The overlooked wizards of conservation! Close World Oceans Week with a look at the world of oysters from our friends at the Billion Oyster Project. We’ll cap things with a oyster party at our newly renovated Club Headquarters — plan your next ocean expedition over a beer, and sample sustainably farmed oysters with the world’s top explorers.
🦪 FRIDAY
4:00 pm & 5:00 pm – Oyster Ambassador Hour & Party
- 4:00 pm – From Shells to Shorelines: The Oyster Renaissance – Dive into the briny depths with us as we uncover the untold story of oysters and their indispensable role in nurturing our coastal ecosystems. Hear from trailblazing directors of ocean and coastal habitat restoration nonprofits, from the Billion Oyster Project and Everglades Foundations, Sally McGee of the Shellfish Growers Climate Coalition, and culinary virtuoso, Julie Qiu, as they serve up a delectable blend of conservation insights and historic look at our water ecosystems, showcasing how these humble bivalves are the unsung heroes of our shores. Join us for an evening of enlightenment and epicurean adventure, where science meets flavor in the name of ocean preservation.
- 5:00 pm – Following the program, we’ll wrap the week with an Oyster-themed World Oceans Week Closing Party, sampling sustainably farmed Oysters courtesy of our partners, beer and vodka, and good fun to ring in the forthcoming World Oceans Day.
Julie Qiu
Julie Qiu is the co-founder of the Oyster Master Guild, an international network of oyster service professionals committed to advancing oyster appreciation and service standards through education, certification, and community. As a self-made oyster sommelier, Julie has devoted 15 years in leading oyster tastings, masterclasses, and showcasing great oysters from around the world through her blog, In A Half Shell. Also as the former marketing director for The Better Fish brand by Australis Aquaculture, Julie is well-versed in responsible seafood education and consumer sentiment.
Pete Malinowski
Pete Malinowski is the Executive Director of Billion Oyster Project (BOP) which envisions a healthy, biodiverse New York Harbor that is well known, well used and well cared for by New Yorkers. Since the organization’s founding in 2014, BOP has introduced over 100 million oysters to the Harbor and engaged tens of thousands of New Yorkers in hands-on educational opportunities in classrooms and at the water’s edge. Pete grew up farming oysters on the Fishers Island Oyster Farm. His passion for the environment and education led him to the Urban Assembly New York Harbor School, a public high school, where he founded the school’s Aquaculture program and oversaw student-led oyster restoration efforts. Pete serves as a Co-chair of the Governor’s Shellfish Restoration Council and sits on the Mayor’s Waterfront Management Advisory Board. Pete spends as much of his free time as possible on the water or in the woods with his three children.
Dr. Steve Davis
Dr. Steve Davis is The Everglades Foundation’s Chief Science Officer. A native of Ohio, he earned a PhD from Florida International University in 1999 with research in Florida Bay and the coastal Everglades. Davis joined The Everglades Foundation in 2009 as a member of the Science Department, and he became a key voice in support of the organization’s mission to restore America’s Everglades. He draws upon his 25 years of Everglades science and teaching experience, including 10 years as professor of wetland ecology at Texas A&M University, to lead science, communication and outreach efforts focused on Everglades restoration, ecosystem health, and impacts of sea-level rise.
Sally McGee
Sally McGee works for the Nature Conservancy where she is the director for climate and strategic initiatives. Some of her areas of work include the Shellfish Growers Climate Coalition, Sustaining Oyster Aquaculture and Restoration (SOAR), and seaweed aquaculture in Chile. Previously, Sally was TNC’s Northeast Marine Program Director. Sally received her bachelor’s degree in economics from Smith College and her master’s degree in marine affairs from the University of Rhode Island. She held a 100-ton US Coast Guard license that she used in the North Atlantic, Caribbean, and North and South Pacific oceans. Sally developed, owned, and operated an oyster farm, Sixpenny Oysters, in Noank, Connecticut. Previously, Sally was a voting member of the New England Fishery Management Council, which governs fisheries out to 200 miles offshore. She also worked in the U.S. House of Representatives on natural resource, climate, and agriculture issues.
