Oysters often invoke thoughts of trendy seafood bars, but they are so much more. Many oysters are a keystone species, providing valuable habitat for entire marine ecosystems. The harvesting of oysters is also an economic staple for countless coastal communities. Due to pollution, overfishing, and diseases driven by changing climates, oyster populations around the world are experiencing a decline in population and growth. Research focusing on the growth and paleoecology of fossil oyster reefs creates a baseline and is one way that paleontologists can contribute to climate change science. Amidst the current biodiversity crisis, these baselines demonstrate a time prior to human-induced stressors and can be used to inform, and ideally mitigate, present-day conservation efforts.