Hines a Real Difference at Squantum Point Park

This week, Hines partnered with Save the Habor/ Save the Bay and the Department of Conservation and Recreation to remove more than 1.5 tons of trash from Squantum Point Park. In two hours' time, the dedicated volunteers from Hines turned an overgrown, littered, and Sumac infested stretch of land into a manicured green space. Hines has been committed to sustainability since its founding in 1957, and it was clear that the employees present at the cleanup are dedicated to maintaining that mission.

Michael Francis, left, on the day of the clean up with colleagues Kelly Shom and Bob Gendron in front of Marina Bay.

Michael Francis, Managing Director, expressed that "the Hines group, from the very top, makes sure we are giving back to our community", and the 20 plus volunteers did just that. Hines owns and developed the Meriel Marina Bay housing complex, located on the waterfront of Squantum Point Park. As stated by Managing Director, Sean Sacks, Squatum Point Park is a "hidden gem in the Department of Conservation and Recreation network, and we are excited to be out here cleaning up for both the residents of Marina Bay and Massachusetts citizens at large". That hidden gem certainly got polished this week!

Hard at work cutting down Sumac and Bittersweet. 

Although over 1.5 tons of Sumac and Bittersweet were removed from the area, there was nothing bittersweet about clearing extra green space for the community and conserving the stunning park.  Squantum is a former Naval airfield that now offers views of local birds and the Boston skyline.  Hines' dedication to engaging their employees in sustainable practices has left Squantum Point Park cleaner for the community to enjoy.

Employees from Hines, Save the Harbor/Save the Bay, and DCR before starting the cleanup.

Save the Harbor/Save the Bay is proud to be partners with the Department of Conservation and Recreation and Hines. "With incredible partners like these, creating opportunities for Massachusetts residents to enjoy the beaches, parks, and harbor is as fun as it is impactful," said Save the Harbor/ Save the Bay Executive Director, Chris Mancini. We at Save the Harbor/Save the Bay want to give a big thank you on behalf of us and the community members who will be enjoying Squatum Point Park to the Hines group and the Department of Conservation and Recreation for their incredible effort!

Wrapping up Share the Harbor Cruise Season with Two Harbor Tours

Passengers on the top deck out near Deer Island

Sunday's weather proved to be spectacular for our two Share the Harbor cruises aboard the Mass Bay Lines' Freedom. More than three hundred passengers arrived at Rowes Wharf to spend a few hours cruising around the Boston Harbor eager to learn more about certain landmarks in each waterfront neighborhood. Aboard was our trusty narrator David Coffin, who was the guide to learning more about the urban natural resource that is the Boston Harbor.

Collecting a Treasure Hunt before boarding

Equipped with treasure hunts, visitors on both cruises were welcomed aboard by Mass Bay Lines crew members and Save the Harbor youth staffers alike. They took their seats across all three levels, and prepared
to set out on a narrated adventure on the water. David kicked off his narration with the Boston Tea Party as we passed the Fort Point Channel, before cruising out past the seaport and Castle Island on our way towards Spectacle Island.

While approaching Spectacle, people learned the way that Boston once removed trash from the city was to ferry it out to Spectacle Island. In order for the island to be transformed into the National and State Park that it is today, the trash was burned in a fire that lasted ten years. For many of the people aboard who had visited Spectacle Island, they were shocked to learn that the island had such a rich history. Past Spectacle, there lies a black and white structure that emerges from a question mark shaped island. Cruisers learned of the scary history from the age of sail when this island was used to scare away those who should not enter the inner harbor.

David pointing out a nearby landmark for guests

With the turnaround slowly occurring out in front of Deer Island, all aboard learned where the sewage from Boston and the surrounding towns is sent to be treated. David even remarked that the water is so clean that people can drink it, which is a testament to the feat of engineering that the sewage treatment plant is.

People in line for cruise two excited to embark on their trip

To wrap up the cruise, we looped around the inner harbor past Logan Airport and the rest of East Boston towards Charlestown where we caught a great glimpse of the Tobin Bridge, Bunker Hill Monument, and of course Old Ironside also known as the USS Constitution. We then headed back to Rowes Wharf to dock and pick up the next group of folks who were lining up for cruise number two.




Overall, we had a spectacular day weather wise, great turnout from the public, and many new facts that we once did not know about the Boston Harbor. Although this concludes our Share the Harbor Cruises for 2019, we are excited to expand upon such a successful program in 2020. Stay Tuned!

A huge thank you to Mass Bay Lines for making these two harbor tours possible.

Save the Harbor's free Share the Harbor Cruises are made possible with Leadership Grants from Cronin Development, the Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs, and Bay State Cruise Company.

Save the Harbor is grateful for Leadership Grants from Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts, The Boston Foundation, The Coca-Cola Foundation, Exelon Generation, and John Hancock Financial Services.

Save the Harbor is also grateful for Partnership Grants from the Boston Bruins Foundation, Boston Properties – Atlantic Wharf, Boston Properties—200 Clarendon, The Daily Catch Seaport, Davis Family Charitable Foundation, Eastern Salt Company, Inc., Engie, Fan Pier - The Fallon Company, Highland Street Foundation, Hood Business Park, The HYM Investment Group, LLC, IR+M Charitable Fund, The Llewellyn Foundation, Massachusetts Port Authority, National Grid Foundation, P & G Gillette, Lawrence J. and Anne Rubenstein Charitable Foundation, William E. Schrafft & Bertha E. Schrafft Charitable Trust, Clinton H. & Wilma T. Shattuck Charitable Trust, and Vertex.

Save the Harbor also appreciates Stewardship Grants from the Camp Harbor View Foundation, Circle Furniture, Comcast, Copeland Family Foundation, The Cricket Foundation, Cruise Industry Charitable Foundation, Davis Family Charitable Foundation, Elizabeth Elser Doolittle Charitable Trust, Dorr Charitable Foundation, Enbridge, Tom & Lucinda Foley, Foundation for Sustainability and Innovation, The Kershaw Foundation – Cheers for Children, George Lewis - Haven Trust, Liberty Bay Credit Union, Lovett Woodsum Foundation, Maine Community Foundation, MarineMax Russo, Massachusetts Convention Center Authority, Massachusetts Water Resources Authority, Nicholson Foundation, Pabis Foundation, REI, RMR Real Estate Services, Rockland Trust Pavilion, Skanska, Abbot & Dorothy H. Stevens Foundation, TD Charitable Foundation, and Tishman Speyer.

Save the Harbor would also like to thank our Program Funders Andus Baker & Rowan Murphy Family Fund, MA Attorney General’s Office Healthy Summer and Youths Jobs Program, The Paul and Edith Babson Foundation, Beacon Capital Partners, LLC, Andrew Calamare & Marianne Connolly, Cell Signaling Technology, Diversified Automotive, Legal Sea Foods, Miss Wallace M. Leonard Foundation, Mass Bay Credit Union, Matthew J. & Gilda F. Strazzula Foundation, UDR, and Kyle & Sara Warwick.

Save the Harbor would also like to extend our gratitude to our Supporters 3A Marine Service, The Bay State Federal Savings Charitable Foundation, Cresset Group, Massachusetts Marine Educational Trust, Randy Peeler & Kate Kellogg.

Special thanks as well to the hundreds of individual donors for their support 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.

New Staff Member- Maya Smith

Ahoy! 

    My name is Maya Smith and I am the new Outreach and Office Coordinator for Save the Harbor/Save the Bay! I am thrilled to be joining the team and am looking forward to using this blog post as an oppor-tuna-ty to work in some ocean-related puns.

Maya's first Harbor cruise this past Sunday. 

    I am a MA native who grew up in Haverhill and moved to Boston in 2014 to attend Suffolk University. Haverhill is on the North shore of MA so I grew up frequenting the local beaches. You Betta believe I'm familiar with rushing into freezing ocean water as soon as the weather hits 70 degrees!  I love to travel, but my favorite things to do in Boston are grabbing food in Chinatown, visiting art museums, chilling with the seals at the Aquarium, and getting midnight pastries from Bova's.

Maya in Prague, where she studied abroad for a semester in college. 

    I have three brothers, a dog, and a fin-tastic mother who are very surprised to see me joining an environmental organization since science was never my strong suit. I got my BA in 2018 in Sociology and Education Studies, with a concentration in Youth and Community Engagement. I am passionate about youth advancement and maintaining healthy and supportive environments for community growth. There cannot be healthy and growing communities without protecting and maintaining the local ecosystem, like Save the Harbor/Save the Bay has worked to do. Save the Harbor/Save the Bay has dedicated themselves to providing clean water and enriching programming to our community for over 30 years and I'm ecstatic to join the cause! I can't wait to further connect the community to the incredible programming that Save the Harbor/Save the Bay has to offer!


Fin.

-Maya

Boston Consulting Group Makes an Impact During "Impact Month"

Members of the Boston Consulting Group Boston Office teamed up with Save the Harbor staff, the Department of Conservation and Recreation, the Fort Point Neighborhood Association, and Friends of Fort Point Channel to clean up Boston's waterfront and surrounding neighborhoods. Across two days, 50 volunteers removed more than three tons of trash, weeds, and branches from Carson Beach and the Fort Point Channel Neighborhood, improving 2 miles of public land in the process. The Boston Consulting Group (BCG) volunteer teams were extremely enthusiastic and hardworking, accomplishing a great deal in a short amount of time.

On Friday October 4th, BCG members met at DCR's Carson Beach to remove invasive plants from along the sea wall and clear the sidewalks of sand and leaves that had already begun to fall. The morning started off with higher temperatures and a bit of sun, which allowed for a great introduction to Save the Harbor's mission on one of our country's cleanest urban beaches. Wielding loppers, rakes, brooms and shovels, the team got to work and moved as a unit along the edge of the beach to beautify the area to tend and remove plants that were not only an eyesore but harmful to the native plants.

The day concluded with an amazing transformation of the beach entrance where volunteers and Save the Harbor staff removed more than a truckload of Sumac. In only a few short hours, the BCG group cleared over one ton of invasive materials and other debris from about 1.5 miles of beach, returned around 1,000 pounds of sand back to the beach from the sidewalks and ADA access ramps.

Friday October 11th brought 25 BCG volunteers to Wormwood Park in the Fort Point Neighborhood. With a nor'easter in the forecast, the hearty staff arrived ready to work. After brief introductions to Save the Harbor and our partners at Friends of Fort Point Channel and the Fort Point Neighborhood Association, they buckled down, in an bold attempt to complete all the work before the deluge began. The weed filled park, as well as the fencing along the parking lot on A Street were no match for the determined team of BCG volunteers who filled 62 bags of trash and debris in just over 90 minutes.

By lunch time, the mulch lining A street was visible, and most dramatically the park seemed to take on new life being cleared from tree and plant debris. Many passerby commented on our progress and thanked us for making their neighborhood a little nicer, which truly brought meaning to the day's endeavors.

A big thanks goes out to Boston Consulting Group for their hard work, determination and dedication to their community, as well as to Save the Harbor's partners at DCR, Friends of Fort Point Channel and Fort Point Neighborhood Association. 

 On October third I had the privilege to attend the Outfall Monitoring Science Advisory Panel alongside Save the Harbor Save the Bay, as a policy intern. The meeting was full of professionals from OMSAP and the MWRA, as well as representatives from several environmental groups in and around Boston. On one hand the meeting was conducted much as you might expect an advisory panel to go with presenters giving a summery of their research and making recommendations, on the other hand the conversions would often veer off into incredibly technical and specific research methods and data points. These sudden dives gave a much greater weight to the discussions and even with all the prep research I did beforehand I still had trouble keeping up.

Among the many topics covered were, legacy contaminants in sediment the surprise red tide bloom, Pre-cancer disease monitoring in flounder, passive sampling, emerging contamination, and the dangers of micro-plastics. I was pleased to see that the overall state of Boston Harbor is good and getting better, in fact the panel was able to halt two expensive tests as they were no longer required.

This year's red tide still doesn't have an answer but several hypothesis were presented and further research into making sure that the bloom doesn't stick around was requested.

Finally the presence of Micro-plastics was brought to the floor, the lack of proper research was a matter of some discussion.

All in all this meeting was an exceptional one especially for an intern such as myself as I want to understand the policy making process, it was also a lesson on just how much preparation is required to fully understand and appreciate the intricacies of the discussion and the ramifications of each decision.

Outflow Monitoring Science Advisory Panel Meeting - Scituate, MA

The Bay from Scituate, MA

Hey Ya'll,

On October 3rd I had the opportunity to attend a meeting of the Outflow Monitoring Science Advisory Panel in my capacity as a Policy Intern here at Save the Harbor alongside Bruce Berman and my fellow intern Patrick.

The meeting was a chance for me to get acquainted with recent and upcoming environmental, scientific, and policy issues and accomplishments surrounding Boston Harbor. I was pleased to have the opportunity to chat at some length with Dean Mark Patterson of Northeastern University about his work out in Nahant; and with Dr. Betsy Reilley of the Massachusetts Water Resource Authority (MWRA) about the business practices, product choices, and infrastructure that the MWRA has developed while being a key part of the Boston Harbor clean-up. It was quite a productive day in a absolutely beautiful place!

On the beach down the street from the NOAA offices where the meeting was held (photo by Patrick Hackett)

Until next time,
Sebastian

Wrapping up September with a Spectacle Island Trip

Sunday's weather had passengers feeling like it was summer again as they hopped on board the Bay State Cruise Company's Provincetown II for Save the Harbor/Save the Bay's cruise out to Spectacle Island. With nearly 650 members of the public attending, guests arrived at the dock ready to swim, fish, hunt for beach treasures, and hike around the drumlins in Boston's National and State Park.

Once underway, Harbor Historian David Coffin welcomed everyone to Boston Harbor, and filled the short trip out to Spectacle with the story of the Boston Harbor Cleanup. He pointed out different islands as we were passing, and spoke of the importance of the sewage treatment plant on Deer Island. He painted a picture of the transformation of the body of water that once was referred to as a "Harbor of Shame" to the beautiful blue-green waves that we were cruising through. David makes it a point to go swimming every day that he is out on Spectacle Island, and on this particular day he had some company taking a dip at the swimming beach.

Several members of the summer youth staff returned to share their expertise with the Harbor's marine life and Save the Harbor's Youth Environmental Education Curriculum. They engaged with children and adults alike to for fishing and crabbing on the pier. Hundreds of participants spent time learning how to fish, learning about the dozens of crabs they caught, and hearing more about the mission of Save the Harbor. 

On the beach, people were searching for the Treasures of Spectacle Island including ceramics and sea glass with staff and volunteers. They kicked off their search with an introduction to the treasures that they might find with rangers from the National Park Service, and then spent hours combing the beach in search of these items. 

Up on the drumlins, folks were flying kites and exploring the island with the Boston skyline in the distance. There are several miles of trails to explore, so visitors looking to get in a little exercise while on island got their fix, complete with information boards with more about the history and species found on and around Spectacle Island.

On the boat ride home, there were many smiles, laughs, and chatter about the afternoon on Spectacle. We truly could not have asked for a better day to cruise out to the Boston Harbor Islands. 

To stay up-to-date on the work we do to restore, protect and share Boston Harbor visit www.savetheharbor.org and like or follow savetheharbor on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Save the Harbor's free Share the Harbor Cruises are made possible with Leadership Grants from Cronin Development, the Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs, and Bay State Cruise Company.

Save the Harbor is grateful for Leadership Grants from Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts, The Boston Foundation, The Coca-Cola Foundation, Exelon Generation, and John Hancock Financial Services.

Save the Harbor is also grateful for Partnership Grants from the Boston Bruins Foundation, Boston Properties – Atlantic Wharf, Boston Properties—200 Clarendon, The Daily Catch Seaport, Davis Family Charitable Foundation, Eastern Salt Company, Inc., Engie, Fan Pier - The Fallon Company, Highland Street Foundation, Hood Business Park, The HYM Investment Group, LLC, IR+M Charitable Fund, The Llewellyn Foundation, Massachusetts Port Authority, National Grid Foundation, P & G Gillette, Lawrence J. and Anne Rubenstein Charitable Foundation, William E. Schrafft & Bertha E. Schrafft Charitable Trust, Clinton H. & Wilma T. Shattuck Charitable Trust, and Vertex.

Save the Harbor also appreciates Stewardship Grants from the Camp Harbor View Foundation, Circle Furniture, Comcast, Copeland Family Foundation, The Cricket Foundation, Cruise Industry Charitable Foundation, Davis Family Charitable Foundation, Elizabeth Elser Doolittle Charitable Trust, Dorr Charitable Foundation, Enbridge, Tom & Lucinda Foley, Foundation for Sustainability and Innovation, The Kershaw Foundation – Cheers for Children, George Lewis - Haven Trust, Liberty Bay Credit Union, Lovett Woodsum Foundation, Maine Community Foundation, MarineMax Russo, Massachusetts Convention Center Authority, Massachusetts Water Resources Authority, Nicholson Foundation, Pabis Foundation, REI, RMR Real Estate Services, Rockland Trust Pavilion, Skanska, Abbot & Dorothy H. Stevens Foundation, TD Charitable Foundation, and Tishman Speyer.

Save the Harbor would also like to thank our Program Funders Andus Baker & Rowan Murphy Family Fund, MA Attorney General’s Office Healthy Summer and Youths Jobs Program, The Paul and Edith Babson Foundation, Beacon Capital Partners, LLC, Andrew Calamare & Marianne Connolly, Cell Signaling Technology, Diversified Automotive, Legal Sea Foods, Miss Wallace M. Leonard Foundation, Mass Bay Credit Union, Matthew J. & Gilda F. Strazzula Foundation, UDR, and Kyle & Sara Warwick.

Save the Harbor would also like to extend our gratitude to our Supporters 3A Marine Service, The Bay State Federal Savings Charitable Foundation, Cresset Group, Massachusetts Marine Educational Trust, Randy Peeler & Kate Kellogg.

Special thanks as well to the hundreds of individual donors for their support 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.

To stay up-to-date on the work we do to restore, protect and share Boston Harbor visit www.savetheharbor.org and like or follow savetheharbor on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.