Final Cruise of the Season to Spectacle Island!

On Saturday October 24^th more than 250 people from Greater Boston visited Spectacle Island on our last fall cruise of the season!

Participants spent the chilly autumn day exploring Spectacle Island with Save the Harbor’s staff and interns and sharing stories with Save the Harbor’s Humanities Scholar Norah Dooley as Mary Read the Pirate. Dooley helped the group get into the Halloween spirit by sharing haunting stories about the “Lady in Red” and the better known “Lady in Black” and encouraging island visitors to hone their own storytelling skills by sharing some of their own stories as well.

Derick Weekes of Quincy shares his story with  Save the Harbor's Humanities Scholar Norah Dooley who appeared as the pirate Mary Read on Saturday's free fall trip to Spectacle Island

Giles Parker, Superintendent of the Boston Harbor Islands for the National Park Service, was glad that so many young people and their families were able to “Find Your Park” and explore the Boston Harbor Islands National and State Park on Saturday. “As we celebrate the 100th year of the National Park Service, the NPS and our partners including Save the Harbor/Save the Bay are working together to connect the next generation of visitors to city, state and national parks. “

A group from the Highland Coalition in Lynn made the trip out to Spectacle Island to enjoy a day of exploration and fun. (Adults from left to right: Riffin Olivier, Bruce Berman, Lucie Sthilaire, Jasmine Charles, George Charles and Shade Olivier)

21 people from Maverick Landing in East Boston set sail on Saturday for Spectacle Island.

Despite the chilly weather, it was a great day to fly a kite, enjoy a picnic lunch, take a hike to the top of a drumlin to see the city, or simply search for treasure and blue marbles on the beach, as part of Save the Harbor and JetBlue’s “Simply Marble-ous” Treasure Hunt.

“It was a record breaking year for our free All Access Boston Harbor program, which connected nearly 10,000 underserved young people and their families to Boston Harbor with free trips to Spectacle, Peddocks and Georges Islands,” said Save the Harbor’s spokesman Bruce Berman. “We are looking forward to celebrating our 30^th Anniversary next year and setting new records, but hopefully we won’t set new record for snow!”

Save the Harbor's free youth environmental education and family programs are made possible with Leadership Grants from Bay State Cruise Company, The Boston Foundation, The Coca-Cola Foundation and Distrigas/GDF SUEZ.

Save the Harbor is grateful for Partnership Grants from Forrest Berkley & Marcie Tyre Berkley, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts, Boston Properties – Atlantic Wharf, The Chiofaro Company, The Clowes Fund, Marion L. Decrow Memorial Foundation, Alice Willard Dorr Foundation, Eastern Salt Company Inc., The Fallon Company, Hampshire House Corporation – Cheers for Children, John Hancock Financial Services, Inc., Mass Humanities, Massachusetts Bay Lines, Massachusetts Port Authority, National Grid Foundation, P&G Gillette, William E & Bertha E. Schrafft Charitable Trust, Vertex and Mark Wahlberg Youth Foundation.

Save the Harbor also appreciates funding support from 3A Marine Service, Arbella Insurance Group Charitable Foundation, Andus Baker & Rowan Murphy Family Fund, Bay State Federal Savings Charitable Foundation, Blue Hills Bank Pavilion, BOMA Boston, Boston Bruins Foundation, Boston Global Investors, Breckinridge Capital Advisors, Andrew J. Calamare, Camp Harbor View Foundation, Carnival Foundation, Circle Furniture, Cresset Management, LLC, The Daily Catch Seaport, Eastern Bank Charitable Foundation, Paul & Phyllis Fireman Charitable Foundation, Thomas & Lucinda Foley, Legal Sea Foods, Ms. Wallace M. Leonard Foundation, Mass Bay Credit Union, HYM Investment Group Inc., Sherry & Alan Leventhal Family Foundation, Lovett-Woodsum Foundation, Massachusetts Water Resources Authority, National Park Service, Nicholson Foundation, Randy Peeler & Kate Kellogg, Reebok Foundation, Rockland Trust – Peoples Federal Foundation, Lawrence J. & Anne Rubenstein Foundation, Senior Housing Property Trust, Skanska, South Boston Community Development Foundation, Spectra Energy, South Boston Community Development Foundation, Storm Duds, Matthew J. & Gilda F. Strazzula Foundation, TD Bank Charitable Foundation, Tishman Speyer, UDR, and Kyle & Sara Warwick.

Special thanks to the hundreds of individual donors and to our partners at the Department of Conservation and Recreation, the Metropolitan Beaches Commission, the Boston Centers for Youth and Families and the YMCA of Greater Boston for their support.

For more information about Save the Harbor/Save the Bay and the work we do to restore, protect and share Boston Harbor, the harbor islands and the metropolitan region’s public beaches, visit our website at www.savetheharbor.org and follow savetheharbor on Facebook and Twitter.

Lucky Man Finds Treasure on the Beach in South Boston Thanks to JetBlue

On September 16, Siva Venkataraman of Walpole found a blue marble on the beach while taking part in the Blue Cross /Blue Shield of Massachusetts Annual Service Day at DCR’s Carson Beach in South Boston.

Siva Venkataraman of Walpole found a blue marble on the beach in South Boston and won a pair of round trip flights from JetBlue in Save the Harbor’s “Simply Marble-ous” Treasure Hunt.

 “It was a great way to spend the day, giving back to our community” said Siva, who was surprised to discover this week that he had won a pair of round-trip flights from JetBlue to any domestic destination they serve from Boston’s Logan Airport as part of Save the Harbor/Save the Bay and JetBlue’s 2015 “Simply Marble-ous” Treasure Hunt. “Save the Harbor and JetBlue are awesome! I can’t wait to tell my wife.”

Take a minute and enjoy this short video starring the 2015 treasure hunters.

The JetBlue “Simply Marble-ous” Treasure Hunt began in 2012 on the beaches of South Boston with a beach clean up sponsored by JetBlue in partnership Save the Harbor. In just a few short hours, more than 100 people did 5 weeks worth of work cleaning up the beaches. At the end of the day, the participants released blue marbles on the beach for Boston beach-goers to find.

“The Simply Marble-ous Treasure Hunt is a favorite among JetBlue’s more than 2,500 crewmembers in Boston, many of whom volunteer locally for a variety of worthy causes including Save The Harbor/Save The Bay” said Ronda Ivy McLeod, Manager of Regional Marketing, Northeast at JetBlue. “The treasure hunt exemplifies our fun value, while also highlighting our commitment to the city of Boston.” 

Bruce Berman, Director of Communications at Save the Harbor/ Save the Bay said, “One of the reasons this event is such a success is because JetBlue is such a great partner. Fun is one of their core values, which you can see that in the way they treat their community partners, employees and customers.” 

This year more than 100 people found marbles on the beach, while scores more bought a “Virtual Marble” online to share in the fun and support Save the Harbor’s free youth and beach programs, which served more than 25,000 youth and teens to Boston Harbor and the harbor islands in 2015.

Thanks to everyone who took part, and special thanks to JetBlue

For more information about the “Simply Marble-ous Treasure Hunt” and all the great work Save the Harbor does, visit their blog “Sea, Sand & Sky” and follow savetheharbor on Facebook and Twitter.

Metropolitan Beaches Commission Announces Lynn Public Hearing

 

Metropolitan Beaches Commission Co-Chairs Senator Tom McGee of Lynn, Rep. RoseLee Vincent of Revere and Department of Conservation and Recreation Commissioner Carol Sanchez at a recent MBC meeting at the State House.

Metropolitan Beaches Commission Co-Chairs Senator Tom McGee of Lynn and Rep. RoseLee Vincent of Revere announced Tuesday that the Commission will hold a series of regional public hearings on the state of the Metropolitan Region’s public beaches from Nahant to Nantasket.

The first public hearing will focus on beaches in Lynn and Nahant and will be held on Saturday morning, November 7th from 10:00 am to noon at the Lynn Housing Authority and Neighborhood Development Community Room, 10 Church Street, Lynn.

Metropolitan Beaches Commission Co-Chair Senator Thomas McGee of Lynn, who has served on the Commission since its inception in 2007, and Co-Chair RoseLee Vincent of Revere will host the hearing. Commissioners Rep. Brendan P. Crighton of Lynn, Robert Tucker of the Friends of Lynn and Nahant Beach and newly appointed Commissioners Rep. Donald Wong of Saugus, Nahant Town Administrator Jeffrey Chelgren as well as other Commissioners from waterfront neighborhoods and beachfront communities from Nahant to Nantasket are expected to attend.

“These public hearings will give the region’s residents an opportunity to share their ideas about how to continue to improve our region’s public beaches, and give the Commission and the Department of Conservation and Recreation the chance to assess where we are today and where we hope to go in the future” said Commission Co-Chair Senator Tom McGee of Lynn. “Working together, I am confident that we can protect what we have accomplished and help move these beaches from good to great.”

“We’ve made great progress on these beaches for all the region’s families,” said Commission Co-Chair Representative RoseLee Vincent of Revere. “They have truly benefited from the investments we have made in our beaches and it’s important that we don’t lose the gains we have made.”

“It has taken years of effort to change public perception and improve these beaches,” said Save the Harbor/Save the Bay board member David Spillane of Goody Clancy, who has served as a lead consultant to the Commission since its inception. “However, we could lose this progress in short order if the resources and commitment aren’t there to protect the progress we have made and build on our success.”

About the Metropolitan Beaches CommissionThe Metropolitan Beaches Commission is comprised of elected officials and community, civic, nonprofit, and business leaders from Boston and the metropolitan region’s waterfront neighborhoods and beachfront communities.

The MBC was created in 2006 by the Massachusetts Legislature to take an in-depth look at the metropolitan region’s public beaches in Nahant, Lynn, Revere, Winthrop, East Boston, South Boston, Dorchester, Quincy and Hull that are managed by the Department of Conservation and Recreation. The Commission reconvened in 2013 to examine the impacts of the reforms and recommendations made in its first report  “Beaches We Can Be Proud Of” and issued additional findings and recommendations to better leverage these resources for residents in the future in their 2014 report “Waves of Change”. Today the MBC is a permanent Commission, which reports annually to the House and the Senate.

For more information about the MBC and its history and accomplishments, or to download copies of the Commission’s 2007 and 2014 reports, visit www.savetheharbor.org/MBC

For more information about the Metropolitan Beaches Commission or the hearing on November 7th, please contact Bruce Berman at 617-451-2860 or by email to info@savetheharbor.org

Spectacle in the Fall

To start off the fall, we picked up right where we left off; Spectacle Island! Many people showed up on the windy Saturday morning to come out for a tour of the island. Between all of the hot chocolate and warm apple cider people were drinking, you could tell they were prepared for the weather. As soon as we docked the boat, everyone went their separate ways to explore, but we were still able to show everyone a great time on the island. The picture below shows an idea of how many people came to enjoy our free fall cruise. 

Our great story teller, Norah Dooley always has a story that will put you on the edge of your seat. From scary ghost stories to swashbuckling pirate stories to old folktales- her stories will always put a smile on your face and leave you asking for another one. She came out to the island with us and not only did she tell stories but she also helped us to tell our own stories to all of the visitors. We had a lot of fun learning the game Two Truths and a Lie, each person says three facts about themselves or about what they did this summer. Two of them are true and one of them is a lie, then everyone has to guess which fact was a lie. The tourists seemed to really enjoy it and it was a fun way to get to know everyone.

Overall, as always, it was a great day at Spectacle Island and there were many smiles to prove it. Until next time, Preston. 

Saturday at Spectacle

Last Saturday at Spectacle Island was one to remember! It was only my second time there and I finally hiked to the top! I met a lot of great people and heard some great stories about ghosts and pirates from Norah Dooley!

When we first got to the island we played two truths and a lie with Norah Dooley. I told people that over the summer I caught a flounder, a skate, and a striped bass. Almost everybody guessed that I had never caught a skate! When I told them I had caught one but had never caught a striped bass they were surprised! Going around the circle listening to everyone else's two truths and a lie was a lot of fun and really interesting. I can't wait to play this game again! 

-Sam

First Time to Spectacle Island on the Last Cruise of the Year

First Time to Spectacle Island on the Last Cruise of the Year!

Keith Goplerud of Allston &
Eddie Calderon of Boston

On Saturday Oct 24^th, a team from Save the Harbor/Save the Bay was accompanied by 254 excited brave souls from the greater Boston area for a free day trip to Spectacle Island. The day began with a chilly 30 minute cruise over to Spectacle Island, followed by a group picture when we got off the boat and then everyone went exploring on the island. People went and found spots for picnics, hiking and flying their kites, while others went on a search for the jet blue marbles that were hidden around the island.  Others stayed back near the boat to listen to Mary the Pirate tell scary stories about the island’s past.

Mary the Pirate sharing stories with the group

This was my first time on the island and I did not know what to expect.  I had a great time exploring the trails and enjoying the views of the harbor. My favorite part of the day was hearing the history of the island from Mary the Pirate’s stories. I found the stories of the past uses of the island to be different and interesting. Starting back in the 19^th century the island had various uses as farming and housing for families, the home of a quarantine hospital, a glue factory made from horses, and a landfill site before turning into the magically green space it is today. It was only until after the Big Dig construction projects, that the city took all the unused dirt and clay from the project to cover up the landfill and unwanted history to rebuild this amazing space.

I had a great time meeting new people and enjoying the island, despite the cold. I hope everyone who came along for the free day also enjoyed it and I welcome you to come along on the next free cruise by Save the Harbor/ Save the Bay.

Until the next post,

Brittany Angelo

Newest Policy Intern - Brittany Angelo

Good Afternoon Blog Readers,

My name is Brittany Angelo and I am the newest member of the Save the Harbor/ Save the Bay team. I have come onboard as an Environmental Policy Intern for the upcoming months. I graduated from Plymouth State University in Plymouth New Hampshire with a bachelor’s degree in Environmental Science and Policy and immediately took a job with the Utah Division of Wildlife working on the Utah Arizona line at Lake Powell (the house boating capital in the country). I enjoyed that position but determined that I enjoy time in the city much more so I returned to New England.

Originally from the greater Boston area, I visited some friends along the west coast and then made my road trip back to the east coast to start my internship here. Although I went from a hot, hot summer to a very cold fall, I am making the adjustment to the weather as well as the new internship!

In the past I have had multiple jobs in the field but my last internship with EST Associates, a privately owned environmental firm. I worked alongside DCR and MWRA to take the daily and weekly beach water samples that Save the Harbor/ Save the Bay uses for its Beach Water Quality Report Cards. I am excited to continue my work with the Boston Beaches and go from sampling work to policy work trying to make the Boston Harbor and Bay a cleaner place.

This is my second week and I am getting adjusted to many projects such as reviewing Save the Harbor/ Save the Bay history, reading up on the Beach Water Quality Report Cards, took a ride on the free fall cruise to discover Spectacle Island and listen to Mary the Pirate’s stories, attended a Metropolitan Beaches Commission (MBC) Meeting, and helping to spread the word about the upcoming public hearing in Lynn about their beaches and what is and isn’t working.

I am very excited to keep getting involved in the many projects and learn more about how a nonprofit organization works here at Save the Harbor/ Save the Bay.

-Brittany Angelo