Friends of Bellport Bay- Fobb

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Friends of Bellport Bay- Fobb

Organized to improve the quality of Bellport Bay President - Thomas V. Board of Directors - Amanda Burden, Howard Read, Peter Schulte, Rae Specht.

Schultz, Vice President - Katia Read, Secretary Tara Kavanagh, Co-Directors - Maria Slavnova, Larissa Chraim. Email; [email protected]
Mission: The mission of Friends of Bellport Bay (FoBB) is to improve the water quality of Bellport Bay through organizing, lobbying, collaborating, and fundraising in order to succeed at the following:
1. Support the "Bellport Inlet" by opposing the manual closing of the inlet should a decision to close it occur. The Breach at Old Inlet is undergoing a study by the Dept. of the Interior. The study will eventually lead to a course of action regarding the inlet. It is our position to support the option that will allow the inlet to exist naturally and not to have it closed manually by the Army Corp. Note: Our position regarding the inlet can change should the science and facts conclude that the inlet is causing adverse effects to the mainland shore line. At this point all evidence suggests that there are no adverse effects. Community Inlet meetings will keep the public informed.
2. Collaborate with Cornell Cooperative Extension of Suffolk County (CCE) and Brookhaven Town to plant shellfish within sustainable locations around Bellport Bay to help filter and improve water quality, create habitat and protect shorelines. The shellfish would be monitored by Cornell Cooperative Extension of Suffolk County (CCE) Marine program. Gregg Rivara; Aqua Culturalist of CCE, is overseeing our efforts to revitalize the shellfish population in Bellport Bay. Gregg Rivara will be in charge planning and oversight. Note: July 18th 2017 FoBB has planted almost 500,000 shellfish.
3. Decreasing direct pollutants runoff into Bellport Bay. Through a collaborative effort with Bellport Village and other Bellport Bay communities it is our goal to assist communities with their mandates and / goals to minimize direct stormwater runoff into Bellport Bay. A target is the Bellport Village municipal wastewater runoff system. Installing leeching pools and filtration systems along the lines would greatly improve the quality of Bellport Bay.
4. Educating and updating the public on pollution mitigation strategies and results
Publish information so that the public can learn how to help mitigate nitrates and pollutants that find their way into Bellport Bay. Contribute to community newsletters. Also provide the public with updates on FoBB's initiatives. In summary: Through our stated 4 prong approach, we believe we can turn the tide and improve the quality of Bellport Bay for generations to come.

10/12/2026

Map showing important shellfish harvesting information. This includes shellfish closures, conditional harvesting programs, shellfish harvest zones, aquaculture lease sites and water sampling stations.

09/22/2026

09/18/2026

Join Us!
Come witness and learn more about our initiatives at our final oyster planting of the season tomorrow, September 19 at the Bellport Village Dock beach at 11 AM

When the bay has viable and abundant shellfish populations, the ecosystem is stabilized and all the species above do better, including fish, crabs, and birds

Without healthy shellfish populations, the ecosystem suffers and does not have the same ability to mitigate nitrogen overloading from land.

In collaboration with Cornell Cooperative Extension of Suffolk County, we will add approximately 200,000 oysters in the form
of Spat on Shell (SOS) into the shellfish management area in Bellport Bay.

We will be staging these operations at the Bellport Village dock starting at 11am

The included video is recent footage capturing our three dimensional oyster reef, which we built with recycled shell from restaurants collected by Seatuck and Spat on Shell purchased from CCESC

Hope to see you.

09/07/2026

Happy Labor Day!

Thank you to the Long Island Advance for covering our planting of over 100,000 oysters in Bellport Bay last Saturday. Your support helps raise awareness for our efforts!💙📰

Cheers to everyone working to restore our beloved Bay! We celebrate Thomas Schultz, FoBB Co-Founder & Director of Water Operations on this mission, FoBB interns, community volunteers, our sponsors and foundations, and the local leaders dedicated to rebuilding, revitalizing, and protecting the Bay’s ecosystem that serves us all. Thank you for your hard work and commitment! 🦪🌊🐠

.I.Advance #

09/07/2026

On Saturday , Aug. the Friends of Bellport Bay planted over 100,000 oysters into the Town of Brookhaven's Bellport Bay sanctuary, which is also cared for by the FoBB. According to co-founder and …

09/03/2026

Check out our latest post to see how FoBB planted approximately 140,000 oysters in Bellport Bay last Saturday!

Aerial Video and photos by Borg Aerial LLC

09/03/2026

Last Saturday, FoBB successfully released approximately 140,000 oysters from local residents’ under-dock grow-out cage systems and planted them into the Town’s Shellfish Sanctuary, managed by FoBB.🌱🦪

This milestone brings our total to over 7 million oysters and shellfish currently growing and filtering in the Bay, contributing to a healthier marine environment and stabilizing the Bay’s ecosystem! 🦈

We are incredibly grateful to our interns for making this monumental achievement possible! A shout out to Bellport Mayor Maureen Veitch, New York State Senator Dean Murray, Brookhaven Town Councilman Michael Loguercio, Suffolk County Executive Ed Romaine, and Bellport Village Trustee Dan Polner for their help in planting the oysters for a healthier, more resilient Bay!

Big thanks to Brookhaven Town for their support in providing oysters, shellfish, and for establishing a marine protected area managed by FoBB, as well as to Steve Borghart for the drone footage and photos.

Address

Bellport, NY

Website

http://www.friendsofbellportbay.org/

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