitation. I must say once we left the reef I really did a great job undoing the line off of the huge moorings anchored near the reef. We all worked so hard and had so much fun! I also must mention how many thank yous that I got from many of the aquaculture students for helping them out!

Saving the S.S. Hunter John Senquiz December 5 So our Hunter is a beautiful yacht. The students as well as teachers enjoy stepping foot on such a majestic vessel. So it would be sad if tragedy struck and our sailing yacht was no more. To ensure a future for the Hunter, my teacher, Syed, as well as two sophomores (Gino and Katelyn), and myself embarked on a mission to save the Hunter. I went on the Hunter to hand down a line to wrap around a piling and back. The mission was simple. I gave slack and Syed instructed the sophomore on what to do with the line. But of course nothing goes as planed. The line was too short. So Syed and his quick mind decided to wrap around the piling one time and make the line there. We then sent down two buoy type balls and the mission was complete. The future of the Hunter has been secured!!

Over the past couple of days, most of the senior class has been deeply engaged in “navigating” or “operating” the simulator from point A to point B. The task involves the joint effort of two people. Today, I served as the navigator. Our mission was to travel through the York Spit Channel in Chesapeake Bay towards an exploded barge. Our vessel was nicknamed “Indy 7.” However, as I looked at the sample chart, I mistook the position of another vessel, Lettie,for our position. Not realizing my mistake, Mohammed, my partner, and I continued to sketch a Dead Reckoning Plot and find the ETA from the point at which Lettie was situated. We discovered that the distance was 9.4 nautical miles. At 10 knots, we should have reached the destroyed barge in 56.4 minutes. Feeling proud of our findings, we set off to take our seat at the simulator. Yet, one glance at the visual section of the screen left me confused. After going back and forth between our chart and the simulator a couple of times, I realized my mistake. Unfortunately, this meant we had to re plot the points from where “Indy 7” was truly located. Fortunately, this gave us both more practice with plotting points and discovering the compass angle at which the course we set out was going. The high speed ferry we set out on could do a maximum of 30 knots. After calculating a new ETA, we determined that it would take us 43 minutes to reach our destination. This wasn’t good because we only had 30 minutes until class ended. Regardless, we trooped back to the simulator. As I found out today, carelessness can result in extreme confusion and double the amount of work. In the future, I can be sure that I will double check each step on the way towards any task.

Spotlight on... Harbor School Awards Dinner Harbor to Honor Bradford N. Swett Foundation, RADM Michael Alfultis Since its inception in 2003, the Urban Assembly New York Harbor School has been preparing students for careers in marine science and marine technology. Graduates have continued their studies at top universities including SUNY Maritime, Roger Williams, and Columbia, and have gone on to work as officers in the U.S. Merchant Marine, to serve in the U.S.Coast Guard, and to take their places as key members of the New York maritime community. None of this would be possible without the support of the maritime industry and our generous donors throughout the years. The Harbor community has gathered for the past decade to celebrate Harbor School programs. Accordingly, on Wednesday, February 24th, at the Harbor School Awards Dinner, Harbor School will be honoring two key members of our community: the Bradford N. Swett Foundation will receive the Admiral Award, and Rear Admiral Michael Alfultis of SUNY Maritime College will receive the Captain Award. Harbor will also honor one of its own with a special presentation of the Peter Matthiessen Award for Leadership in the Marine Environment to a Harbor School graduate.

The Peter Matthiessen Award The honoree for this award will be revealed at the dinner itself: last year's honoree, Harbor graduate Jericsson Pichardo, has made his mark by establishing the Rochester River School, scheduled to open in 2017. This public school is modeled on Harbor, and Pichardo’s dedication and vision are an inspiration to the Harbor community. Learn more about the school at www.rochesterriverschool.org

Alex Matthiessen, the son of the late Peter Matthiessen, presents Jericsson Pichardo with the Peter Matthiessen award at last year’s Awards Dinner

Meet the Honorees The Bradford N. Swett Foundation

Photo: Clarke Dennis Members of the Waterfront and Welding after school clubs on a joint mission. These clubs and others are supported by the generosity of the Foundation. Harbor honors the Bradford N. Swett Foundation for their long-standing support towards ensuring that Harbor School students have access to meaningful after-school and summer programs. The Bradford N. Swett Foundation is a private charitable organization dedicated to supporting causes close to the hearts of Mr. Swett and his family. Foundation head Holly Swett became aware of Harbor's programs through her stepdaughter Hannah's involvement with the school, and through the Foundation, she has generously supported Harbor's programs for many years. Without this support, Harbor would be unable to offer such after school and summer opportunities as the Waterfront Club, the Welding Club, and the sailing team. These extension and enrichment options are part of what make Harbor a school that changes lives, and it is in recognition of this faithful support that Harbor has chosen to honor the Bradford N. Swett Foundation with the Admiral Award this year.

This event won't be complete without all our community there! For more information, go to bit.ly/ HSAD16. To purchase tickets, contact Carrie Christensen at cchristensen@nyharbor.org. All proceeds will benefit Harbor School programs.

RADM Michael Alfultis ...receiving the Captain Award

Photo: Capt. Aaron Singh Dr. Alfultis & Harbor Students at SUNY Maritime

Harbor honors Rear Admiral Michael Alfultis of SUNY Maritime College for his dedication to providing Harbor School students the opportunity to continue their path to success at Maritime and beyond and for his shared commitment to a stronger, vibrant and diverse maritime community. Dr. Alfultis was named the 11th president of SUNY Maritime College June 2014. Dr. Alfultis is a retired U.S. Coast Guard captain, and previously served as the director and chief administrative officer of the University of Connecticut’s Avery Point campus. Dr. Alfultis has more than 20 years of undergraduate teaching experience and 13 years of academic administrative responsibility at both military and civilian institutions of higher education. His background includes service as an operations officer and navigator on a U.S. Coast Guard cutter; maritime safety and security; Coast Guard Academy faculty member and academic department chair; and senior administrator at a flagship university. Dr. Alfultis graduated with honors from the Coast Guard Academy in 1982 with a degree in Marine Science. He later earned a Master of Science degree from the University of Washington (1987) and a doctorate from the University of Rhode Island (1997), both in Oceanography.

7 Marine Biology Research Program Update

Science, Policy & Civic Action on the East Harlem Waterfront: CIVITAS & Harbor School Partner for the Common Good The water bodies that surround the five boroughs of New York City are important resources that support economic growth and trade. In fact, some of the primary reasons for the successful choice of New York as a site for European colonization were its exceptional harbor and abundance of marine wildlife. Both provided a gateway to the North American continent and a steady supply of food resources. New York’s oyster and eelgrass reefs were among the largest in the world and its history is unique. Therefore, it seems intuitive that the City should still host an abundance of endogenous wildlife but New York’s marine resources have actually declined in number through neglect. Its keystone species, oysters and eel grass, have all but disappeared (Muehlstein, 1989). This has not only affected the native organisms that live in and around the marine habitat, but New York citizens as well. An Upper East Side/East Harlem neighborhood not-forprofit organization, CIVITAS, hopes to change this situation. The CIVITAS goal is to bring back New York’s keystone species while also reinvigorating an ecosystem for the enjoyment of the inhabitants in the nearby neighborhoods of East Harlem. Towards this end, CIVITAS, along with volunteer scientists and researchers from the Urban Assembly New York Harbor School and New York Harbor Foundation, New York State DEC, and the Hudson River Foundation, will be conducting an experiment with the goal of measuring the viability of a plan to restore the waterfront area along a section of East Harlem’s perimeter with the implementation of an ecologically sensitive living shoreline. It is hoped that within the next twenty years, the area will be thriving with indigenous marine aquaculture, upland estuarine wildlife and vernacular plant life. Project Objectives 01. Create a spatial-temporal baseline of physical, chemical, and biological characteristics at 3 test sites and one control site of the study area over at least a two year period, 02. Elucidate relationships, if any, between the above mentioned ecosystem characteristics, 03. Compare the community structure between traditional building composites (i.e. bulkheads and/or Portland cement) and novel composites that have spatial complexity built into them (i.e. Modified “Columbia” Colonizing Devices and/or “Econcrete” Experimental Sampling Units), 04. Determine ecological uplift in the marine community structure comparing the baseline data with Modified “Columbia” Colonizing Devices and /or “Econcrete” Experimental Sampling Units. 05. Engage community stakeholders to enhance their understanding, involvement, and contribution to the restoration of their marine ecosystem and the resources it can provide.

East River Esplanade, 96th to 120th Streets, with sampling/study sites indicated. Primary Questions to be Addressed 01. What organisms are currently able to thrive or, at least, survive in the New York Harlem/East River Estuary? 02. What organisms of the New York Harbor are able to colonize and survive on various living and non-living materials used to both restore the estuary and build a recreational waterfront? 03. With the results of question 02 in mind, what building materials are suitable for building a living shoreline in this area?

This brief is adapted from the report “Citizen Science Hudson-Raritan Estuary Restoration Research (Harlem/East River from 96th Street to 120th Streets)” prepared by: Mauricio González & Maura Smotrich The full report is available at harborseals.org and at civitasnyc.org.

Survival and growth performance of Crassostrea virginica in the NYC Harbor Cézanne Bies & Zain Bin Khalid Advisor: Mauricio González, M.Sc. Mentor: Matthew P. Hare, Associate Professor, Natural Resources (NTRES.DNR), College of Agricultural and Life Sciences (CALS) Abstract Bacterial contamination, over harvesting, pollution, and sewage overflows have depleted the Eastern Oyster population. (Munoz, Myers, Pflugh, & Nyman, 2010). Many restoration projects are using wild and cultured oysters to replenish the decreasing numbers, however, these projects in question lack enough scientific data to compare the survivorship and genome of different cohorts’ spawning. In this study, oyster growth performance was compared between the spawning of mass and individual Eastern Oysters, (Crassostrea virginica). The processes was performed by measuring size and mortality of both cohorts in the span of 4 weeks and water quality was taken at the site to see if there were any environmental disturbances in the water. If two wild cohorts of Crassostrea virginica of different spawnings are compared by growth performance and mortality, then the individual spawning cohort will have the most phenotypically diverse spat. Analysis of total data collected revealed that the performance between Mass and Individual Spawnings was not statistically different. Thus, after a month of surviving in the New York Upper Bay, mass and individual spawned Eastern oysters, Crassostrea virginica, show no significant differences in growth and mortality patterns. Students in Harbor School’s Marine Biology Research Program are in the process of working on various ongoing and individual scientific research project. The abstract above is a representative sample of that work. To keep current with MBRP’s research, and to learn more, visit harborseals.org.

Photo: courtesy of Cézanne Bies Eastern oysters in grow-out trays

New York Harbor Community Events Sunday Dec 27

Monday 28 Harbor School Holiday Break

Tuesday 29

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday

Saturday

Jan 1

Break

New Year’s Eve Bowling Green Greenmarket Break

New Year’s Day Greenmarket @SI Ferry Terminal Break

BG Greenmarket

SIF Greenmarket

BG Greenmarket

SIF Greenmarket NJ oyster ban comments close: nynjbaykeeper.org

BG Greenmarket

SIF Greenmarket

BG Greenmarket Quebec City: International Sail Training Conference

SIF Greenmarket Quebec City: International Sail Training Conference

Quebec City: International Sail Training Conference

BG Greenmarket

SIF Greenmarket WA: OutdoorFest Core Conference

Bowling G/SI Ferry Greenmarkets

BG/SIF GMs

WA: Visionmaker: Jamaica Bay Workshop

BG/SIF GMs WA: NYC DEP CSO Plan public meeting

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day

BG/SIF GMs

School Closed

BG/SIF GMs

Feb 1

Chancellor’s Conference Day School Closed

BG/SIF GMs Spring term begins

Lunar New Year School Closed

BG/SIF GMs WA: NYS DEC Coastal Erosion Hazard Area training

WA: NYS DEC Floodplain management training

BG Greenmarket Shipping Conference: www.nymar.org

SIF Greenmarket

Midwinter Recess School Closed

BG/SIF GMs Midwinter Recess School Closed

Midwinter Recess School Closed

BG Greenmarket

SIF Greenmarket

Midwinter Recess School Closed

BG/SIF GMs

Harbor School Awards Dinner, New York Yacht Club

BG Greenmarket

SIF Greenmarket

March 1

BG Greenmarket BioBus/BOP Professional Development

SIF Greenmarket

BG/SIF GMs

Clinton Global Initiative Meeting

GI: Governors Island. WA: Waterfront Alliance For a complete listing of events on GI: govisland.com / For Hidden Harbor Tour info: workingharbor.com. For Waterfront Alliance events: waterfrontalliance.org. BOP: Billion Oyster Project. For more info about BOP: www.billionoysterproject.org

BOP Partner Restaurants Aquagrill 210 Spring Street, Manhattan Bagatelle 1 Little West 12th Street, Manhattan Blue Ribbon Brooklyn 280 5th Ave, Brooklyn Blue Smoke Flatiron 116 E 27th Street, Manhattan Blue Water Grill 31 Union Square West, Manhattan Brooklyn Crab 24 Reed Street, Brooklyn City Hall 131 Duane Street, Manhattan Crave Fishbar 945 2nd Avenue, Manhattan Cull & Pistol 75 9th Avenue, Manhattan Dock’s 633 3rd Avenue, Manhattan Épicerie Boulud 1900 Broadway, Manhattan

Eataly 200 5th Avenue, Manhattan Eleven Madison Park-11 Madison Avenue, Manhattan Gramercy Tavern 42 East 20th Street, Manhattan Grand Army 336 State Street, Manhattan Grand Central Oyster Bar 89 East 42nd Street, Manhattan Jack The Horse 66 Hicks Street, Brooklyn Jeffrey’s Grocery 172 Waverly Place, Manhattan Lighthouse 145 Borinquen Place, Brooklyn Measure 400 5th Avenue, Manhattan

Mermaid Inn UWS 570 Amsterdam Avenue, Manhattan Oceana 120 W 49th Street, Manhattan Ocean Prime 123 W 52nd Street, Manhattan P.J. Clarke’s 915 3rd Avenue; 250 Vesey Street; 44 West 63rd Street, Manhattan The Fat Radish 17 Orchard Street, Manhattan The Leadbelly 14 Orchard Street, Manhattan The Lobster Place 75 9th Avenue, Manhattan Virgola-28 Greenwich Avenue, Manhattan