JLL employees are helping add over 100,000 new oysters to New York Harbor, and the firm's New York tri-state team recently teamed with the Billion Oyster Project to help clean and sort recycled oyster shells on Governors Island.
Over two dozen JLL volunteers led by managing director Andrew Dzenis spent a day cleaning and assembling the recycled shells into reef structures that mimic the natural oyster formations found in the wild.
The structures encourage young oysters to attach and grow. Aquatic animals that feed on smaller organisms and particles floating in water, oysters can filter 50 gallons of water a day. Their presence helps protect against storm surges, making for cleaner, healthier and safer waters across New York Harbor, according to JLL and Billion Oyster Project, or BOP.
“BOP is helping improve water quality and turning once-inaccessible shorelines and waterways into an equitable resource for all New Yorkers,” Dzenis said in a statement. “Over the last few years, we’ve seen immense improvements in water quality and biodiversity, and we aspire to make kayaking, swimming, fishing and other water recreation become more common across all communities."
Ben Salus, corporate coordinator at the Billion Oyster Project, said New York Harbor was once home to over 200,000 acres of oyster reefs. “We used to be the Big Oyster before we were the Big Apple,” Salus said in a statement. “Restoring the population is great for the biodiversity of the water and storm surge protection and we’re thrilled to have volunteers from JLL support our work."