Sea, Sand and Sky: December 2012

Saturday, December 8, 2012

Your copy of "Splash" has arrived!

Download your copy of our newsletter here.

One of the best things about putting together each edition of Save the Harbor / Save the Bay’s newsletter “Splash” is that it gives us a chance to look back on what we have accomplished over the past months and what we hope to do in the coming year.

By any objective measure, 2012 was a great year for Boston Harbor and for Save the Harbor / Save the Bay.

In March, hundreds of people took part in the Harpoon Helps Cupid Splash, raising more than $30,000 to fund free events on the region’s public beaches from Nahant to Nantasket.
This year more than 1,000 young people and their families joined us on one of our free weekend Marine Mammal Safaris in the spring thanks to event sponsor Mass Bay Lines, or on one of our free Treasures of Spectacle Island Cruises in the fall.
This summer our 32 outstanding summer youth environmental education program staffers led 28 free All Access Boston Harbor trips to the Boston Harbor islands this year on a new boat, the Provincetown II.
This summer we also ran our free Boston Harbor Explorers program at 8 sites around the harbor. Working together, our team connected more 13,545 youth and teens to Boston Harbor and the Boston Harbor Islands this year, an increase of more than 20%.
In August, our Youth Beach Bash and Splash brought more than 650 kids to Carson Beach to celebrate clean water, while our Swim for Boston Harbor brought swimmers from as far away as Chicago to take part in a one-mile race on one of the cleanest urban beaches in America.
This year we also began several important new policy initiatives this year, as we work to continue to improve water quality - and the quality of life - in Boston’s waterfront neighborhoods and the region’s beachfront communities.

Over the coming months we hope that you will join our Coalition for Clean Water as we work with our Beaches Science Advisory Committee and the Metropolitan Beaches Commission, led by Sen. Jack Hart and Rep. Kathi-Anne Reinstein, to create a consensus on the next round of investment in Boston Harbor, our beaches and our future.

I hope that you will take a few minutes to read and enjoy this issue of Splash, visit our website at www.savetheharbor.org, like our Boston Harbor events and activities Facebook page and join our Save the Harbor page on Facebook

We also hope that you will consider making a contribution to support our work.

Thanks again for your support. We hope to see you on Boston Harbor again soon.

Welcome!

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.