Governors Island

While many New Yorkers may flock to Governors Island weekends during the summer for a day of leisure and relaxation, this island also serves as a place of rigorous academic study and environmentally focused projects for the students of the New York Harbor School, a public school located in the historic buildings on Governors Island. This unique school that uses the New York City waterways as an educational tool and as a way to instill environmental ethics and skills in the students of the Harbor School.

How would you for this to be your daily commute?

This past week I was treated to a trip to Governors Island with my coworker Katie to pick up some shell for an oyster restoration project she is working on at Soundview Park in the Bronx. Katie needs shell to put on a man-made reef in hopes of recruiting native oysters which have largely been decimated in this areas as result of poor water quality, pollution and over-harvesting. 

Stepping of the Ferry Katie and I were greeted by Pete, a Auquaculture teacher at the Harbor School. In addition to teaching students from all over Manhattan, Pete also works with the students on maintaining the Aquaculture operation at the harbor school. The students here are a large part of spawning the oysters that are used for restoration throughout New York. 

As Katie and I shovel shell into mesh bags Pete tells us that in addition to a normal course load, the students at the Harbor School also learn how to scuba dive, spawn oysters and build boats. Wish I could have gone here!