Sound School, New Haven Harbor Foundation Hosts 'Harbor & Oysters'

NEW HAVEN, CT —The Sound School-New Haven Harbor Foundation hosts a “Harbor & Oysters Gathering” on the City Point waterfront Wednesday from 5:30 p.m to 7:30 p.m., at the Sound School Campus, 60 South Water St.

This will be a chance for all those interested in oysters, New Haven Harbor, and the Sound School to get a tour of the school and hear about the projects currently being supported by the Foundation.

The Sound School-New Haven Harbor Foundation was created in 2018 to support the overall mission of the Sound School and to provide connections between the school and the broader community. This event will highlight two projects the Foundation is currently supporting: the restoration of the school’s full-sized New Haven Sharpie, Tenacious, and the oyster reef habitat restoration in the harbor right next to the campus. Proceeds from the event will go toward those two endeavors.

Oystering has long been, and still is, a central element of New Haven’s relationship with Long Island Sound and the oyster beds have played an important role in maintaining its environmental health. The New Haven Sharpie, developed in the mid-19 Century as an oyster tonging boat, is an essential part of that history. Indeed, the hull profile with its unique cat-ketch rig has become one of the iconic symbols of New Haven – especially its waterfront neighborhoods. Since the 1980s, The Sound School has occupied a portion of the waterfront of City Point (formerly known as Oyster Point) and its students and staff have built New Haven Sharpies and sailed them all over New Haven Harbor. It is this 150-year tradition that is under real threat. At the end of the 21/22 academic year, the decision was made to restore the Sound School’s flagship 35 foot Sharpie. Neil Geist, who helped to build her as a student at Sound and is now the school's most experienced boat builder, is leading the effort. A significant portion of the funds necessary for her restoration has been covered by the school's annual operating budget, but funds are still needed to complete the project and support her continued operation. The Sound School-New Haven Harbor Foundation is committed to securing the funding to complete the project and help to cover operational expenses going forward. Soon the vessel will again be used to teach sailing and the history of the New Haven’s oyster fishery.

Building on the success of a pilot effort, the Foundation is also supporting a project to restore an oyster reef in New Haven Harbor. Working with Sound School administration, Yale research scientist James Nikkel and Yale Professor Peter Raymond, the Foundation helped to secure a grant from Yale’s Planetary Futures Fund to fund the project. The reef will be built by students and faculty at the Sound School using Mini-Bay Reef Ball Modules (RBMs) and Eastern Oyster broodstock sanctuary cages. RBMs will be constructed out of cement using oyster shell as an additive. When completed the reef will be composed of approximately 100 RBMs each placed 0.1m apart and arranged in a 20x5 grid running parallel to shore. Successful development of the reef will support restoration of historic oyster reef habitats, improvements to local water quality, replenishment of oyster populations in New Haven Harbor, creation of habitat structure to increase fish and invertebrate biodiversity and density, and enhancement of coastal resiliency in response to the effects of climate change. The finished reef will also function as a platform for students to train and engage in scientific diving. This “living laboratory” will provide extensive opportunities for students and faculty from the Sound School and our local university partners to develop high rigor research studies on the reef and its associated impacts.

“There are so many in our community who have a strong interest in the harbor, oysters and New Haven’s maritime traditions who are not necessarily aware of what we are up to here at Sound School,” said Principal Marc Potocksky. “This event will give those people a chance to come down, get a tour of our facility and hear from students about their work here. We also hope it will be a pleasant time to gather by the water, enjoy some food and drink and meet others with similar interests.”

This event is being co-sponsored by the New Haven-Quinnipiac Bioregional Group and Gather New Haven. The Foundation very much appreciates the support of those who share a concern for the environmental well-being of New Haven Harbor and Long Island Sound and the desire to engage the Greater New Haven community in efforts to preserve our maritime heritage.

“Aside from its stated purpose, this event will be a chance to introduce the Sound School-New Haven Harbor Foundation to the broader community,” said Foundation Board Chair, John Buell, “and will continue to enlarge the community that supports Sound Schools overall mission.”

Those wanting to attend are encouraged to register at https://givebutter.com/7KKgoP. For more information on the Foundation and the chance to donate directly, please visit our website: https://www.ssnhharborfound.org/

The Sound School-New Haven Harbor Foundation is a non-profit corporation registered with the State of Connecticut and has been granted tax-exempt status (50(c)3) by the IRS.