Save the Harbor 2013 Better Beaches Awards

DCR Commissioner Jack Murray, State Senator John Keenan, Daphne Griffin, Boston 's Chief of Human Services, Save the Harbor Board Chair Joe Newman of National Grid and Save the Harbor President Patricia Foley with this year’s Better Beaches Awards winners. 

On Saturday, June 15, 2013 Save the Harbor / Save the Bay awarded $30,000 in Better Beaches grants to 15 groups to support dozens of free public events in nine beachfront communities from Nahant to Nantasket this summer.

This year’s “Better Beaches” events include sand sculpting competitions, beachfront concerts, environmental education programs, family fun nights, reading nights art festivals and beach programs in Lynn, Nahant, Revere, Winthrop, East Boston, South Boston, Dorchester, Quincy and Hull.

“The Boston Harbor region's public beaches are important assets to the region's residents and visitors alike,” 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 share their beaches and the harbor with the region’s kids and families.”

Save the Harbor / Save the Bay launched the Better Beaches grants program in 2008 to help local communities and formal and informal beaches Friends Groups jump-start free events and activities on public beaches from Nahant to Nantasket with the support of The Boston Foundation.

Today the funds to sustain this program come from the annual “Harpoon Helps Cupid Splash” pledge fundraiser, and Save the Harbor’s Better Beaches Program funding partners at Harpoon Brewery, JetBlue Airways, National Grid, Comcast Massachusetts, the Harold Whitworth Pierce Charitable Trust, Tasty Burger and Russo Marine.

“This year the “Harpoon Helps Cupid Splash” raised more than $30,000 from nearly 500 splashers and supporters to fund this year’s Better Beaches program grants, as participants competed for JetBlue Airways tickets and great gifts from Harpoon Brewery. Thanks to all of you, and to our partners at the BCYF Curley Community Center and the Department of Conservation & Recreation for their support as well” said Foley.

This summer Save the Harbor will once again host two Better Beaches events at the BCYF Curley Community Center at M Street Beach in South Boston. These include the Youth Beach Bash and Splash, which will bring 500 kids to the beach to celebrate clean water, and the Swim for Boston Harbor, a one mile, chip-timed competitive swim on one of the cleanest urban beaches in America.

Over the past five years, Save the Harbor’s community partners in Nahant, Lynn, Revere, Winthrop, East Boston, South Boston, Dorchester, Quincy and Hull have leveraged $143,500 in small grants received from Save the Harbor with $503,500 in cash and in-kind donations from local government and small businesses for a total investment of $647,000 in more than 150 free events and programs for the region’s residents and visitors alike.

In addition to the grants, Save the Harbor/Save the Bay also gave each group 22 one-inch diameter blue and white marbles to scatter on their respective beaches as part of the “Simply Marble-ous” Treasure Hunt sponsored by JetBlue Airways. Anyone who finds one of these marbles between July 4th and the end of the summer will be entered into a drawing to win round trip airline tickets from JetBlue Airways. “Like” Save the Harbor on Facebook or follow them on Twitter to learn more about this "Simply Marble-ous" summer treasure hunt.

This year’s “Better Beaches” grant recipients include:

• Revere:  The Revere Beach Partnership, which was awarded $6,000 to support the National Sand Sculpting Competition on Revere Beach.
• Lynn & Nahant: The Friends of Lynn & Nahant Beach was awarded $2,500 to support the Red Rock Summer Concert Series and The Friends of Heritage Park was awarded $1,000 to support the World Folk Festival.
• Winthrop: The Friends of Winthrop Beach was awarded $1,000 to support family activities on the beach and the Friends of Belle Isle Marsh was awarded $1,000 to support educational activities on the beach.
• East Boston: The East Boston YMCA was awarded $3,500 to support the Summer Food Service Program and Campfire, and Harbor Arts, Inc. was awarded $1,000 to support the HarborArts Festival.  
• South Boston: The BCYF Curley Community Center was awarded $3,500 to support Summer Youth Programs, South Boston Neighborhood House was awarded $3,500 to support Family Fun Night on the Beach, and The City Point Neighborhood Association was awarded $1,000 to support Beat the Summer Sizzle at Pleasure Bay.
• Dorchester: The Friends of Savin Hill Shores, which was awarded $2,000 to support the Beach Festival Family Movie Night.   
• Quincy: The Friends of Wollaston Beach was awarded $1,000 to support Kids Fest and the Quincy Beaches and the Quincy Beaches and Coastal Commission was awarded $1,000 to support the Pumpkin Fest. 
• Hull: The Friends of the Paragon Carousel was awarded $1,000 to support Museum Projects and their Reading Program, and the Hull Nantasket Chamber of Commerce was awarded $1,000 to support the Endless Summer Waterfront Festival.

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 their website at /www.savetheharbor.org, or their Boston Harbor blog "Sea, Sand & Sky" at www.blog.savetheharbor.org

Aha! It's Algae, Not Sewage Causing the "Dirty Sea".

In early June, boaters and beach goers from Nahant to Nantasket reported streams of brown matter floating in the water.

In this photo taken by our BayWatcher Bruce Berman, you can clearly see the streams off the bow of his vessel "The Veranda" off Graves Light.

In some places the material had accumulated around docks or along the shore and was so thick that it looked like "brown crud" according to many observers. 

Many people assumed that a broken pipe or combined sewage overflow (CSO) was to blame, but this was not the case. According to our BayWatcher Bruce Berman and the scientists at the MWRA, the "brown crud" floating in the Harbor is a diatomacious algae bloom.

Here's what it looked like in Boston's Inner Harbor

   

 

According to Dr. Andrea Rex of the MWRA, the diatom is a kind of phytoplankton found in temperate latitudes during late spring and summer. 

In a recent email, Dr. David Borkman of Batelle wrote "This diatom can exist as a single cell, but more commonly forms chains of up to a dozen cylindrical cells. This diatom thrives at higher temperatures, as population growth rate increases during the rapid warming period of late spring/early summer. While algal blooms are often green in color, they can appear yellow-brown or even red, depending on the species of algae."

A microscopic image of the diatom, Guinardia delicatula

Dr. Borkman explained that the brown froth comes from a diatom bloom where the diatoms produce mucus that clumps together to form the "floc" people witnessed in the Harbor. Borkman explained, "Often times diatoms exude excess carbon during unbalanced growth in which there is plenty of nutrient and light for photosynthesis, but not enough silicon to divide and make new cells. The 'excess' carbon is dumped out of the cells as long-chained carbon molecules--mucilage like material--that can result in "Mare sporco" or "dirty sea" in which the mucilage accumulates and fouls beaches." 

The occurrence of the algae bloom was likely the result of multi-day rains followed by calm, warm weather. Borkman explains, "My working theory would be the classic freshwater input--calm weather bloom scenario. In this, the weekend rains resulted in delivery of freshwater to the harbor, followed by a few days of calm, sunny weather. The phytoplankton present (Guinardia delicatula in this case) bloom in the stratified nutrient enriched surface layer, then accumulate in tidal fronts to water discoloring abundance levels." 

"Algae blooms are fairly common, though this one seems larger than many I have seen. Some can be a nuisance - others, like red tide - which we seem to have largely avoided this year, can be quite harmful. This diatom bloom will provide lots of food for zooplankton, which in turn will feed fish and others creatures higher up the food chain" said Bruce Berman. "I expect that with the warmer weather and predicted rain, this bloom will end fairly soon."

If you are concerned about something you see in the sea around Boston Harbor, send us an email to info@savetheharbor.org and we will see what can see!

A Spooktacular Time on Spectacle Island

Only days away from Halloween, over 200 friends boarded the Provincetown II with Save the Harbor / Save the Bay for another fun fall afternoon on Spectacle Island. Kids were simultaneously spooked and enticed by the bats, spiders and monsters scattered around the boat's three decks—befittingly themed for the upcoming holiday.

After reaching Spectacle's dock, we snapped a quick group photo and everyone was ready to start their island adventure. Bruce suggested getting a hike in on the North Drumlin Trail during high tide, then coming back down to the beaches once the tide dropped. So we took his advice and made our way to the top, which is the highest point on the entire Boston Harbor.

The views of downtown Boston, Deer Island and other harbor islands are reason enough to pay a visit to Spectacle. The summit of the north drumlin is also one of the most picturesque places to have a picnic or simply take in the breathtaking sights.

What a Picnic Perfect day

After the hike, we headed back down to the beach, where families were enjoying the sunshine and looking at the various colors and types of sea glass. Here I met the Taylor family and Jamie Mace from Reading, MA who were thoroughly enjoying their first trip to Spectacle. Susan and Andy Taylor were thrilled to be able to bring their daughter, Audrey, to the island, exclaiming, “It’s been a fantastic day. There’s so much to see and do here!” Their friend Jamie Mace noted, “It’s such a great learning experience for kids.” Spectacle’s history provides a great example for teaching kids about the importance of environmental protection, sustainability, and the potential of land conversion for ecological and recreational purposes.

Andy, Audrey and Susan Taylor displaying their favorite treasures from the day!

In addition to hiking around the island and along the beaches, Audrey was lucky enough to find one of the elusive blue marbles from our “Simply Marble-ous” contest! The final drawing for the contest is on Halloween day.

While this may have been the last trip of the season to Spectacle, there are sure to be plenty more opportunities ahead to visit this beautiful national treasure. 

Jacqueline Sussman

Policy Intern

Save the Harbor / Save the Bay

Cleaning up Carson Beach with Blue Cross/Blue Shield

There can't be many better ways to spend a workday than cleaning up a beach on a beautiful, sunny fall afternoon. Save the Harbor was lucky enough to join nearly 100 BlueCrew members from Blue Cross/Blue Shield in a clean up on Carson Beach this Tuesday. This is just one of the many volunteer efforts of Blue Cross/Blue Shield as part of their Massachusetts Service Day projects. 

The BlueCrew gathers to start the day of service

The crew was divided into 8 teams and scattered to cover the entire stretch of beach. I hopped in to join "Foley's Team," dubbed for group leader, Tom Foley of Somerset. We headed out towards the gazebo, working our way back towards the center of the beach. Our group had a great attitude, smiling and joking the entire day. Foley served as a great leader, eagerly pulling out weeds along the beach and cracking jokes with his peers. 

Sean Sullivan, of Dartmouth, and Tom Foley, of Somerset, chatting and weeding 

We were so efficient that we finished our area by lunchtime! There were roughly 10 bags of trash and weeds from our group by this time already. Our spirits were high and our tummies ready for lunch. But on the walk back to the beach house, a stray plastic bag started making its way towards the water. Odette Palmer-Lee of Boston quickly ran off to catch it, and returned with the grin of success on her face! 

Odette Palmer-Lee captures her prey- a stray plastic bag!

After our lunch break, we continued our weeding efforts for the rest of the day before joining the rest of the teams for final reflections and much-deserved praise of the BlueCrew's service accomplishments. I think it's safe to say that everyone had a wonderful time spending their day chatting with friends, enjoying the weather, and working to make Carson Beach an even more enjoyable amenity of Boston. 

"Foley's Team" with Chris Davis, Odette Palmer-Lee, Sean Sullivan, Claire Tigges, Tom Foley, Todd Linsky, Cori Linsky, and Holly MacMillan. 

Jacqueline 

Jacqueline Sussman

Policy Intern 

Save the Harbor/Save the Bay

A Saturday on Spectacle Island

Friends and families boarded the Provincetown II on a cloudy Saturday morning and set off to the lovely Spectacle Island with friends at Save the Harbor. As the boat approached the Island dock, the clouds parted and sunshine lit up the sandy beach, grassy hills, and sparkling water. After capturing a quick group photo on the dock, kids sprinted to beach and up hiking trails to explore Spectacle's many treasures.

The entire group gathers on Spectacle's boat dock

The day was filled with leisurely walks on the beach, spectacular views of Boston and other Harbor islands from the top of the hills, and sea glass mosaic-making! There is nothing like the view from the Spectacle’s summit; this is a must-see sight for any Boston-lover.

Beautiful view of downtown Boston

The sea glass mosaic activity was my favorite part of the day. It was so entertaining to watch all the kids searching through the glass to find their favorite pieces then compiling them together to compose some beachy works of art. Some of the treasures included painted pottery, various colors of sea glass, and even old horse shoes! Katherine from Quincy found multiple treasures on the beach, including a crab leg, and used her sea glass finds to compose a tortoise!

Katherine proudly displays her sea glass turtle creation

Since the early 2000s, Spectacle Island has transformed from an unsightly trash site to an alluring public amenity as part of the Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area. Park rangers continue to emphasize the importance of picking up trash and recycling, and the park even hosts composting toilets!

Elliot shares Spectacle's unique history with the group

Seeing Spectacle now, in 2012, it’s hard to believe how recent its transformation was. Spectacle offers a close but exciting getaway for people looking to spend a day on the beach. It is definitely a destination for those seeking to enjoy a unique perspective of our wonderful Boston Harbor.

Jacqueline Sussman
Policy Intern
Save the Harbor / Save the Bay