Printing Fish at Hull's Harbor Illumination

Hello again fellow adventurers!

This past weekend myself and a few other summer staffers traveled to Hull to take part in the Hull Harbor Illumination event. Driving through the bustling streets of Hull and past Nantucket Beach, it felt more like Miami Beach than the south shore town I was used to. Once at the event we were greeted by the sights and sounds of a true festival. The smell of BBQ filled the air, children were laughing and playing with giant bubble wands, friends and family were laughing and just taking in the scene.

When we got to our table, we laid out the paints and brushes for the kids to see for themselves. While creating interesting designs is fun, perhaps my favorite part of fish printing is watching the look of shock come over the kids and parents when we explain that the fish is indeed a real flounder! After a few moments of touching and looking at the fish, some skeptics remain, but intrigue usually turns to excitement that even ugly looking flounder can be used to create beautiful pieces of artwork. There were some great designs created by the young kids we saw, and aside from the paint getting all over our hands, it was an amazing event to be a part of. Sadly we couldn't stay for the lighting of the flares around the Harbor, I'm glad we were able to send some of the kids home with their very own fish prints. I know there is much more fun to come in the last few weeks of the summer, and I can't wait!

Until next time, keep on exploring!
-Luke C

Illustrious Harbor Illuminations

Hello again fellow explorers!

This past weekend I had the opportunity to work with some of my fellow Save the Harbor staff members at Hull's Harbor Illuminations ceremony. The late afternoon festivities included live music, free food, arts & crafts, and our Save the Harbor crew supplying fish painting and coloring. Although a dead skate can be disconcerting to some, once it is covered in multi-colored paint, just about everyone was interested in creating their very own fish print. With designs as simple as a single color, to superman and minion designs, I had my hands literally full of paint. At the end of the night we had over twenty different fish prints, and I had enough paint on me to create a print of my own! Thanks to our expert photographer, the picture below found its way to Save the Harbor's Facebook page, where my expert fish printing skills are on display for anyone who visits it!

Look Mom, I'm famous!

Around 8:00, the festivities came to an end, and everyone made their way to the edge of the Harbor, where hundreds of flares lined the shores waiting patiently to illuminate the water in a glorious red ring. After a signal flare was released from a fire boat in the center of the Harbor, the flares were lit in synchrony. The result was a magnificent display of lighting, as the entire harbor was illuminated from end to end. The pictures can't even do justice to how large-scale this ceremony was. Hundreds of people looked in awe at the beauty unfolding in front of them. 

Ring of Fire!

Harbor Illuminations a beautiful sight to see. The whole community coming together to produce such a spectacle was amazing. I was lucky to be a small part of what happened this past weekend, and hopefully I get to return next summer to see it all over again.

Until next time, keep on exploring!
-Luke

Treasure Hunters Have Plenty to Be Thankful For

Five treasure hunters from Greater Boston had something special to celebrate this Thanksgiving, as Save the Harbor / Save the Bay announced the winners of their "Simply Marble-ous" Treasure Hunt, sponsored by JetBlue Airways.

Bridget of South Boston shows off her marble!

More than 1,000 people took part in the treasure hunt, including participants from Chelsea, Dorchester, East Boston, Hull, Lawrence, Lynn, Melrose, Milton, Nahant, Peabody, Quincy, Reading, Revere, Somerville, South Boston, Stoughton and Winthrop.

The five lucky winners were chosen from the more than 100 beachcombers who found a cobalt blue marble on one of the Boston Harbor region's public beaches. Each received 40,000 TrueBlue points that can be redeemed for flights to any of the 45 nonstop destinations JetBlue serves from Boston’s Logan International Airport. 

This year's winners were Bridget McGrath of South Boston, Susan Hardiman of Dorchester, Michelle and Caitlin Cooper of Dorchester, Helen Anderson of South Boston, and Michael Long of Savin Hill, who 

found his marble on Malibu Beach.

Susan and Vanya of Dorchester share their marble!

Caitlin proudly displays her discovery!

Helen shows off her marble on the beach

The "Simply Marble-ous" Treasure Hunt began in June when 100 JetBlue crewmembers and volunteers from Save the Harbor hit the beach in South Boston for an early season cleanup.  Working in teams, they helped the Department of Conservation and Recreation remove trash, weeds, stray sand and debris from Carson Beach.

Michael with his totally marble-ous find!

After the cleanup, each of the participants “released” a single blue marble in the sand at the water’s edge. To spread the fun around the region, Save the Harbor also "released" 100 additional marbles
on the region’s public beaches in Nahant, Lynn, Revere, Winthrop, East Boston, South Boston, Dorchester, Quincy and Hull. The one-inch tempered blue glass marbles were both beautiful and environmentally friendly. They are made of recycled glass, which was made from sand.

“We have a long-standing relationship with Save the Harbor and with the community in Greater Boston, home to our 2,000 crewmembers, who mirror the company’s philanthropic efforts with their own volunteer work locally,” said JetBlue’s Regional Marketing Manager Ronda Ivy McLeod. “A beach cleanup and treasure hunt is right in line with our fun value and our commitment to the city that chooses JetBlue more than any other airline out of Logan.”

More than 100 JetBlue employees gather with Save the Harbor staff before starting the beach cleanup and kicking off the "Simply Marble-ous" contest in June!

"We really want to thank JetBlue Airways for giving something special back to our community," said Save the Harbor's spokesman Bruce Berman. "They are great partners, and we really treasure their support."

We hope you will take a minute to watch this short video
about this year's "Simply Marble-ous" Treasure Hunt.

Congratulations to all of our winners and many thanks to all of our participants,
and a special thanks to our friends and partners at JetBlue Airways!

My first year with STH!

Hello! My name is Carly and this is my first summer with Save the Harbor / Save the Bay! Just a few weeks ago I graduated from Weymouth High School. This fall I start at a local community college and plan to receive a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology and Psychology. Ever since I was 12, I've spent many of my hours volunteering closely with wildlife and educating onlookers.

I started off at my middle school's science center for three years, then spent almost five years at the New England Wildlife Center, metro-Boston's only comprehensive wildlife hospital in the area. I later moved on to NOAA's Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary, and recently started as a Keeper's Aide at the Franklin Park Zoo. And last but certainly not least, I've been lucky enough to be chosen as a junior program assistant with Save the Harbor / Save the Bay!

Already we've visited places I've never thought I'd see before. Spectacle Island's view of the Boston skyline was breathtaking, as well as the vintage treasures that covered the shore. Up next was Georges Island, and the view of Hull, Boston Light, and the thunderstorms miles away in the distance were also spectacular!

Hull from Georges Island

I feel so privileged to be part of a program with not only dedicated and motivated individuals, but being able to share my knowledge and love of the ocean with kids who may not otherwise have the chance to experience their harbor in such a unique way.

- Carly

The Boston skyline from Harbor Islands Express

Save the Harbor / Save the Bay Awards Over $25,000 in Better Beaches Grants

Save the Harbor Save the Harbor / Save the Bay awarded more than $25,000 in grants to 12 groups to support 30 free public events in nine beachfront communities from Nahant to Nantasket at an awards breakfast at our office on the Boston Fish Pier on Saturday, June 23^rd.

Recipients of this year's Better Beaches grants with representatives
from Save the Harbor / Save the Bay, Harpoon Brewery and JetBlue Airways

This year’s “Better Beaches” events include sand sculpting competitions, beachfront concerts, environmental education programs, family fun nights, reading programs, and beach programs.

“The region’s 19 miles of sandy public beaches have the power to connect a million people with the Harbor we have worked so hard to restore and protect,” said Patricia A. Foley, President of Save the Harbor / Save the Bay. “We are proud to support our partners in the city's waterfront neighborhoods and beachfront communities as they work to bring the regions kids and families to their beaches and the harbor.”

In addition to the grant, Save the Harbor / Save the Bay also gave each group 22 one-inch diameter blue marbles to scatter on their respective beaches. Anyone who finds one of these marbles between now and the end of the summer will be entered into a drawing to win one of five prizes of 40,000 TrueBlue points from JetBlue Airways. Click here for more information about this "Marble-ous" summer treasure hunt.

Save the Harbor's "Better Beaches" program was launched in 2008 in partnership with The Boston Foundation, whose early support helped make it a success. In the past four years, local community partners in Nahant, Lynn, Revere, Winthrop, East Boston, South Boston, Dorchester, Quincy, and Hull have leveraged $116,500 in small grants from Save the Harbor with $403,500 in cash and in-kind donations from local government and small businesses for a total of $520,000 to support 130 free beach events and activities for everyone to enjoy.

Funds to support this year's grants came from the 2nd annual Harpoon Helps Cupid Splash and the more than 500 “Splashers” who plunged into the chilly ocean water to support their beach. Additional financial support comes from Save the Harbor's "Better Beaches Program" funding partners at Harpoon Brewery, JetBlue Airways, National Grid, Comcast Massachusetts, the Harold Whitworth Pierce Charitable Trust, Russo Marine and Legal Sea Foods, as well as our in-kind supporters at the BCYF Curley Community Center and the Department of Conservation & Recreation.

About Save the Harbor / Save the Bay

Founded in 1986, Save the Harbor / Save the Bay is the region’s leading voice for clean water and the restoration and protection of Boston Harbor, the waterfront, our region's public beaches, the Boston 

Harbor Islands and the marine environment.

To find out more about Save the Harbor / Save the Bay’s Better Beaches Programs, visit our website at http://www.savetheharbor.org.

2012 Better Beaches Grant Recipients

Community	Group	Event	Amount
Lynn & Nahant	Friends of Lynn & Nahant Beach	2012 Red Rock Summer Concert Series	$2,500
	Friends of Heritage Park	World Folk Festival	$500
Revere	Revere Beach Partnership	National Sand Sculpting Festival	$5,000
Winthrop	Friends of Winthrop Beach	Family activities on the beach	$1,000
	Friends of Belle Isle Marsh	Educational activities on the beach	$1,000
East Boston	East Boston YMCA	Summer Food Service Program and Campfires	$3,500
South Boston	South Boston Neighborhood House	Family Fun Night on the Beach	$2,500
	City Point Neighborhood Association	Beat the Summer Sizzle at Pleasure Bay	$1,000
	BCYF Curley Community Center	Summer Youth Programs	$3,500
Dorchester	Friends of Savin Hill Shores	Beach Festival Family Movie Night	$2,000
Quincy	Friends of Wollaston Beach	Kids Fest	$1,000
	Quincy Beaches and Coastal Commission	Pumpkin Fest	$1,000
Hull	Friends of Paragon Carousel	Museum Projects and Reading Program	$1,000
	Hull Nantasket Chamber of Commerce	Endless Summer Waterfront Festival	$1,000