Sea, Sand and Sky: My Life and Crimes …Pulling Up Goldenrods on the Beach

Friday, September 28, 2012

My Life and Crimes …Pulling Up Goldenrods on the Beach

On Tuesday I spent the day at Carson Beach committing what would be a crime in my home state of Nebraska!
I started the day by arriving at McCormick Bath House to welcome the Blue Crew from Massachusetts Blue Cross Blue Shield team. The whole team was pumped to help keep Boston’s beaches the cleanest urban beaches in the nation. I was also excited to help out so I picked a team who was assigned to clean out the beach grass that outlines the boardwalk. Not knowing what I was getting myself into, we grabbed our tools and gloves and headed to our site only to find the Goldenrod flower growing in every direction.

As I stood there to take in the view of the job ahead of us, I finally put two and two together. I realized that according to the directions of the DCR we were suppose to pull everything but the sea grass, which meant the goldenrod had to go. As a native Nebraskan this is task that I could be ticketed for if I were still living in the “Good Life” state. For those of you that don’t know, the Goldenrod is Nebraska’s state flower and is illegal to pick in the state.

So here I am on Carson Beach being asked to pluck this flower out of the ground and I realize how interesting it is. If the Blue Crew had been cleaning up a state park in Nebraska they would have been asked to pick everything but that flower whereas being in the state of Massachusetts it is considered a weed and invasive.Even though the Goldenrod is beautiful the Blue Crew made Carson Beach sparkle again. We all walked away with pride in the amount of work we accomplished and good cheer from being on South Boston's beaches for a day.

In addition to this weeks adventures it is also the week that I say good bye to Save the Harbor. I had an amazing summer and learned more about the harbor and its importance than I would have anywhere else. I would like to thank everyone that work at Save the Harbor, especially Bruce and Patty. You guys were awesome, a great support, and provided a wonderful introduction to the city of Boston. Thanks again and I hope to see you out on the harbor soon!

-Liz Allen
Events/Communications Intern

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Welcome to Save the Harbor / Save the Bay's Boston Harbor blog "Sea, Sand & Sky".

Save the Harbor/Save the Bay is a non-profit public-interest Boston Harbor environmental advocacy organization whose mission is to restore and protect Boston Harbor, Massachusetts Bay, the Boston Harbor Islands, the Boston Harbor region's public beaches, Boston's waterfront and the marine environment and share them with the public, for everyone to enjoy.

Since 1986, Save the Harbor / Save the Bay has been the driving force behind the transformation of Boston Harbor from one of the dirtiest urban harbors in America to one of the cleanest in the world.

As a result of our advocacy, Boston Harbor has been transformed from a "Harbor of Shame" into a source of recreational, educational and economic opportunity and civic pride. Today the beaches of South Boston are among the cleanest urban beaches in the nation, the Boston Harbor Islands are a National Park, and Boston's waterfront has become a compelling destination for residents and visitors alike.

Working with a broad base of civic, corporate, government, scientific, philanthropic and community partners, Save the Harbor / Save the Bay continues to strengthen the connections between communities and the harbor, and promote the increasingly important impact Boston Harbor has on the region’s economy.

Each year Save the Harbor / Save the Bay runs 2 free Youth Environmental Education Programs that combine recreation and hands-on education to bring Boston Harbor alive for thousands of Boston area young people. Since 2003, we have connected nearly 250,000 youth and teens to Boston Harbor, the Boston Harbor Islands, our region's public beaches and Boston's waterfront.