Meet our team outside the Clubhouse at the Quogue Field Club by 9am. Once gathered, the group will walk across the golf course towards the water (approx. 10min casual walk). Participants will hear about the work we are doing at our Quogue Stewardship Site and learn about spat-on-shell oysters and reef restoration.
We will then divide up into teams to count and measure the baby oysters (spat), and then help plant them on our reef site. Be prepared to get wet (up to knees) and possibly a little muddy.
Boots, water shoes, or secured sandals are recommended (no flipflops). The group will return to the Clubhouse no later than 11:30am.
ABOUT BACK TO THE BAYS QUOGUE STEWARDSHIP SITE:
2026 marks the third season of our Quogue Stewardship Site oyster reef restoration efforts. Established in August 2024 with the first spat-on-shell planting, we have been monitoring the reef and planting additional oysters every year since.
On June 2nd, Aquaculture Specialist, Kate Rossi-Snook, completed our most recent monitoring, and the reef looks amazing. Our oldest oysters are huge - some approximately 6 inches or larger! Kate also observed multiple mating horseshoe crab pairs, many young blue crabs, and a large pipefish seeking shelter in the oysters.
On June 10th, our oyster restoration raft located at the Post Lane bridge was stocked with its first round of spat-on-shell for the 2026 growing season. The strong tidal flow at this site allows for amazing oyster growth in their hanging baskets - this is ideal because the larger the oysters are at planting, the more likely they are to survive to spawning adulthood. We look forward to pulling them out of the water, checking their growth, and planting them at our reef site on July 7th. Another round of fresh spat-on-shell will be added to the raft, so keep an eye out for a second reef planting event to be announced for early August!
We are grateful to all of our private donors, the Quogue Association, and the Southampton Water Quality Improvement Program. Their support has allowed us to significantly expand our oyster restoration work at this site and we look forward to continuing to track its growth and success.
Now it's time to get your feet wet and have some fun - we hope some of you join us at our planting events!