Do You Have a Great Idea for a Free Beach Program or Event in 2019?

Summers are meant to be spent on the beach, and with help from the Better Beaches Program those days and nights can be full of fun and entertainment from a range of activities.

If you or your group has a great idea for a free event or program on your favorite beach this year, here’s some very good news:

Save the Harbor/Save the Bay and the Department of Conservation & Recreation (DCR) have released a Request for Proposals for Better Beaches Program Grants to fund free events and programs on the region’s public beaches from Nahant to Nantasket in 2019!

We are seeking proposals from organizations to generate excitement by hosting an array of beach related activities. All ideas are welcome, but grants are intended to reach a goal of uniting neighbors and sharing what each unique beach has to offer. Nearly $250,000 will be invested in the Better Beaches Program with each organization receiving between $500-$5,000 and exceptional cases receiving larger amounts. Grants will support events in Lynn, Nahant, Revere, Winthrop, East Boston, South Boston, Dorchester, Quincy and Hull.

In 2018, Save the Harbor and DCR awarded more than $200,000 in Better Beaches Program grants to 36 organizations in nine waterfront communities from Nahant to Nantasket. Last year’s grants supported 163 free events that included concerts, movie nights, kayak lessons, sand-sculpting competitions, and circus performances on the beach, as well as Storytelling by the Sea, Art on the Shore, and much more.

 “The Better Beaches Program funds and supports free events and programs that are as different as the beachfront communities and waterfront neighborhoods that host them,” said Save the Harbor/Save the Bay’s President Tani Marinovich. “But one thing they all have in common is that they bring kids and families together to enjoy our region’s great public beaches.”

"The Baker-Polito Administration is proud to work collaboratively with organizations like Save the Harbor/Save the Bay in an effort to ensure the Commonwealth's state beaches and other parks and reservations remain popular destinations for residents and tourists alike," said DCR Commissioner Leo Roy. "The Better Beaches Program serves as a great example of a strong partnership that will directly impact visitors of some of the state's most popular beaches."

This year, funds to support the program will include the proceeds of the Harpoon Shamrock Splash which will be held on Sunday, March 10th at the BCYF Curley Community Center at M Street Beach in South Boston. You can register or make a donation online at www.shamrocksplash.org

“These free programs are extremely important to our region’s residents and visitors alike,” said Representative RoseLee Vincent, Co-Chair Metropolitan Beaches Commission, Revere and Saugus. “Thanks to Save the Harbor/Save the Bay and DCR for working together to strengthen our beachfront communities and waterfront neighborhoods.”

“When everyone pulls together, life can really be a beach,” said Bruce Berman, Director of Strategy and Communications for Save the Harbor/Save the Bay. “All of us at Save the Harbor would like to thank our program partners and event sponsors, Harpoon Brewery, JetBlue, Mix 104.1, The Daily Catch, Baja Taco Truck, and the Blue Sky Collaborative, The Boston Foundation, the Richard Saltonstall Charitable Foundation, Beacon Capital Partners, P&G Gillette, National Grid, and Comcast for their support.”

“We would also like to thank Metropolitan Beaches Commission Co-Chairs Representative RoseLee Vincent and Senator Brendan Crighton, the legislative and community members of the Commission, the Baker-Polito Administration, our partners at the Department of Conservation and Recreation, the Boston Centers for Youth & Families, and The YMCA of Greater Boston, and the hundreds of people who take part in the Harpoon Shamrock Splash for making this great program possible.”

To find out more about the Better Beaches Program, download Save the Harbor’s 2018 Better Beaches Program Report here.

For more information on how to apply for a 2019 Better Beaches Program grant, visit Save the Harbor’s blog, Sea, Sand & Sky at http://blog.savetheharbor.org/ or send an email to patton@savetheharbor.org.

Applications are due by Monday April 22, 2019.

Grants will be awarded on Saturday, June 8th at Boston’s Fish Pier.

RESCHEDULED: Metropolitan Beaches Commission to Hold Public Hearing

The Metropolitan Beaches Commission (MBC) will hold nine public hearings in the winter and spring of 2019 in waterfront communities from Nahant to Nantasket to receive public input about the state of the beaches. The first hearing, which was rescheduled due to snow, will be held in Hull on Tuesday March 5th, from 6:00-8:00pm at the Nantasket Beach Resort and Hotel at 45 Hull Shore Road. 

“The region’s public beaches are important recreational, economic, and educational assets,” said State Senator Brendan Crighton, Senate Co-Chair of the MBC. “Working together we have made our beaches cleaner, safer and more accessible, and I am looking forward to continuing our work together this year.”

The Metropolitan Beaches Commission was created in 2006 by the Massachusetts Legislature to make findings and recommendations on ways to strengthen the Boston metropolitan region's 15 public beaches in Nahant, Lynn, Revere, Winthrop, East Boston, South Boston, Dorchester, Quincy, and Hull which are managed by the Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR). The 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.

“Nantasket Beach is not only an incredible space for recreation in our community, but an economic driver as well,” said State Representative Joan Meschino. “The Metropolitan Beaches Commission has done important work to ensure that we have the resources we need to maintain and improve the area. I look forward to seeing neighbors, residents, and anyone who visits and loves Nantasket Beach at the hearing on the 12th so that we can hear from you.”

In 2013, the Commission reconvened to examine the impacts of the reforms and recommendations made in its first report and issue additional findings and recommendations to better leverage these resources for residents in the future. The MBC was made permanent in 2015. Each year the Commission holds public hearings at the State House and in waterfront neighborhoods and beachfront communities from Nahant to Nantasket, and issues an annual report of its findings and recommendations to the Legislature and to DCR.

“As the Commissioner from Revere Beach, the nation’s first public beach, I know how important these resources are,” said State Representative RoseLee Vincent, House Co-Chair of the MBC. “Beaches like Revere Beach are premier destinations for millions of visitors from across the Commonwealth and the country, and enhance the lives of the community members who live along their shores.”

The Commission will release its third report on the state of the metropolitan beaches in late spring after the hearings are completed. During the last round of hearings more than a thousand people participated, helping the Commission understand what’s working and what could use improvement.

“One of the most important lessons we have learned is that the region’s residents really love their beaches, and have great ideas about how to make them better,” said Bruce Berman, Director of Strategy and Communications at Save the Harbor/Save the Bay, which has helped to lead and manage the Commission since its inception. “We look forward to hearing from the residents of Hull and all

Each hearing will give community members and beach goers the chance to share their thoughts on the state of their beach, and share their ideas and recommendations to make them even better. The Commission will hold a hearing in late May to review its draft findings with the public before releasing their final report in June. The Commission will hold hearings in Nahant, Lynn, Revere, Winthrop, East Boston, South Boston, Dorchester, and Hull between February and May 2019. The MBC held a hearing in Quincy in August of 2018, and the feedback received will also be included in the Commission’s report.

The 2019 Metropolitan Beaches Commission hearings will be held on the following dates:

• Tuesday February 12th – Hull 
• Tuesday March 19th – Lynn and Nahant 
• Saturday March 30th – Dorchester 
•  Tuesday April 9th – East Boston 
• Tuesday April 30th – Revere 
• Monday May 6th - South Boston
•  Tuesday May 14th – Winthrop 
•  Saturday May 18th – Regional Review 
• Tuesday June 4th – Report Release at State House 

If you love your beach, but can't attend the MBC Hearing, you can share your thoughts by taking part in the MBC online survey at https://tinyurl.com/BeachesSurvey
those who love Nantasket Beach.”

Save the Harbor/Save the Bay Announces New Chief Executive Officer

On Tuesday, January 22, Save the Harbor/Save the Bay announced the appointment Tani Marinovich as its new CEO. Tani succeeds long-time President Patty Foley, who is retiring after 20 years of leading the organization. The organization will honor Foley for her service at their annual Destination Boston Harbor gala on March 28th at the Seaport Hotel in Boston.\


Marinovich has a demonstrated track record of success in the environmental arena, having served as Executive Director of the Esplanade Association and more recently as Director of Philanthropy with The Charles River Watershed Association. Her deep passion for environmental stewardship, youth programming and community building make her uniquely qualified to lead Save the Harbor/Save the Bay to new heights.


“We are glad to have found a new leader who is cares so deeply about our mission,” said Save the Harbor/Save the Bay Board Chair Joseph Newman, Director of Government Affairs for Massachusetts at National Grid. “Tani is an experienced non-profit leader. The Board and I are confident she will continue to ensure that our policy and programs continue to be thoughtful and strong as we work with the next generation of Harbor stewards and environmental advocates.”


“It’s an honor to have been chosen to lead an organization that aligns with my passion for clean water, public access and free youth environmental education programs,” said Marinovich. “I am thrilled to work with such a talented staff, committed board, and dedicated civic, corporate, government and community partners. I look forward to building on Patty’s legacy, and expanding the depth and breadth of the critical work of this organization.”


“This is an exciting time for Save the Harbor/Save the Bay,” said Foley. “With Tani at the helm and a great board and leadership team in place, I am confident that the future is bright for Boston Harbor and the region’s waterfront neighborhoods and beachfront communities. I look forward to doing everything I can to support her and the organization I love so much during this transition.”


“Tani cares about Boston Harbor, the Harbor Islands and our region’s public beaches from Nahant to Nantasket,” said longtime Save the Harbor Director of Strategy Bruce Berman. “She also cares about clean water and public access for children and famiies. I look forward to working with her as Save the Harbor continues to “Share the Harbor” we have worked so hard to restore and protect with the region’s kids and families.”


Save the Harbor/Save the Bay is a nonprofit public interest Boston Harbor advocacy organization. The organization is made up of thousands of citizens, as well as scientists, and civic, corporate, cultural and community leaders whose shared mission is to restore and protect Boston Harbor, Massachusetts Bay, and the marine environment and share them with the public for everyone to enjoy.


Save the Harbor/Save the Bay is best known as the driving force for the successful transformation of Boston Harbor from a national disgrace to a source of recreational and economic opportunity and civic pride for all Bostonians and the region’s residents, with the cleanest urban beaches in the nation.

In 2018, their free youth environmental educations connected more than 30,000 underserved and low-income young people and their families to Boston Harbor, the harbor islands and the region’s public beaches in Lynn, Nahant, Revere, Winthrop, East Boston, South Boston, Dorchester, Quincy and Hull.