Moriches Bay Project to Host Save the Bay Fundraiser Saturday, May 20

Live music, delicious food, refreshing tequila — and all for a good cause. Moriches Bay Project is hosting Save the Bay, their biggest fundraising event of the year.

The Saturday, May 20 event will be held at the Swordfish Beach Club in Westhampton Beach from 4:30–8:30 p.m. Attendees will enjoy small plates from Saltwater Kitchen, a raw bar from Buoy One, and a pop-up Relic shop. Plus with a spritz bar, an infused vodka bar, MBP beer and blonde ale by Twin Forks Beer Co. and a tequila bar sponsored by Casamigos, there’s a drink selection to satisfy any preference.

The money raised will help the grassroots not-for-profit Moriches Bay Project continue its year-round mission to return Moriches Bay to its natural state of health. Laura Fabrizio, co-founder of Moriches Bay Project, explains that events like Save the Bay are integral to spreading awareness and educating the community about the importance of caring for the local ecosystem.

“We’re all connected through the water,” she says. “We all need to work together.”

The organization helps improve the water quality of Moriches Bay by encouraging the local oyster population. One oyster can filter up to 50 gallons of water each day — meaning the more than 2.5 million oysters planted by Moriches Bay Project have filtered hundreds of billions of gallons of water.

They’ve planted more than 700,000 oysters this year alone, and have recently made an exciting discovery: After 11 years of nurturing the oyster ecosystem, they’ve found evidence that the sanctuary population has reached critical mass, and the oysters are now beginning to seed themselves. These major successes would not be possible without the fundraising done through events like Save the Bay.

Moriches Bay is already seeing major benefits thanks to the young organization. The Moriches Bay Project partnered with Brookhaven Town, the Cornell Cooperative Extension of Suffolk County, and the Seatuck Environmental Association to create an oyster reef, which has already resulted in a thriving natural ecosystem in the bay that otherwise would not have been possible.

On top of the oyster reef, they’ve created five oyster farms and three oyster beds in their 11 years of service. They’ve also installed three FLUPSYs — or floating upwelling systems — which are able to grow more than half a million shellfish a season. The Moriches Bay Project also travels to schools to help teach young people the importance of preserving the local environment.

To contribute to the health and beauty of Moriches Bay — or to simply enjoy some amazing music and drinks — check out Save the Bay. To buy tickets, visit morichesbayproject.org or email cofounder Laura Fabrizio at laura@morichesbayproject.org.