Save the Harbor 2014 Summer Events

Its summertime and there is lots to do on Boston Harbor.
We hope you will join Save theHarbor/Save the Bay on the waterfront, the Boston Harbor Islands and the region's public beaches from Nahant to Nantasket as we celebrate clean water and better beaches this summer.

The Fan Pier Invitational Youth Fishing Tournament (July 17) gives 50 underserved youth and teens the chance to enjoy a day of fishing and fun on Boston Harbor on donated fishing boats with volunteer captains and crews.  It is sponsored by the Fallon Company and Circle Furniture. For more information, go to http://www.falloncompany.com/2014/06/annual-fishing-tournament-july-17-2014/
To donate your boat or volunteer as a mate, contact bruce@bostonharbor.com.

Aquapalooza at Perry's Cove (July 19) and Soundwaves at Spectacle Island (July 26) blues festivals in the Boston Harbor Islands National Park. This year's lineup includes The Throwdown Blues Band and Sugar Ray and the Bluetones. Tickets for the band boat are $25 in advance or $30 the day of the events. The New Boston ferry boards at Rowe's Wharf at 11:30. To reserve your tickets, email info@savetheharbor.org and donate $25 per ticket at http://savetheharbor.org/contribution.html .

The 4^th Annual Beach Bash and Splash (August 8) is our end of the season celebration of clean water for youth and teens from across the city at M Street beach in South Boston, which is now one of the cleanest urban beaches in America. In 2013 the event brought more than 788 young people to the beach for a fun filled day including an old fashioned cookout and a simultaneous splash into the clean waters of Boston Harbor. To volunteer, email info@savetheharbor.org

The Swim and Paddle for Boston Harbor  (August 9) is a competitive, chip timed one mile open water swim and paddleboard competition. Registration for the swim is $50 and registration for the paddleboard competition is $25. Top finishers and the participant who raises the most funds will win round-trip flights on Jet Blue Airways. Participants can register at swim4bostonharbor.org


AmericaScores Beach Soccer Blast (August 23) is a one-day soccer tournament for both teams and individuals. The registration fee and individual donations help to fund youth events by both AmericaScores and Save the Harbor. Registration for teams is $550 and registration for individuals is $55. Participants can register online at https://www.fundraise.com/activity/america-scores/beach-soccer-blast

2014 Better Beaches Events 
This summer our Better Beaches Program Partners in Lynn, Nahant, Revere, Winthrop, East Boston, South Boston, Dorchester, Quincy and Hull will host a variety of family-friendly events on beaches from Nahant to Nantasket. Every week for the rest of the summer and well into fall, these fun and free activities will take place on some of the nation's cleanest and most beautiful beaches. The list will be updated as more dates become available.

• BCYF Curley Community Center Beach Jam (July) is in its third year. Featuring free live performances from both locally-based and national groups, the concert is an event suitable for the entire family.
• City Point Neighborhood Association Beat the Summer Sizzle at Pleasure Bay (date to be determined)
• Constitution Beach YMCA Campfires (June 19, July 17, August 21, September 18, October 16) brings together hundreds of children and their families to enjoy the beach in the evening around a crackling campfire.
• Friends of Belle Isle Marsh Harvest Festival (October 6) features horse-drawn hay rides, pumpkin decorating, crafts, live music, live animals, a touch tank, and other fun, free, and family-friendly activities.
• Friends of Lynn and Nahant Beach Red Rock Summer Concert series (every Thursday, July 3 – August) is a free concert series on the beach at Lynn Shore Drive. The kickoff concert on July 3 will be followed by fireworks. A special childrens' concert will take place on July 26, with activities for all ages.

• Friends of Heritage Park World Folk Festival (September 13) is gearing up for its 6th year of celebration of food and music from around the world. The festival specially features performances by diverse women.
• Friends of the Paragon Carousel Reading Program (every Friday, July 11 – August 22) invites children to come to the Paragon Carousel Museum, where a different princess each week will read them stories.
  
  
• Friends of Savin Hill Shores Beach Festival Family Movie Nights (August) bring together families for free movies and popcorn on the beach. Bring your own chairs and blankets.
• Friends of Savin Hill Shores Sunset (August) brings together community members to enjoy the natural beauty of the beach with lantern making, live music, and a campfire singalong, followed by a viewing of the sunset from the shore.
• Friends of Winthrop Beach Family Activities on the Beach (July 12 at Yirrel Beach, other dates to be determined) provide free activities for children and their families on Winthrop's beaches

• Friends of Wollaston Beach Kidsfest (August 14) brings youths and their families from all over the city out to enjoy the beach with moonbounces, sack races, jumproping, and other fun events, all with prize rewards. Save the Harbor will be providing a touch tank, so kids can learn about and get close to local critters. 
  
• Harbor Arts Festival (September 20) benefits the Harbor Arts Shipyard Gallery, which is dedicated to fostering Boston's artistic community, The festival features galleries, live music, street theatre, night dancing, and other cultural events, as well as a panel with local environmental groups to discuss climate change.
  

• Hull Chamber of Commerce Endless Summer (September 20)  is an annual huge event, featuring live entertainment, samples from over 25 local restaurants, and over 75 local artists and vendors. Proceeds benefit the Hull Chamber Scholarship Fund, which helps local students have the opportunity to study abroad.
• Quincy Asian Resources August Moon Festival (August 17) highlights Chinese culture with performances, exhibits, games, and vendors. Last year, this festival was the largest outdoor cultural event on the South Side.
• Quincy Beaches and Coastal Commissions Pumpkin Fest (October) is an annual harvest festival with pumpkin picking, face painting, seasonal crafts, and plenty of outdoor activities for kids.
• Revere Sand Sculpture Festival (July 18 – 20) is one of the most anticipated beach events of the summer and one of the nation's largest sand sculpting competitions. The festival features food trucks, live music, fireworks, and the opportunity to view works made by artists from all over the world.
  

• South Boston Neighborhood House Family Fun Nights on the Beach (July 15 and August 12) combine food, live music, crafts for kids, and free Super Duck boat rides and other activities to provide free fun for kids and their families.
  
  Save the Harbor would like to thank all our Better Beaches Program Partners and the BCYF Curley Community Center, the Department of Conservation and Recreation, the Greater Boston YMCA, Legal Sea Foods, Mix 104.1, Tasty Burger, Russo Marine and
  JetBlue Airways and Harpoon Brewery for their support.
  
  See you on the beach!

The European Green Crab

Hello again!

My name is Kelly- I will be working as a Senior Harbor Educator at Save the Harbor/ Save the Bay this summer and I would like to talk to you about the European Green Crab- a common invasive species found on our beaches in Massachusetts. You have probably seen these guys hiding under rocks along the shore and in tidal pools. They are dark to light green in color (some have a hint of orange), and can be up to 3 inches wide. They are easily identifiable by the 5 ridges, called marginal teeth, they have on either side of their eyes.

While these crabs are some of the most common species found on North Atlantic beaches, they have not always been there. They are an invasive species- an organism that has been introduced to an ecosystem outside of its native range. The green crab is a native species of Northern Europe and was first introduced to the North Atlantic coast of the United States via ballast water from ships in the early 1800’s. The ballast water system allows large ships to pump water in and out of their tanks to add or subtract weight, thus displacing any organisms contained in the water. Green crab populations are also established along the Pacific Coast of the United States, South Africa, Australia, and Japan. The green crab has been able to colonize so many parts of the world fairly easily because of its ability to tolerate a wide range of environments.

European Green Crab Range. Red= Introduced; Green= Native

 You may be thinking to yourself, who cares? So what if a plant or animal gets moved around in the ocean, it’s all the same water, right? Wrong- every ecosystem and environment in the ocean is different, and the species found in that area have a drastic effect on the local ecology and biology. If you bring an outside species into an ecosystem, things will start to change- that invader will now compete with the native species for food, space, and other resources, thus shifting the natural balance of the ecosystem.  And that’s not all! They can also have a negative effect on the local economy by outcompeting commercially fished species. For example, green crabs feed heavily on the soft-shelled clam- an important commercially fished species on the Atlantic Coast. Soft-shelled clams are what you often find in your clam chowder, and are also known as “steamers.” With an increase in green crabs in our waters, the soft-shelled clam population has been steadily decreasing, leaving shellfish harvesters with little to collect and sell.

A green crab eating a soft-shelled clam

What can be done about the over abundance of green crabs?

One option is to prevent future dispersal of the species using preventative actions. The top three modes of green crab dispersal are ballast water discharge, the movement of commercial shellfish and aquaculture products, and bait/pet releases. Treating ballast water, inspecting and sterilizing the commercial shellfish and aquaculture products, and restricting sales and transportation of live bait can eliminate these invasion pathways. Other methods include controlling or containing individuals of established populations through selective harvest, chemical control, biological control, or genetic control- Read more about these control methods here (Pages 19-21).

What can you do to help reduce the green crab’s population along our shores? First, in order to harvest green crabs you need to obtain a letter of authorization from the Massachusetts Dept. of Marine Fisheries. It's free and you can do so by checking out the DMF webpage: DMF Commercial Fishing Permits (Scroll all the way to the bottom and there is a contact listed to find out more information). Here at Save the Harbor/ Save the Bay we do our part by using these invasive crabs for bait- you can easily hook them on a line or mash them up to use as chum. You can also cook up green crabs and eat them! While they are tiny, and have little meat inside of them, they are very tasty. You can prepare them just as you would any other crab and use them in a bisque, crab cake, or seafood salad! The best way to eat green crabs is to catch them in their molting state- this means that they have shed their hard shell and are in the process of making a new one. Mature males typically molt during the month of July, and females molt between July and October. During this time they have a soft shell, and are easy to prepare! One great method is to simply dip them in egg batter and breadcrumbs, and deep-fry them. This is a very popular dish in Italy called Moleche fritte.

Moleche Fritte

If you collect the crabs when they have their hard shells you can harvest the meat by doing the following: 

 Step 1:

To segment the crab, lift the flap under the crab's body with your thumb. While holding the body firmly with 1 hand, pull off the top part of the shell with the other. Discard the top shell.

Step 2:

Remove and discard the spongy, finger-like white gills on either side of the crab's body.

Step 3:

Cut the body into quarters.

Step 4:

Use a nutcracker to crack the large claws to enable easy removal of crabmeat when serving.

Source- Taste.com.au

Next time you’re at the beach, you can do your part to help combat invasive species on our shores by flipping over a few rocks and collecting some green crabs! If you decide to try them in your favorite crab dish, comment below to let us know how it goes! 

You can read more about green crabs on our blog, here 

You can also check out these articles about the green crab and their effects on the local fishing industry:

Discovery.com Green Crabs Devouring Americas Seafood

Salemnews.com Battle Plans Laid For Green Crab

Pressherald.com Shell of an Idea Turn Green Crab Into Cash Cow

Get to know me - Lucas Crowley

        Hello everyone, my name is Lucas Crowley and I will be a Lead Harbor Explorer this summer at Save the Harbor/Save the Bay. This is my first summer with the program and I am overwhelmed with excitement for what is to come! Since I am a new kid on the block, I thought I should begin with a little information about myself.

       

        I grew up in the small town of Hanson, Massachusetts, about 30 minutes south of Boston. When I was a kid, I wasn't very fond of the ocean (which is the complete opposite today) and because of this, the majority of my hot summer days were spent along the banks of local ponds and rivers. After a long day of playing pick-up baseball, basketball, or manhunt, the late afternoon hours were spent cooling off at Camp Kiwanee across the street from my house or in the crystal clear waters of Newfound lake in New Hampshire where we would vacation almost every weekend. 

        While I may have been deprived of the abundant marine life 

along our state's beautiful shorelines, I still developed a strong fascination for Marine life with the help of my Aunt. At least once a month, My Aunt would take a day off from work to take me into the New England Aquarium in Boston. Here my imagination would run wild as I watched the penguins swim playfully through there exhibits, and watch in fear as the menacing sand tiger shark swam right past me in the reef tank. For hours on end I would carefully examine every exhibit and watch every educational show and soon became obsessed with marine life. 

        My obsession with marine life stuck with me through school as I am now studying marine biology at the University of Rhode Island. Next year I will be a sophomore and I could not be more excited about continuing my major. I also continue my love of sports and staying active by playing for the school's club Ultimate Frisbee team, and I have met many of my best friends doing so. 

        I am more than honored to have the opportunity to work with Save the Harbor/Save the Bay this summer and I know I will make many great memories with some very cool people. I hope my love for marine environment can be enjoyed by everyone this summer and just maybe someone will develop the same love I did as a young child. 

        

Fourth Summer Back-Vinh Tran

Hello all,

     I'm Vinh Tran and will be working with the summer staff as a Lead Harbor Explorer. I recently completed my freshman year at the University of Massachusetts Lowell. I was born and raised in Boston and was very well acquainted with the wonder that is the Boston Harbor. I live a five minute walk away from Savin Hill Beach, so spending time at the beach has always been a must for me as a child. As a child, field trips to the New England Aquarium were always my favorite. Marine life has always been a fascination to me. Naturally, a job that goes hand in hand with marine biology and it's conservation would be perfect for me.

Other than marine biology, football has always been a passion for me

     Save the Harbor/Save the Bay fit all of the criterion. Save the Harbor/Save the Bay not only gives thousands of children around Boston a taste of the Boston Harbor, but gives teenagers like myself an opportunity to work with these children and open their eyes to the beauty that resides oftentimes a fifteen minute walk away. Not only can we improve ourselves as individuals, we can also instill intimate feelings of passion and wonderment in these children's hearts for the Boston Harbor that will last indefinitely. A simple stroll along the beach looking for sea glass or finding sea shells could completely change a child's view about the harbor. Seeing as this will be my fourth summer back, I hope to continually improve and utilize my skills to be the driving force that propel the organization to greater heights.

A striped bass I was able to catch last summer

Yours,

Vinh Tran
Lead Harbor Explorer

Hallie Fox - A little bit about me

Hello!

My name is Hallie Fox.  I am the photographer in residence at Save the Harbor/ Save the Bay this summer, and I am truly excited to begin my first summer here.

I am a rising senior at the Buckingham Browne and Nichols school in Cambridge. Here, I have taken photography classes for the past four years. I work with both film and digital cameras and my photographs range from landscapes to portraiture. I am so excited to use all that I have learned about photography at Save the Harbor this summer.

 During the school year, I also volunteer at the Boys and Girl Clubs and the Somerville Public School System’s after school program.  So, I love spending time with kids and can’t wait to be involved in the Save the Harbor summer program.

I have spent my entire life around the ocean. My dad was an officer in the Navy, and he spent countless hours by the sea teaching me how to fish and kayak, how to find crabs on the jetties, and how to read the current. For eight years growing up I lived on Plum Island, where I spent my time building drift wood forts and exploring tidal pools. My love for the island prompted me to spend a semester doing an independent study on the causes and variations of beach erosion. I also spent my summers on Cape Code and the shores of Revere beach, where some of my best childhood memories were made.  I have also grown up attending many Save the Harbor events such as the Revere Beach Sand Sculpting Festival and the Cupid Splash, and I am excited to finally be a part of those events myself.

I am so excited to be working at Save the Harbor, in a way, combining many of the things I love most in life. I am so thankful for the opportunity to be a part of this organization, and I am eager capture all the amazing things that go on at Save the Harbor

I can’t wait to document all the summer fun!

Excited for Another Summer on the Harbor!

Hi Everyone!

My name is Bridget Ryan and I am excited to be back at Save the Harbor for my second summer as the Lead Teacher for the Summer Youth Programs!  It feels like only yesterday we were pulling back into dock the Provincetown II after our last trip to Peddock's Island.

When our summer programs ended last August, I couldn't wait to get back into my classroom and teach my kids about Boston Harbor.  When I'm not on the harbor, I'm the 8th grade Civics teacher at the John D. O'Bryant in Roxbury.  Even though I am not a science teacher, I was able to have my students find current events every other week about the harbor and local beaches, from Nahant to Nantasket.  My students became very aware of how clean the harbor is and the work Save the Harbor has done in the harbor clean up and the surrounding area beaches!  A couple students were stunned at the information they discovered and often asked, "wait, Ms. Ryan, you mean I can swim in the water at Carson Beach??"  And my answer was always, "absolutely!"

During the past year, I was able to see the amazing work Save the Harbor does when we aren't catching lobsters at McDonough or crabs at Piers Park.  From the Metropolitan Beaches Commission Reports to the Cupid Splash and Destination Boston Harbor, Save the Harbor has had a busy year! 

In March, I raised money and prepared myself for a splash into the harbor at M St. beach for Save the Harbor/Save the Bay’s annual Cupid Splash!  The water may have been freezing but the event was an absolute success!  By the end of this summer, between the Better Beaches Program and our community partners, we will have invested more than $1 million dollars to support more than 200 free events on beaches from Nahant to Nantasket!

In June, the Boston Globe ran a front-page article about the Metropolitan Beaches Commission Report; a report produced by Save the Harbor/Save the Bay.  The article was able to articulate the tremendous work that has been done to improve the cleanliness of the beaches and their infrastructure from Lynn to Hull.  The article also explains how these gains are at risk if the state doesn’t reverse the big staffing cuts in the beaches division.  What a great way for an environmental advocacy non-profit to get their word across to the general public!

As much as I loved working for Save the Harbor/Save the Bay this past year, I could not WAIT for the summer programs to begin!  We have a wonderful staff this summer made up of eight Senior Harbor Educators (SHE), six Lead Harbor Educators (LHE), and 20 Junior Program Assistants (JPA). 

Tom, Iris, and I are returning for our second summer while we welcome, Sam Schrieber – our resident artist, Lindsay Phenix – our coach, Kelly Randall – our marine science expert, Sejal Soni – our expert on geological matter around the harbor, and Amy Gaylord – to run our All Access Boston Harbor Programs!

This summer we have hired six college students to work around the harbor with the SHEs and JPAs.  Ahmed Hasson and Vinh Tran come back to Save the Harbor as past JPAs, having just finished their freshman year in college.   We welcome back Candido Barros, who has worked for Save the Harbor three years prior to last year.  The new additions to the LHE family our Maxwell Kennedy Reed and Lucas Crowley and we are thrilled they are with us this summer!  Thi Tran is making her sixth summer appearance at Save the Harbor and is excited to be back working with David Coffin and All Access Boston Harbor!

Last week, the senior staff met for orientation.  We discussed policies and expectations and also gave them a little preview of their summer.  We visited Blacks Creek and Camp Harbor View along with Courageous Sailing and Piers Park.  This week we meet with the entire summer staff to introduce the high school students to our program!  Today, we set sail for George’s Island and some students will learn how to filet a fish for the first time!  

This summer is going to be incredible and I cannot wait to see everyone hard at work on the harbor!

-Bridget

Julia Chase - New Intern Profile

Julia Chase - Environmental Policy Intern 

Since I can remember, my summers have been filled with sun, sand, and surf. Whether on the eastern shores or in California’s chilly waters, my time by the ocean has brought me many wonderful memories. From building sand castles as a child, to attempting to ride the waves, to simply enjoying the warmth of the sun and the ocean breeze, trips to the beach have become a favorite pastime. I not only have fond memories of these times with my family, but hope to create many more. I am very excited to be interning for Save the Harbor Save the Bay this summer and to contribute to making such experiences possible for others.

One of the aspects of Save the Harbor Save the Bay that drew me to the organization was their acknowledgement of the importance that the harbor, bays, and islands have for the surrounding community’s quality of life. Growing up in Syracuse, NY, home to Onondaga Lake, one of the most polluted lakes in the country, I have seen firsthand the detrimental impacts on a community when the integrity of such a resource is not protected or maintained. Save the Harbor Save the Bay’s work ensures that the integrity of Boston’s waterfront is protected for years to come.

During both my undergraduate education at Villanova University and my graduate studies at SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry, I have focused my coursework on environmental science and water resources. Throughout this internship I hope to expand upon my education thus far and learn more about the creation and implementation of effective policy that addresses the needs of a community while conserving a natural resource. I have previously spent time in Gloucester, MA while interning for NOAA’s National Marine and Fisheries Division, but I am very happy to now call Boston home and to start my here at Save the Harbor Save the Bay.

Jacquelyn Jones - New Intern Profile

Intern Profile - Jackie Jones 

As cliché as the “falling in love with ocean” stories often are I can’t help but share mine and explain why that has lead me to join Save the Harbor/Save the Bay as an intern for the Summer of 2014. For the majority of my childhood I spent my summers in Maine taking sailing lessons and climbing along the rocky intertidal zone with my little sister. We waded through tide pools and searched endlessly for the ever-evasive starfish that seemed to only hide under rocks that we were too weak to lift.  The countless hours spent climbing rocks, slipping on seaweed, and examining the remnants of seagull dinners made a lasting impression on me. These adventures fostered my love for the ocean and that passion never died even now as I graduate from Merrimack College with my B.S. in Biology.

            This isn’t my first experience working as an intern for a nonprofit organization whose goal was environmental advocacy and conservation. Last summer I was fortunate enough to work with a group that conducted research on whales and provided naturalists for whale watches all along the New England coast. As amazing as this experience was I felt that there was more I could be doing to help conserve our coastlines. Working as an environmental policy intern with Save the Harbor/Save the Bay was the ideal opportunity for me to make more of an impact; working in environmental policy will help me see first hand the true process behind environmental conservation.

            Tying together my biology background and environmental policy future I hope that I will learn how to effectively conserve some of the most threatened ecosystems in our world today.  The strides that Save the Harbor/Save the Bay has made in cleaning up Boston Harbor and its beaches only makes me optimistic about the sheer power nonprofit organizations can have when working closely with state government and scientists alike. I am so excited to be part of such a groundbreaking group and I’m looking forward to the great experiences this summer has in hold.

Glad To Be Back.

Hello, Sea Sand and Sky readers. Some of you may remember me from last year but for those who do not my name is Thomas Rebula.

Bon Bini Aruba

Let me first start by saying that I am thrilled to be returning to Save The Harbor Save The Bay this summer. Last year was fun filled and provided me with countless opportunities to learn and grow.

Additionally, working at Save the Harbor afforded me the opportunity to share the things that I love with the greater Boston community, and I had a blast doing it. From fishing with the campers at Camp Harbor View to exploring the estuarine waters of Blacks Creek, each day was filled with opportunity to ignite the spark of stewardship and a passion for the natural world that has guided my life. I truly cannot wait to get back out onto beautiful Boston Harbor and to help the kids explore and appreciate the natural environment that surrounds them.

Eels from last summer.

See you on the water,
Tom Rebula

2014 Beaches Report Card

 

On Monday, June 30, 2014 Save the Harbor/Save the Bay released its third annual Beaches Water Quality Report Card on the Boston Harbor Region’s public beaches from Nahant to Nantasket that are managed by the Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR).

The report card is based on an in-depth analysis of thousands of samples taken by the DCR and the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority (MWRA) in 2013. The samples were collected at 34 testing sites on public beaches in 9 communities including Nahant, Lynn, Revere, Winthrop, East Boston, South Boston, Dorchester, Quincy and Hull.

The report card is based on methodology developed by Save the Harbor/Save the Bay’s Beaches Science Advisory Committee (BSAC), Co-Chaired by Dr. Judy Pederson of MIT’s Sea Grant Program and Dr. Jim Shine of the Harvard School of Public Health. 

2014 Results
Overall, water quality continues to be very good on most Boston Harbor region public beaches, however overall beach safety decreased sightly from 92.90% in 2012 to 90.45% in 2013, primarily as a result of wet weather.

Here is a snapshot of the results:

·         For the third year in a row, South Boston received the top Overall Beach Safety score of beaches tested daily with 99.15%, followed by Constitution Beach in East Boston with 97.05% and Pleasure Bay with 95.61%.

·         For weekly tested beaches, Nantasket Beach in Hull tied with Savin Hill Beach in Dorchester to top the list with 100% Overall Beach Safety in 2013, followed by a tie for second between Short Beach in Revere and Winthrop Beach with 94.12%.

·         Revere Beach scored 93.75% in 2013, down from 100% in 2012, and Nahant scored 91.18% in 2013, a slight increase from 2012—both beaches are tested weekly.

·         Wollaston Beach in Quincy, tested daily, scored 88.27% in 2013, down from 93.20% in 2012.

·         King’s Beach in Lynn and Swampscott scored 83.12% in 2013, down from 86.40% in 2012, while Malibu Beach in Dorchester scored 76.47% in 2013, down from 88.89% in 2012.

·         Tenean Beach in Dorchester scored at the bottom of the list with 62.96% in 2013, down from 81.82% in 2012.

According to Bruce Berman, Director of Strategy, Communication's and Programs at Save the Harbor/Save the Bay, the decrease in overall beach safety in 2013 is fairly easy to explain. "Bacterial pollution on these beaches is most often caused by storm water discharges that accompany summer showers, squalls and storms. 2013 was a very rainy year, with 20.88 inches of rain,  nearly twice as much rain as in in the summer 2012, which was fairly dry with just 12.07 inches of rain."

Save the Harbor is also pleased to note that Boston Water and Sewer's continued commitment to addressing illegal connections has resulted in improved water quality at Constitution Beach in East Boston, which achieved an overall beach safety rating of 97.05% in 2013, a substantial improvement over previous years despite the wet weather. 

Though water quality on many of the region's public beaches is great, Save the Harbor continues to be concerned about water quality at King's Beach in Lynn and Swampscot, and at both Tenean Beach and Malibu Beach in Dorchester, and to a lesser extent at Constitution Beach in East Boston and Wollaston Beach in Quincy. In 2014 Save the Harbor will continue to work with these communities to help them secure the resources they need to address these problems.

Beach Flagging and Posting Accuracy

Flagging accuracy continued to be a problem on area beaches in 2013, as it was in 2012 when we were forced to flunk the flags. You can find a nice piece on this subject by Larry Harmon of the Boston Globe by following this link.

Overall flagging accuracy decreased slightly in 2013 from 2012. While blue flag accuracy remained fairly high, more than 50% of the red flags were still wrong on area beaches in 2013, as a result of the 24 hour delay between when the samples are taken and the results posted.

In early June, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health amended the beach flagging protocol to reduce the number of incorrect red flags flown on the beaches. Save the Harbor supports that change, which you can read about here. We are confident that the new posting policy will improve the accuracy of the red flags, but also note that it will not improve water quality on these beaches.

In 2014, Save the Harbor will continue to advocate for additional public investment to help local communities address persistent pollution problems that continue to close beaches in Lynn, Dorchester and Quincy. We will also continue to work with the Metropolitan Beaches Commission, and with DCR, MWRA, EPA, DEP, DPH and our Beaches Science Advisory Committee to develop more accurate models to better predict when to post or flag a beach.  

You can download the 2014 Beaches Report Card, see the data and learn more about the methodology on which the report card is based at:

www.savetheharbor.org/Content/beachesreportcard

For more information on Save the Harbor / Save the Bay’s Beaches Report Card, contact Bruce Berman on his cell at 617-293-6243 or email bruce@bostonharbor.com

Save the Harbor / Save the Bay would like to thank Dr. Jim Shine and Dr. Judy Pederson, Co-Chairs of our Beaches Science Advisory Committee, Kelly Coughlin of the MWRA, DCR’s Gary Briere, and Save the Harbor’s water quality analyst Jacqueline Sussman and policy intern Yudan Jiang for their help with this report.