From the Community Science team at Billion Oyster Project:
Dear friends and neighbors,
Happy Spring! We are writing because the 2023 Community Water Quality Testing (CWQT) season will begin on Thursday May 18. We want to thank those who have worked on this in the past, and invite everyone who would like to become involved to join us this season.
The Billion Oyster Project has recently assumed responsibility for coordinating CWQT from the NYC Water Trail Association. We thank them for their vision and leadership over the last decade of CWQT, and Billion Oyster Project looks forward to continuing their legacy of community and advocacy as we begin leading this program.
At the Billion Oyster Project, we envision a clean, healthy harbor to be enjoyed by everyone. In addition to providing information to those seeking to swim, paddle or boat in the harbor, past CWQT data has been instrumental in supporting community members as they advocate for cleaner water and better infrastructure. Under Billion Oyster Project’s leadership, we will continue to support communities as they use the data for recreation, advocacy, and in classrooms. Billion Oyster Project will also expand programming around water quality, including hosting speakers and holding lunch’n’learn seminars to increase public awareness and agency around the health of your waterways.
We hope that this year will bring more knowledge sharing, more connection, and more advocacy around water quality, and we can’t do that without you! If you are interested in joining us as a sampler, please review this sampler expectation document and fill out this RSVP form by April 1.
Please do not hesitate to reach out to waterquality@billionoysterproject.org with any questions. We hope to hear from you soon! Warmly, The Billion Oyster Project Community Science Team