80 Blue Cross Blue Shield Employees Help Keep South Boston's Beaches the Cleanest Urban Beaches in America

On September 16th, Blue Cross Blue Shield held their 5th annual corporate-wide Service Day: One Community. One Blue where more than 3,000 BCBS employees participated in service projects across the state. 80 of those employees chose to spend their day helping the Department of Conservation and Recreation maintain the cleanest urban beach in America by removing 18 tons of trash, overgrown brush and debris!

The Blue Crew helped keep South Boston's beaches clean in partnership with the DCR and Save the Harbor/Save the Bay

Site coordinator, Amy Eve, led the efforts of the 80 Blue Cross Blue Shield employees in South Boston at Carson Beach, M Street Beach, K Street Beach and City Point in partnership with the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation and Save the Harbor/Save the Bay staff. The eight teams accomplished a great deal of work throughout the day from Pleasure Bay to the McCormack Bath House removing weeds and overgrowth, painting shade shelters, and sweeping sand back onto the beaches. 

Damien Sarafian of Bridgewater and Tim Staples of Dorchester help to sweep sand back onto Carson Beach

Tim Staples of Dorchester, who works in the Quincy BCBS office, chose this service day project because it resonated close to home with him. "I live in the area and jumped at the opportunity to help take care of my neighborhood."

Amanda Cummings and Hollie Alexander of Weymouth pulled weeds along Carson Beach. They have known each other since high school and chose to work with Save the Harbor for their Service Day so they could enjoy a day on the harbor! 

The Blue Crew's efforts were most apparent along the walk way around the Sugar Bowl. They worked incredibly hard to remove truckloads of brush and debris that had pilled up along the fence. After all was said and done the teams repainted 16 shade shelters, removed eight tons of organic material such as weeds and shrubs, collected 10 tons of trash and debris, and swept sand away from four beach accessible ramps and six sets of stairs. 

Anton Truong of Quincy worked hard to remove weeds near the McCormack Bath House, he also found a blue marble and has been entered into Save the Harbor and JetBlue's "Simply Marble-ous" Treasure Hunt! 

To find out more about the treasure hunt click here!

Bruce Berman, Director of Strategy, Communications and Programs at Save the Harbor was delighted to see how much the Blue Crew had accomplished in such a short amount of time. "We are glad to have Blue Cross Blue Shield as a partner for their day of service," he said. "We value their continued support and commitment to our community and mission to protect the Boston Harbor and its surrounding beaches. When government, nonprofits and responsible corporate partners come together we can accomplish a lot for our communities."

The Blue Crew pulling weeds near Mother's Rest

Thank you to everyone who participated in this year's Blue Cross Blue Shield service day on the beaches of South Boston. All of us from Save the Harbor/Save the Bay and the Department of Conservation and Recreation appreciate your hard work. 

Free Fall Cruise to Spectacle Island Saturday Sept. 26th!

On Saturday, September 26^th, Save the Harbor/Save the Bay will host a free “Treasures of Spectacle Island” cruise to spend a beautiful fall day in the Boston Harbor Islands National Park! Come enjoy the view from the highest hill on the Boston Harbor Islands, and hunt for sea glass on Treasure Beach.

Thanks to our partners at Mass Humanities, this year we are excited to announce that storyteller Norah Dooley will join us as Mary Read the Pirate, to share stories of shipwrecks, ghosts and pirates of Boston Harbor and to encourage you to share your stories as well.

We will begin boarding the Provincetown II at Bay State Cruise Company’s dock at the World Trade Center in South Boston at 9:30 AM for a 10:00 AM departure. We will return by 2:30 PM.

The snack bar on Spectacle Island will be open as well as the snack bar aboard the Provincetown II. You are also welcome to bring a picnic lunch—please remember that the Boston Harbor Islands have a “carry-on, carry-off” policy, so bring a bag for your trash!

Keep an eye out for marbles while exploring the beach—you could win a pair of JetBlue flights to any domestic destination they serve from Boston’s Logan Airport as part of the 2015 “Simply Marble-ous” Treasure Hunt! Take a picture of yourself with a marble and email it to info@savetheharbor.org with your name, neighborhood, and contact information to enter the contest! A winner will be chosen on October 31^st.

The Bay State Cruise Company dock is easily accessed via the MBTA’s Silver Line. Parking is available in various lots and garages in the area. For MBTA and driving directions, visit http://baystatecruisecompany.com/directions.php

Reservations are required. Though there is plenty of room on the boat, space is still limited, so please RSVP to Amy Gaylord via email or phone to reserve your space: Gaylord@savetheharbor.org or 617-451-2860 x1008! Please give us an accurate headcount so that we can accommodate as many guests as possible. 

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, Distrigas/GDF SUEZ, and The Coca-Cola Foundation.

Save the Harbor is grateful for Partnership Grants from Forrest Berkley & Marcie Tyre Berkley, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts, The Chiofaro Company, The Clowes Fund, Marion L. Decrow Memorial Foundation, Alice Willard Dorr Foundation, The Fallon Company, Hampshire House Corporation – Cheers for Children, John Hancock Financial Services, Inc., Mass Humanities, Massachusetts Bay Lines, Massachusetts Environmental Trust, Massachusetts Port Authority, National Grid Foundation, P&G Gillette, William E & Bertha E. Schrafft Charitable Trust, 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, Blue Hills Bank Pavilion, BOMA, Boston Bruins Foundation, Boston Global Investors, Boston Properties – Atlantic Wharf, Breckinridge Capital Advisors, Andrew J. Calamare, Carnival Foundation, Circle Furniture, The Daily Catch Seaport, Eastern Bank Charitable Foundation, Ms. Wallace M. Leonard Foundation, Paul & Phyllis Fireman Charitable Foundation, Thomas & Lucinda Foley, HYM Investment Group Inc., Lovett-Woodsum Foundation, Massachusetts Water Resources Authority, National Park Service, Nicholson Foundation, P&G Gillette, Reebok Foundation, Rockland Trust – Peoples Federal Foundation, Skanska, South Boston Community Development Foundation, Spectra Energy, Matthew J. & Gilda F. Strazzula Foundation, Lawrence J. & Anne Rubenstein Foundation, Senior Housing Property Trust, South Boston Community Development Foundation, TD Bank Charitable Foundation, Kyle & Sara Warwick, and the hundreds of individual donors who help make these programs possible.

 Save the Harbor would also like to thank 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.

Over 400 Enjoy an End of Summer Beach Party with Mayor Martin J. Walsh!

This past Saturday, September 12th, more than 400 people joined Mayor Marty Walsh at the BCYF Curley Community Center in South Boston for a spectacular end of summer beach party on one of the cleanest urban beaches in America! 

The beach was covered in fun activities such as KanJam, Cornhole, Spikeball, volleyball, hula-hoops, beach balls and more! Joanne and Jethro Mills provided fun music at the start of the party and were followed by the band Endless Summer for some classic beach-worthy tunes! 

Endless Summer rocked the beach!

 Boating in Boston provided free stand-up paddleboarding and kayaking for kids and families to enjoy- it was a perfect day to be out on the water! During the afternoon, Sweet Cheeks Q was there to feed everyone a fantastic pig roast that included burgers, salad, fruit and more!

Larry the Lobster even made an appearance thanks to Save the Harbor's marine educators! Everyone was fascinated by his size- it's not often we find a 5lb lobster! The kids loved picking him up and holding him for a photo opportunity, what a great photo to bring back to school for show and tell!

Larry the Lobster making his beach party debut! 

Also on the beach were hundreds of blue and white marbles hidden by Save the Harbor's staff. These marbles are part of Save the Harbor and JetBlue's Simply Marble-ous Treasure Hunt! Finding one of these marbles will enter you into a contest to win a pair of round-trip flights with JetBlue! If you found one on the beach, or any beach in Boston for that matter, please send a photo of yourself holding the marble along with your contact information and where you found it to info@savetheharbor.org. Please see our blog here for more information on the Simply Marble-ous Treasure Hunt! 

Mayor Walsh found a marble, will you?!

Thank you to everyone who helped make this beach party happen! 

We would especially like to thank:

The City of Boston

The Mayor's Office of Tourism, Sports and Entertainment

Boston Centers for Youth and Families and the BCYF Curley Community Center

Sweet Cheeks Q 

Endless Summer

Joanne & Jethro Mills

Boating in Boston

Boston Police Department

Thank you to the Department of Conservation and Recreation, 
the Metropolitan Beaches Commission and all of our
Better Beaches Program Partners and Funders

For more information about Save the Harbor/Save the Bay visit their website at www.savetheharbor.org, their blog Sea, Sand & Sky at www.blog.savetheharbor.org or follow savetheharbor on Facebook and Twitter! 

The "Simply Marble-ous" Treasure Hunt is Underway!

Help Save the Harbor Find Our Marbles!

Find a marble on a Boston area beach from now until Halloween and you could win a pair of round-trip JetBlue flights* to any domestic destination they serve from Boston's Logan Airport as part of the 2015 "Simply Marble-ous" Treasure Hunt.

Buy a virtual marble here for just $10 by October 31st
and you could be this year's lucky winner!

Boston's Mayor Marty Walsh found his marble at the End of Summer Beach Party
at the BCYF Curley Community Center at M Street Beach in South Boston.
You can find yours on a public beach from Nahant to Nantasket.

It is free and easy to enter the contest. Over the past few year's we have released hundreds of blue, blue and white or white and blue marbles on beaches from Nahant to Nantasket
as part of our Better Beaches Program.

Find one on the beach, take a photo of yourself with the marble and post it on Save the Harbor's Facebook page or email the photo with your contact information to
info@savetheharbor.org and you could be the winner!

If you don't find a marble on the beach, you can still join in the fun!

Buy a virtual marble here for just $10 by October 31st
and you could be this year's lucky winner!

The "Simply Marble-ous" Treasure Hunt began in 2012 at a beach clean-up led by JetBlue crew members and Save the Harbor/Save the Bay. The more than 100 participants spent the day doing 5 weeks worth of maintenance at DCR's Carson Beach Reservation in South Boston. When they were finished, they released marbles into the water for Boston beach-goers to find - starting a tradition that continues to this day.

There are still hundreds of marbles waiting to be discovered on
Boston area beaches this year so get busy. The winner will be chosen on October 31st.

Stay up to date on the "Simply Marble-ous" Treasure Hunt - and learn more about other fun free ways to enjoy Boston Harbor by following savetheharbor on Facebook and Twitter.

*To any domestic destination they serve from Boston's Logan Airport.
Some restrictions apply, however the fun is unlimited!

Free End of Summer Beach Party!

The Mayor's Office of Tourism, Sports and Entertainment and Save the Harbor/Save the Bay is inviting all Bostonians to mark the start of the new school year and celebrate at an "End of Summer Beach Party" on Saturday, September 12 at the Boston Centers for Youth & Family (BCYF) Curley Community Center's M Street Beach in South Boston.  

"The City is excited to celebrate the spirit of summer for as long as possible," said Mayor Martin J. Walsh. "I'm looking forward to closing the season on a high note and coming together as a community for an afternoon of fun." 

The event will be held from 12-5 p.m. and will feature a barbecue by Sweet Cheeks, beach games, kayaking, stand-up paddle boards, family activities and live music by the Endless Summer Band.

A recent study by Save the Harbor / Save the Bay found the beaches in South Boston to be cleaner than some of the most iconic beaches in the U.S., including Miami Beach in Florida and Waikiki Beach in Hawaii. Save the Harbor / Save the Bay launched its Better Beaches Program with the support of The Boston Foundation in 2008 to help local beach communities create and sustain free events and activities on the region's public beaches. This year, with additional funds from the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation, Save the Harbor / Save the Bay awarded over $200,000 in grants to groups in Lynn, Nahant, Revere, Winthrop, East Boston, South Boston, Dorchester, Quincy and Hull.

"Thanks to the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority and the Boston Water and Sewer Commission, the beaches of South Boston are the cleanest urban beaches in America," said Bruce Berman, Director of Strategy, Communications and Programs at Save the Harbor / Save the Bay. "It is great to celebrate all we've accomplished together with Mayor Walsh and enjoy these spectacular urban natural resources."

The Mayor's Office of Tourism, Sports and Entertainment is committed to producing fun, free public events for Bostonians and visitors to the city, and is proud to collaborate with Save the Harbor / Save the Bay to put on the End of Summer Beach Party. At the beginning of this summer, Mayor Walsh announced a new Family Friendly Beach at the M Street Beach at the BCYF Curley Community Center. The End of Summer Beach Party will be an exciting and festive closure to the Family Friendly Beach's debut season.  

For further information please call 617-635-3911, visit boston.gov/summer, check out @VisitBoston on Twitter or visit https://www.facebook.com/BostonCityTourism. The BCYF Curley Community Center is located at 1663 Columbia Road in South Boston and is accessible by MBTA via Andrew Square (Red Line) or the 11 bus towards City Point.

Goodbye for now!

Climbing structure at Camp Harbor View, on Long Island

Hello and goodbye, friends of Save the Harbor!

I cannot believe that the summer has come to a close. I hope you are all taking advantage of this beautiful weather- keep getting to the beach, it will ease the back-to-school blues!

I wanted to start off with a photo from Camp Harbor View because it represents one of the greatest parts of working with Save the Harbor- there are always new adventures to be had. I did not work at CHV until the end of the summer, but it really made an impact- the staff is incredibly motivated, the campers are fun and engaging, and Long Island is stunning. This is the climbing structure that I was itching to get on (maybe some other time!) I am excited that CHV is making climbing a part of the camp because for me, rock climbing is stress relief, fun, and over-all upkeep. I am happier and healthier now that I rock climb, and I'm glad to see that kids in Boston are learning about this amazing sport!

Jaimie with a crab!

Sisters Jaimie and Julia with their mud-man!

I think I left a piece of me with all of the smiling friends we made at Blacks Creek this year. I'm going to hold on to these memories forever! Blacks Creek was the site I spent the most time at- thanks to our partners at Quincy Recreation, we enjoyed a great summer with the sailing center!  From finding crabs and eels to making sculptures and mudballs during our rare low-tide days, I'll have a lot to miss from this site!

Abdi at Blacks Creek with Jaimie and Jordan!

Alex and Jayda!

One of the most beautiful parts of this summer was seeing our JPAs take up leadership role. Here's Abdi with some of our kids at Blacks Creek. Abdi is the youngest in his family, but he took up leadership like a natural. From teaching the kids how to play "Taps" to taking over all of the responsibility that comes with being King of the Crab Trap, Abdi was an asset to our team this summer. He has a great time with the kids, and they are always smiling when he is teaching them.

Norah Dooley, Patty Foley,  and some of our guests at the Beach Bash! 

Ahmed, Ketchup King, at the Beach Bash!

Similarly, I found myself learning from our JPAs! Jayda, above, is one of the most organized and motivated people I have ever met. We arrived at Nautical Day at Blacks Creek and she immediately caught us an eel for the touch tank. Jayda's unbeatable and energetic smile and disposition were inspirations for me this summer. Thanks for teaching me so much,  to all of my brilliant JPAs!

As I reflect on the rest of the summer, what I remember most are smiles and sunshine. I'll always be grateful to Save the Harbor for giving me this amazing opportunity. For letting me work with Ahmed, our expert LHE, when I was nervous on my first day; for having an on-call pirate and a president who enjoys listening to sea tales with kids; for Bridget Ryan, our incredible Head Teacher.

Thanks for an amazing summer, Boston!

 Carolyn House