Educational Programs

Our educational programming spans from preschool through post-graduate and emphasizes hands-on learning that connects students directly with marine science and their local ecosystem. We work with 10+ schools to integrate oyster education into the classroom, three of which have been designated as Long Island Sound Schools with our recommendation. We also collaborate with youth and community organizations, develop educational curricula, and support schools with field trips and resources. In addition, our oyster monitoring sites and Living Shoreline are outdoor classrooms, where students and community members can roll up their sleeves, explore their ecosystem, and enjoy nature. 

Photo by Ron Terner

Educational Programs

  • Wild Oyster Surveys

  • Water-Quality Monitoring

  • Oyster Monitoring

  • Biodiversity Studies

  • Invasive & Indigenous Species

  • Touch Tanks

  • Making & Monitoring Spat Collectors

  • Data Skills

  • Microplastic Surveys

  • After-School Programming

  • Arts Workshops

  • Individual Student Projects

  • “Educating young people about the marine environment is vital in their learning development and in creating connections with the real world.”

    Denise Aikens and Carmelia Rodriguez, Teachers at P.S. 583

  • "I really like working out at the Living Shoreline a lot. My grades went up. I went to a lot of other schools, 3 in total, and this is very different. We never went outside and were able to touch anything, like oysters, and see science in action. We never got to use calipers to measure with, and we never did anything like this. I am not even a science person, really! Like a bunch of other stuff, but this made me open up to what else I could really do with it. And that's what I found really good about this, and I like to keep going on more stuff, before the year is over. I worked with Sally from City Island Oyster Reef (when we did our oyster survey), and it was the most fun. It was more fun than the last one we did!"

    Khalil M, 8th Grader, P.S. 175

  • "My class has been working with City Island Oyster Reef for over a year, and I feel as if it has been a very fun and interesting experience for me and my class. I have learned a lot about oysters and the environment, and it has been super interesting and just an overall memorable experience. We have been out to the living shoreline many times, and I feel like the trips are super fun and educational, and I love hands-on learning. It has been very interactive and hands-on, so I've loved it since we started. I especially loved it when we went on the boat (last year) and looked at the oysters under the microscopes. It was so cool that we got to look at the shells up close. I think it has been one of the best activities I have ever done in science because I have never really been a science person, but once I had Ms. Heil as a teacher, my whole perspective on science has changed for the better."

    Angie V, 8th Grader, P.S. 175

Outreach & Partnering Events

P.S. 175 Field Trip

P.S. 175 Field Trip

Urban Advantage Program

Urban Advantage Program

District 11 STEAM Science Share

District 11 STEAM Science Share

OYSTERAMA

OYSTERAMA

City Island Yacht Club Jr Sailing

City Island Yacht Club Jr Sailing

District 11 STEAM Science Share

District 11 STEAM Science Share

Bronx Borough Science Expo

Bronx Borough Science Expo

Students at the Living Shoreline

Students at the Living Shoreline

P.S. 175's Teacher-In for Climate and Change

P.S. 175's Teacher-In for Climate and Change

P.S. 175's Teacher-In for Climate and Change

P.S. 175's Teacher-In for Climate and Change

District 11 STEAM Science Share

District 11 STEAM Science Share

Bronx Borough Science Expo

Bronx Borough Science Expo

City Island Yacht Club Jr Sailing

City Island Yacht Club Jr Sailing

CIOR visits the Presbyterian Senior Services

CIOR visits the Presbyterian Senior Services

OYSTERAMA

OYSTERAMA

We are creative and flexible and can help build programming that works for you and your classroom. If you are an educator who wants to work with us, please reach out!

Work With Us!

The Living Shoreline

Our Outdoor Education Center

For the past six years, City Island Oyster Reef,  in partnership with the NYC Department of Parks & Recreation, has been transforming a once fenced-off and overgrown shoreline property behind P.S. 175 into a thriving outdoor education center and ecological restoration site. 

It takes a community!

Since 2019, over 10,000 volunteer hours of hard work by City Island residents, students, teachers, and local organizations have gone into removing marine debris and invasive species and planting native vegetation and pollinator-friendly plants. This collective effort has created a welcoming space where students and community members can connect directly with the marine ecosystem in their backyard.

BEFORE

AFTER

New Reef Incoming…

With funding from the Long Island Sound Stewardship Fund, we were able to hire a landscape architect to design plans for a pilot oyster reef. This teaching reef design is geared toward education and engaging the community in its construction. More than just a restoration site, the pilot reef embodies our mission: to educate, inspire, and directly connect people with their local ecosystem.

This restored shoreline is more than a learning space—it’s a vision for what our coasts can become. By inspiring young stewards and involving the public, the Living Shoreline helps protect the future of Long Island Sound.

The History of the Living Shoreline

This 1893 map shows the east side where George W. Byles had a boatyard from 1869 to 1908. In the adjacent lot, Henry Nevins opened a yacht yard in 1907 that built many wooden yachts, designed and built minesweepers for the U.S. Navy, and in 1954 cre

This 1893 map shows the east side where George W. Byles had a boatyard from 1869 to 1908. In the adjacent lot, Henry Nevins opened a yacht yard in 1907 that built many wooden yachts, designed and built minesweepers for the U.S. Navy, and in 1954 created the first City Island-made winner of the America’s Cup.

The Nevins yard closed in the early 1960s, after Mr. Nevins’ death, but the docks remained in place for several years.

The Nevins yard closed in the early 1960s, after Mr. Nevins’ death, but the docks remained in place for several years.

In 1975, P.S. 175 was opened on City Island Avenue, near the entrance to the old Nevins yard, and the land next to the school, now part of the NYC Department of Parks, is called Ambrosini Field and is used for the local Little League and many communi

In 1975, P.S. 175 was opened on City Island Avenue, near the entrance to the old Nevins yard, and the land next to the school, now part of the NYC Department of Parks, is called Ambrosini Field and is used for the local Little League and many community events. The docks had been destroyed but the shoreline remained full of debris for nearly two decades.

In 1993, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers removed most of the debris, protected the shoreline, and fenced off the property.

In 1993, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers removed most of the debris, protected the shoreline, and fenced off the property.

Today, with the help of countless volunteers and 1000s of hours of work, the Living Shoreline is now an outdoor teaching space for the community to connect with their ecosystem and imagine a new future for NYC’s coastline.

Today, with the help of countless volunteers and 1000s of hours of work, the Living Shoreline is now an outdoor teaching space for the community to connect with their ecosystem and imagine a new future for NYC’s coastline.

Come Visit Us!

Come to a cleanup, a workshop, or an event in our Living Shoreline.

Become an educational partner and bring your students.

Curriculum

Coming soon…