Our education sessions have three main goals:

1) Teach how the clams and oysters that we grow improve the quality of the bay.

2) Raise awareness on how people can be proactive and make changes to their lifestyle to help the bay.

3) Stimulate them to action.

Historically, RCTB emphasized one major problem: too much nitrogen causing both healthy and unhealthy algae to grow beyond nature’s ability to reach a balance. Since clams and oysters are filter feeders, their natural feeding process has a positive effect on the nitrogen in the bay. Over the past few years, and with a greater interest in coastal resilience post-Superstorm Sandy (2012), RCTB sessions include explaining the many benefits that shellfish provide. They include shoreline stabilization, providing habitat for other species, which supports biodiversity and the economic benefits of a now growing shellfish industry. We explain that oyster and clam farmers practice sustainable harvesting, a clear benefit to the environment, and the fact that they are the first line of environmental observation.