Volunteers held their final work session for the Huntington-Northport oyster reef project on Saturday.

The volunteers have been working all summer on a project to clean the waters and boost biodiversity in the Town of Huntington waters by creating oyster reefs at Gold Star Battalion Beach.

“Our natural resources are precious and finite. Without our stewardship it would cease to exist,” says Desiree Benn-Galgano, one of 60 volunteers' part of the project.

Earlier this summer, oyster larvae attached to shells were grown in nursery docks at Gold Star Battalion Beach.

As the oysters grew, they were moved to designated spots, creating “spawned sanctuaries” that will spread more larvae throughout the Huntington-Northport waters.

Oysters both clean the waters and restore a sustainable oyster harvest for baymen.

“The more shellfish that we can put into the water, the better. That’s mother nature’s natural filtration,” says Barry Udelson, a marine specialist with the Cornell University Cooperative Extension.

Over the past two months, volunteers have raised over 100,000 oysters, which could filter more than 5 million gallons per day.