The New York Harbor Foundation is hiring a full-time Oyster Project Restoration Manager for its Billion Oyster program..
New York Harbor Foundation (“the Foundation”) is a regional environmental education 501(c)(3) nonprofit that promotes the public good by identifying and carrying out activities that improve the access to, awareness and education about, and condition of New York Harbor and other water bodies in the surrounding region.
Oysters were the keystone species and original ecosystem engineers of New York Harbor. Oyster reefs once covered more than 220,000 acres of the Hudson River estuary. They provided valuable ecosystem services to the region by filtering water, providing habitat for other marine species and attenuating wave energy. Today, oysters are functionally extinct in the Harbor as a result of over-harvesting, dredging and pollution.
The absence of oysters has impaired our estuary’s ability to clean the water and absorb excess nitrogen; the loss of reefs has reduced protective habitat, destabilized the sea floor and left our shoreline vulnerable to destructive wave action. The Billion Oyster Project aims to reverse these effects by bringing oysters and their reef habitat back to New York Harbor.
Restoring oysters and reefs will, over time, restore the local marine ecosystem’s natural mechanisms for maintaining itself, resulting in cleaner water and greater biodiversity. Engaging students and the general public in this work will build a culture of stewardship and a more robust understanding and appreciation of the Harbor for future generations.
Salary: Commensurate with experience
Benefits: Employee is a full-time employee of New York Harbor Foundation, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization. Position is a full-time, year-round position and benefits include health insurance and paid vacation time.
Applications due by January 15, 2016.