March 2023

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Peeking through an oyster reef ball at Heron's Head Park to see our bagged shells inside. Each bag is made of a biodegradable alternative to plastic and filled with our recycled and cured oyster shells collected from SF restaurants. Image by Kathryn Langstaff Happy World Water Day, y'all! Our Wild Oyster Project team (from left to right): Linda Hunter, Casey Harper, Laura Valvassori, Hamza Mahmoud, Jivan Khakee, Alex Maciel and Kathryn Langstaff. It’s hard to believe that spring is here! As we all hope for sun, this wet winter has put pressure on our San Francisco Bay Area water systems. It is important to remember that World Water Day is a global day to raise awareness about clean and safe water – this includes the various wetlands, marshes, and estuaries that make up our beautiful Bay.  So during this unusually wet winter, the questions you may ask yourself are - how do we deal with flooding? How do we deal with drought? Will it be like this every year from now on? How is this affecting San Francisco Bay? In part, it comes down to infrastructure. San Francisco has a combined sewer overflow system which allows runoff and sewage to flow through one pipe and into a treatment plant. However, during heavy rainfall, the system overflows and untreated sewage and runoff are dumped directly into the Bay. This can lead to poor water quality, harming oysters and other marine life. If these extreme rain events become the norm, it is urgent that we strengthen our infrastructure systems.  Our native Olympia Oysters may be able to lend a valve! By creating oyster reefs in the Bay Area, we can mitigate sea level rise and use them to protect our shores against these intense storms. These little gems can also filter up to 4 gallons of water a day which can offset the excess runoff we see during heavy rain.  So, in the midst of this latest flood advisory, what do you think SF Bay will look like in ten years? In 30 years? What do you want it to look like? Although the realities of our changing climate loom large, especially during another atmospheric river, the tides seem to be turning towards enthusiasm for projects like ours. People love us because we provide nature-based solutions at a community level during a time of climate uncertainty. We hope you will ride this wave with us and join us in seeing meaningful progress towards holistic ecosystem resilience in the years to come.   We have been thinking a lot about the future of the Wild Oyster Project. In the past few months, we have grown in size and the contagious momentum around the cause has made us excited to see what is to come. We are looking forward to more projects, more oyster habitats, more events, more shell collection, and more great partnerships.    We asked our new staff members for a quote that illustrates their passion about the work we do. Here's what they said. "I like to think and refer to the oyster as the soil of our Bay, it is the base component of all life in the Bay, the first step in restoring so many other forms of life. When looking at it that way the Wild Oyster Project is a restoration project to naturally kick start thousands of restoration processes!" Hamza Mahmoud, Volunteer and Outreach Coordinator Joined September 2022 "The sea, the great unifier, is man's only hope. Now, as never before, the old phrase has a literal meaning: we are all in the same boat." - Jacques Yves Cousteau Alex Maciel, Social Media Maven Joined March 2023    "The heart of man is very much like the sea, it has its storms, it has its tides and in its depths it has its pearls too.” - Vincent Van Gogh Laura Valvassori, Development Manager Joined January 2023 "A single oyster doesn’t seem like much, but that’s the thing about oysters, they stick together and work as a team, and their collective impact is immense." Kathryn Langstaff, Restoration Manager Joined February 2023 "You teach me I forget. You show me, I remember. You involve me, I understand." - E.O. Wilson  Jivan Khakee, Marine Scientist Joined January 2023   COME & LEARN WITH US AT THESE EVENTS Bioneers Conference, April 6-8th We will be attending this wonderful event on Saturday April 8th. Join us and learn from leaders about regenerative solutions that help us all!  Register on their website here: https://bioneers.org International Ocean Film Festival, April 13-16th This film festival is back to provide us with more inspiring and thought-provoking films. We will be attending in person. More details to follow! You can view the full schedule here: https://intloceanfilmfest.org/2023-film-schedule Celebrate Earth Day with us at the Berkeley Bay Festival! Want to make a difference and have a shell of a time? Join us at the Berkeley Marina on Saturday, April 22nd from 11am to 4pm for the Berkeley Bay Festival and Earth Day Celebration. Connect with the Bay and our local community through live music, performers, food, hands-on educational activities and free boat rides! Over 30 environmental and wildlife conservation organizations from around the Bay, including Wild Oyster Project, will share their exhibits with the public. When: Saturday, April 22, 2023, 11am-4pm Where: Shorebird Nature Center, 160 University Ave, Berkeley CA 94710 https://berkeleyca.gov/community-recreation/events/berkeley-bay-festival   As always, thank you for your encouragement and support! Donations to the Wild Oyster Project are always needed and appreciated.    Donate to Wild Oyster Project