The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) today announced the award of $75,000 to Henningson Durham & Richardson Architecture and Engineering, P.C. (HDR), to map the lower Hudson River oyster population. The survey of American oyster (Crassostrea virginica) distribution in an approximately 10-mile section of the Hudson River estuary from Piermont Pier to the city of Yonkers will complement past and planned sampling efforts to the north and south of the targeted reach. The project is administered by NEIWPCC in partnership with DEC’s Hudson River Estuary Program.
“Mapping American oyster habitat is a priority of DEC’s Hudson River Estuary Action Agenda,” said DEC Regional Director Kelly Turturro. “DEC is pleased to partner with HDR on this project and looks forward to using the results from the further study of these areas to help guide future oyster and habitat management strategies in the river.”
Susan Sullivan, NEIWPCC Executive Director said, “NEIWPCC is pleased to partner with DEC to survey American oyster distribution in the lower Hudson to help conserve this important river habitat.”
Intensive sampling of oysters north of the target area to Croton Point was conducted between 2013 and 2014 to identify benthic impacts and potential mitigation actions resulting from the construction of the Mario M. Cuomo Bridge. More recently, funding has been made available to conduct similar data collection in New York Harbor and the Hudson River as far north as the city of Yonkers. Examination of the density of samples taken north of Piermont Pier and the anticipated sampling south of Yonkers demonstrated a need to supplement sampling in the target area.
Funding for this project is provided by New York State's Environmental Protection Fund (EPF) and is administered by NEIWPCC in partnership with DEC’s Hudson River Estuary Program. Among the many environmental highlights in the Governor Kathy Hochul’s 2025-26 Executive Budget, the Governor proposed to maintain the historically high level of $400 million in EPF funding. The EPF is a critical resource for environmental programs. It supports climate change mitigation and adaptation efforts, improves agricultural resources to promote sustainable agriculture, protects water sources, advances conservation efforts, and provides recreational opportunities for New Yorkers.
The Hudson River Estuary Program helps communities conserve and ensure a resilient estuary and watershed for present and future generations. Created in 1987, the DEC program focuses on the tidal Hudson and its adjacent watershed from the dam at Troy to the Verrazano Narrows in New York City.