Vacation Week aboard the Freedom for the Marine Mammals Safari

On Saturday May 23rd we had a successful day aboard the Freedom for our 3 free Marine Mammal Safaris. Kids, families, groups and friends came out to join us in hopes of seeing some seals, and porpoises. Although the first trip did encounter some rain, there were still sightings of some seals along the harbor. Thankfully the rain didn't keep people from coming out for the next two trips. The dock was full with an even bigger crowd who were eager to board the Freedom for the second trip. 

While looking for the marine mammals, kids were able to give a big wave to boats who happen to pass by us on our trip. Later on, the sky cleared up for the second trip and was perfect for the last trip so that everyone aboard was able to enjoy the top deck while searching for any sign of a seal or porpoise. 

Free Marine Mammal Safaris and Storytelling by the Sea during Vacation Week!

Looking for free, fun things to do with your friends, family, kids or group during vacation week?

Here are two great ideas from Save the Harbor/Save the Bay.

Marine Mammal Safaris

On Saturday April 23, 2016, Save the Harbor/Save the Bay and Massachusetts Bay Lines will host 3 free Marine Mammal Safaris to search for seals and porpoises and share songs and stories of Boston Harbor and the sea. These free trips are open to the public. We welcome school and community groups, youth organizations, friends, families, and children over the age of 5 under the supervision of a parent or guardian.

The 1st trip boards at 9:00am, departs at 9:30, and returns by 11:00am,

the 2nd trip boards at 11:15am, departs at 11:45, and returns by 1:15pm,

the 3rd trip boards at 1:30pm, departs at 2:00, and returns by 3:30pm. 

All three trips depart from and return to the Massachusetts Bay Lines dock at Rowes Wharf (behind the Boston Harbor Hotel). You can find directions

at http://www.massbaylines.com/wharf-and-contact/

These cruises are free but space is limited, so reservations are required. To reserve your spot please call 617-451-2860 x1001 or email info@savetheharbor.org. Please specify how many people in your group, a name for reservation, and which cruise you would like to go on! We suggest you wear warm clothing, bring a camera or binoculars. Snacks and beverages may be purchased aboard the boat, but you are also welcome to bring your own brown bag lunch. 

Storytelling by the Sea

On Thursday April 21st, Save the Harbor's storyteller Norah Dooley will perform as Mary Read the Pirate at Waterfront Square at Atlantic Wharf at 280 Congress Street in Boston from 12-2pm along with special guest Larry the Lobster. Join her and Save the Harbor/Save the Bay's youth program staff as they share stories from Boston Harbor then and now.

Though reservations are not required, please send us an email with contact information for groups of ten or more.

This free event is open to the public, and made possible with the support of our friends and program partners at Atlantic Wharf and Mass Humanities. Thanks to all our corporate sponsors, foundation funding partners, and the more than 1,000 individual donors who make these free events possible.

All of us at Save the Harbor/Save the Bay are looking forward to seeing you on the harbor, the shore, the beach and the islands this year!

To learn more about Save the Harbor/Save the Bay and the work we do to restore and protect Boston Harbor and connect the region's residents and our communities to Boston Harbor, the islands and our region's public beaches, visit our website at www.savetheharbor.org and follow savetheharbor on Facebook.

30th Anniversary of Destination Boston Harbor 2016

On behalf of Save the Harbor/Save the Bay Board Chair, Joe Newman, and our Board of Directors, I want to thank you for making Save the Harbors 30th Anniversary celebration at Destination Boston Harbor 2016  our most successful fundraiser ever!

It was great to spend time with more than 400 of our friends and supporters looking back at all we have accomplished together and looking ahead to another great year on Boston Harbor. We would like to thank the hospitality of Jim Carmody and his team at the Seaport Hotel, their food and service were fantastic. The room looked fabulous and our silent auction was terrific!

This year we were particularly pleased to honor our 2016 Boston Harbor Heroes for their part in the Boston Harbor success story.

Rep. RoseLee Vincent

Co-Chair Metropolitan Beaches Commission

Laura Burke, Hilton Luxury Brands

Save the Harbor/Save the Bay Board Member

Captain Claudia C. Gelzer, USCG

Commander - Sector Boston

Michael Glasfeld and Julie Pagano

Bay State Cruise Company

David Lee, Stull and Lee

Save the Harbor/Save the Bay Board Member

Manny Lopes, East Boston Neighborhood Health Center

Metropolitan Beaches Commissioner

Mark Rose, 2015 Lead Boston Harbor Explorer

Each of our heroes has shown an extraordinary commitment to Boston and the region, Boston Harbor, and our public beaches - we were proud to honor them.

The funds we raised at Destination Boston Harbor support our free Youth Environmental Education Programs and free Better Beaches Program events on our public beaches from Nahant to Nantasket. It also supports our work to restore, protect, and share Boston Harbor, the waterfront and our region's public beaches with everyone. 

Save the Harbor will continue our 30th Anniversary celebrations with end of the day harbor cruises and beach parties in the coming months. Kepp and eye out for invitations - we hope you will join us.

A Very Big Splash in South Boston

 

235 costumed beach lovers plunged into the icy waters of Boston Harbor
at this year’s Harpoon Shamrock Splash at the BCYF Curley Community Center
in South Boston on Sunday, March 6th at noon. 

Participants competed for great prizes including JetBlue flights for best costume and biggest fundraiser and raised more than $43,000 to support free events and programs on the region’s public from Nahant to Nantasket this summer as part of Save the Harbor and DCR’s Better Beaches Program.

Tiffany Spearman of South Boston, splashing for Youth Enrichment Services, raised more than $4,000 to win best fundraiser. Jane Kepros of East Boston, splashing for Eastie's beaches as Lobster Gal and Joe Skahan of Salem, splashing for Lynn's beaches as Kilt Guy won first prize for best costumes. Winners received round trip flights on JetBlue Airways.

 Top Row: Fred Ahern, Director of the BCYF Curley Community Center, Donnie Todd, Corporate Social Responsibility Liaison at JetBlue Airways, Tiffany Spearman of Y.E.S., Jessie Cox, Director of Harpoon Helps, Dan Kenary, Founder and CEO of Harpoon Brewery and Bruce Berman of Save the Harbor/Save the Bay. Front Row: Joe Skahan of Salem as Kilt Guy and Jane Kepros of East Boston as Lobster Gal won prizes for best costumes, judged by Kennedy Elsey of Mix 104 and Charlie Storey, President of Harpoon Brewery.

Save the Harbor/Save the Bay began the tradition in 2011 as the Harpoon Helps Cupid Splash, a cold-water "plunge and pledge" fundraiser to raise money to support free Better Beaches events and programs on the region's public beaches from Nahant to Nantasket.

“All of us at Harpoon are look forward to taking a quick dip into the icy water after our Harpoon St. Patrick’s Day festival to support a great cause and warm up with a refreshing Harpoon and burgers on the beach with our friends from Save the Harbor/Save the Bay” said Harpoon Brewery President Charlie Storey. “Sure it’s cold in the water, but the warm feeling you get from giving back to your community stays with you for a long time.”

In 2015, with the support of the legislative members of the Metropolitan Beaches Commission and the Department of Conservation and Recreation, Save the Harbor secured additional funds to support the Better Beaches Program.

As a result, last year Save the Harbor and DCR awarded more than $200,000 in grants to 35 organizations in nine waterfront neighborhoods and beachfront communities to support 70 free concerts, family beach festivals, competitive swims, movie nights, campfires, story telling and art on the shore in Lynn, Nahant, Revere, Winthrop, East Boston, South Boston, Dorchester, Quincy and Hull,

“All of these great events have one thing in common,” said Save the Harbor/Save the Bay’s President Patty Foley. “They bring people together to strengthen their communities and enjoy our region's most stunning natural resources, the 19 miles of DCR’s public swimming beaches that connect us to each other and to Boston Harbor, Mass Bay and Broad Sound.”

"At JetBlue, two core pillars of our corporate social responsibility platform are youth/education and the environment.  We are delighted to help raise funds and awareness for youth and beach programs in partnership with Save the Harbor/Save the Bay. This year's Harpoon Shamrock Splash perfectly aligns with our focus," said Ronda Ivy-McLeod, Northeast regional marketing manager for JetBlue. "As more than 3,000 JetBlue crewmembers call Boston home, we cherish our harbor and proudly support Save the Harbor/Save the Bay and the work they do on the region's public beaches."

Better Beaches Program Grants range from $500 - $10,000, with a typical grant of $3,500. In rare cases, larger grants may be considered. Past events have included concert series, sand- sculpting competitions, campfires, art festivals, neighborhood beach parties, and family reading and movie nights on the beach.

Save the Harbor would like to thank Harpoon Brewery, JetBlue Airways, and all the splashers and donors who made this year's Harpoon Shamrock Splash our biggest and best ever.

We would also like to thank our foundation funding partners The Boston Foundation, the Richard Saltonstall Charitable Foundation, the Harold Whitworth Pierce Charitable Trust, our corporate sponsors Harpoon, JetBlue, Comcast and National Grid and  Metropolitan Beaches Commission Co-Chairs Senator Tom McGee and Representative RoseLee Vincent and the legislative and community members of the Commission, the Baker-Polito Administration and our partners at the Department of Conservation and Recreation for making this great program possible.

To find out more about Save the Harbor/Save the Bay and DCR’s Better Beaches Program, visit http://www.blog.savetheharbor.org/2016/02/a-spectacular-summer-on-your-beach_12.html

For more information about Save the Harbor/Save the Bay, visit their website at www.savetheharbor.org and like or follow savetheharbor on Facebook and twitter.

You can make a contribution to support our work here.

A Spectacular Summer on Your Beach!

      Save the Harbor and DCR to Award Over $200,000
For Free Beach Events and Programs in 2016

Save the Harbor/Save the Bay and the Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) are now seeking proposals from organizations in Lynn, Nahant, Revere, Winthrop, East Boston, South Boston, Dorchester, Quincy and Hull to be considered for the Better Beaches Program grants. The grant program will support free beach events and activities at the region’s public beaches this year.

Funds for the Better Beaches Program are provided through appropriations made by DCR to support summer programming, and the proceeds of the Harpoon Shamrock Splash, which will be held on Sunday, March 6, 2016 at the BCYF Boston Center for Youths and Families Curley Community Center at M Street Beach in South Boston. You can register today at www.shamrocksplash.org.

Last year, Save the Harbor and DCR awarded grants to 35 organizations in nine waterfront neighborhoods and beachfront communities from Nahant to Nantasket, including Lynn, Nahant, Revere, Winthrop, East Boston, South Boston, Dorchester, Quincy and Hull. The Better Beaches Program leveraged nearly $650,000 in cash and in-kind support from local businesses and government, including over 8,500 volunteer hours that were utilized to support the 70 free beach events and programs. More than 500,000 people attended the free beach events in 2015.

 Artist Andres Amador made art in the sand as part of
Save the Harbor and DCR's Better Beaches Program in 2015

“All of these great events have one thing in common” said Save the Harbor/Save the Bay’s President Patty Foley. “They bring people together to strengthen their communities and enjoy our region's most stunning natural resources, the 19 miles of DCR’s public swimming beaches that connect us to each other and to Boston Harbor, Mass Bay and Broad Sound.”

“The Department of Conservation and Recreation looks forward to working with Save the Harbor to deliver another summer full of fun, free events and programs at our beautiful public beaches for people of all walks of life to enjoy,” said DCR Commissioner Leo Roy. “The Baker-Polito Administration remains committed to fostering such partnerships to protect, promote, and enhance our state’s resources for generations to come.”

"Our waterfront and our beaches are remarkable assets with the power to connect our communities. We have heard again and again how modest investments in free events and programs have put these beaches to work and have provided expanded opportunities for residents, businesses and tourists," said Senator Thomas M. McGee, Co-Chair Metropolitan Beaches Commission, Lynn and Nahant.

 Storyteller Norah Dooley appeared as the Pirate Mary Read
at beach festivals and eventsfrom Nahant to Nantasket as part of
Save the Harbor and DCR's Better Beaches Program in 2015

“At public hearings from Nahant to Nantasket we heard how important free events and programs are to the region’s residents, who really love our beaches,” 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.”

Better Beaches Program Grants range from $500 - $10,000, with a typical grant of $3,500. In rare cases, larger grants may be considered. Past events have included concert series, sand- sculpting competitions, campfires, art festivals, neighborhood beach parties, and family reading and movie nights on the beach.

“Save the Harbor would like to thank our foundation funding partners The Boston Foundation, the Richard Saltonstall Charitable Foundation, the Harold Whitworth Pierce Charitable Trust, our corporate sponsors Harpoon, JetBlue, Comcast and National Grid and the hundreds of participants and donors to the Harpoon Shamrock Splash for their support.” said Bruce Berman, Director of Strategy and Communications for Save the Harbor/Save the Bay.

“We would also like to thank Metropolitan Beaches Commission Co-Chairs Senator Tom McGee and Representative RoseLee Vincent and the legislative and community members of the Commission, the Baker-Polito Administration and our partners at the Department of Conservation and Recreation for making this great program possible.”

To apply for a Better Beaches Program Grant, download an application at http://savetheharbor.org/Content/2016_BBP_RFP.docx and return it by email to info@savetheharbor.org by April 15, 2016. The Better Beaches Program Grants Committee will review all proposals and notify you of their decisions in May.

Why Are We “Splashing” Into Boston Harbor on Sunday, March 6th?

 Why Are We “Splashing” Into Boston Harbor on Sunday, March 6th?
To have some fun and raise funds for free beach programs from Nahant to Nantasket.

In 2015, splashers raised more than $30,000 for free events and programs on beaches in
Lynn, Nahant, Revere, Winthrop, East Boston, South Boston, Dorchester, Quincy and Hull.
 
To register, start a team or make a donation visit www.shamrocksplash.org

This Sunday, March 6th, hundreds of costumed beach lovers will plunge into the icy waters of Boston Harbor at this year’s Harpoon Shamrock Splash for Save the Harbor/Save the Bay at the BCYF Curley Community Center in South Boston at noon. Participants, who compete for great prizes including JetBlue flights for best costume and biggest fundraiser, have already raised more than $30,000 to support free “Better Beaches” events and programs from Nahant to Nantasket.

Save the Harbor began the tradition in 2011 as the Harpoon Helps Cupid Splash, a cold-water "plunge and pledge" fundraiser to raise money to support free Better Beaches events and programs on the region's public beaches from Nahant to Nantasket.  In 2015, with the support of the legislative members of the Metropolitan Beaches Commission and the Department of Conservation and Recreation, Save the Harbor secured additional funds to support the Better Beaches Program.

As a result, last year Save the Harbor and DCR awarded more than $200,000 in grants to 35 organizations in nine waterfront neighborhoods and beachfront communities to support 70 free concerts, family beach festivals, competitive swims, movie nights, campfires, story telling and art on the shore in Lynn, Nahant, Revere, Winthrop, East Boston, South Boston, Dorchester, Quincy and Hull.

“All of these great events have one thing in common,” said Save the Harbor/Save the Bay’s President Patty Foley. “They bring people together to strengthen their communities and enjoy our region's most stunning natural resources, the 19 miles of DCR’s public swimming beaches that connect us to each other and to Boston Harbor, Mass Bay and Broad Sound.”

Save the Harbor would like to thank our foundation funding partners The Boston Foundation, the Richard Saltonstall Charitable Foundation, the Harold Whitworth Pierce Charitable Trust, our corporate sponsors Harpoon, JetBlue, Comcast and National Grid and the hundreds of participants and donors to the Harpoon Shamrock Splash for their support. 

We would also like to thank Metropolitan Beaches Commission Co-Chairs Senator Tom McGee and Representative RoseLee Vincent and the legislative and community members of the Commission, the Baker-Polito Administration and our partners at the Department of Conservation and Recreation for making this great program possible.

To register for the Harpoon Shamrock Splash, start a team or make a donation visit www.shamrocksplash.org

To find out more about Save the Harbor/Save the Bay and DCR’s Better Beaches Program,
visit http://www.blog.savetheharbor.org/2016/02/a-spectacular-summer-on-your-beach_12.html

For more information about Save the Harbor/Save the Bay, visit our website at www.savetheharbor.org
and like or follow savetheharbor on Facebook and twitter.

 

See you on the beach on Sunday.
Registration opens at 11:00. The Splash will take place at noon.

Hello from Rachael Miller, Environmental Policy intern

Greetings fellow beach lovers,

I'm Rachael Miller, the newest environmental policy intern at Save the Harbor/Save the Bay for the spring semester. I am an undergraduate student in my final semester at Boston University, studying Environmental Analysis and Policy with a minor in Spanish.

Over the summer, I had an internship with the EPA in Washington, DC, where I conducted research for a proposed regulation of methylene chloride and other toxic chemicals under TSCA section 6. While I appreciated the opportunity to work with the government agency that controls
environmental regulation, ultimately I decided a government office wasn't for me. 

It is the beginning of my second week at Save the Harbor and I can already tell it is a perfect fit! Before going to DC this summer, I had an idealized image of the EPA being aggressive in its mission to mitigate climate change and protect the many ecosystems in the United States. However, upon seeing the boatloads of hoops the EPA has to jump through just to make an inch of progress, I began looking at other organizations. The main driving force behind my wanting to work at Save the Harbor was their history of success in improving water quality and cleaning up beaches in the Boston community. I was told I would have the opportunity to work on projects I truly cared about, and at the commencement of my internship I would be able to point to something and say, "I did that." For me, being able to see my impact is incredibly rewarding.

Save the Harbor is gearing up for their event Shamrock Splash, and though I know the water will be freezing, I'm so excited to participate in an important fundraiser for the organization. I have spent some time getting the word out for registration. I am also working on a testimony in support of Representative Vincent's House Bill 771, which calls for the closure of Wheelabrator's unlined ash landfill in Saugus, by December 31, 2016. I am so thankful to immediately be working on an issue directly related to environmental policy and am looking forward to many more important projects at Save the Harbor this spring.

Goodbye Cupid, Hello Shamrock!

The Harpoon Helps Cupid Splash is now the Harpoon Shamrock Splash to benefit Save the Harbor/Save the Bay.

Click here to register at www.shamrocksplash.org

In 2011, as Save the Harbor/Save the Bay celebrated our 25th Anniversary, we asked our friends at Harpoon Brewery and JetBlue to help us launch a cold water "plunge and pledge" fundraiser to raise money to support free events and programs on the region's public beaches from Nahant to Nantasket.

Since then, participants in the Harpoon Helps Cupid Splash raised more than $400,000 to support 284 free concerts, family beach festivals, competitive swims, movie nights, campfires, story telling and art on the shore in Lynn, Nahant, Revere, Winthrop, East Boston, South Boston, Dorchester, Quincy and Hull as part of Save the Harbor's Better Beaches Program.

In 2015, and again in 2016, with the support of the legislative members of the Metropolitan Beaches Commission, the Department of Conservation and Recreation and both the Patrick and the Baker Administrations, Save the Harbor secured additional funds to expand the reach and impact of our Better Beaches Program.

As a result, last year Save the Harbor awarded more than $200,000 in grants to 35 organizations in nine waterfront neighborhoods and beachfront communities. These groups leveraged our funds with nearly $650,000 in cash and in-kind support from local businesses and government and more than 8,500 volunteer hours to support 70 free beach events and programs, which brought more than 500,000 people back to their beaches.

All of us at Save the Harbor love our beaches, and we loved the Harpoon Helps Cupid Splash.

However, after soul searching discussions with our sponsors and partners about how to increase participation at the event, we have decided to say "goodbye" to the Harpoon Helps Cupid Splash, and replaced it with...

Click here to register at www.shamrocksplash.org

The Harpoon Shamrock Splash to Benefit Save the Harbor / Save the Bay, which will be held on the Sunday March 6th @ Noon at the BCYF Curley Community Center in South Boston.

We promise that the Harpoon Shamrock Splash will be just as much fun as the Cupid Splash, with live music, burgers and refreshing Harpoon beer on the beach and plenty of chances to win JetBlue flights and other great prizes for best costume and biggest fundraiser.

So pull together a team or register yourself for the Harpoon Shamrock Splash today at www.shamrocksplash.org  because you love your beach.

Final Cruise of the Season to Spectacle Island!

On Saturday October 24^th more than 250 people from Greater Boston visited Spectacle Island on our last fall cruise of the season!

Participants spent the chilly autumn day exploring Spectacle Island with Save the Harbor’s staff and interns and sharing stories with Save the Harbor’s Humanities Scholar Norah Dooley as Mary Read the Pirate. Dooley helped the group get into the Halloween spirit by sharing haunting stories about the “Lady in Red” and the better known “Lady in Black” and encouraging island visitors to hone their own storytelling skills by sharing some of their own stories as well.

Derick Weekes of Quincy shares his story with  Save the Harbor's Humanities Scholar Norah Dooley who appeared as the pirate Mary Read on Saturday's free fall trip to Spectacle Island

Giles Parker, Superintendent of the Boston Harbor Islands for the National Park Service, was glad that so many young people and their families were able to “Find Your Park” and explore the Boston Harbor Islands National and State Park on Saturday. “As we celebrate the 100th year of the National Park Service, the NPS and our partners including Save the Harbor/Save the Bay are working together to connect the next generation of visitors to city, state and national parks. “

A group from the Highland Coalition in Lynn made the trip out to Spectacle Island to enjoy a day of exploration and fun. (Adults from left to right: Riffin Olivier, Bruce Berman, Lucie Sthilaire, Jasmine Charles, George Charles and Shade Olivier)

21 people from Maverick Landing in East Boston set sail on Saturday for Spectacle Island.

Despite the chilly weather, it was a great day to fly a kite, enjoy a picnic lunch, take a hike to the top of a drumlin to see the city, or simply search for treasure and blue marbles on the beach, as part of Save the Harbor and JetBlue’s “Simply Marble-ous” Treasure Hunt.

“It was a record breaking year for our free All Access Boston Harbor program, which connected nearly 10,000 underserved young people and their families to Boston Harbor with free trips to Spectacle, Peddocks and Georges Islands,” said Save the Harbor’s spokesman Bruce Berman. “We are looking forward to celebrating our 30^th Anniversary next year and setting new records, but hopefully we won’t set new record for snow!”

Save the Harbor's free youth environmental education and family programs are made possible with Leadership Grants from Bay State Cruise Company, The Boston Foundation, The Coca-Cola Foundation and Distrigas/GDF SUEZ.

Save the Harbor is grateful for Partnership Grants from Forrest Berkley & Marcie Tyre Berkley, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts, Boston Properties – Atlantic Wharf, The Chiofaro Company, The Clowes Fund, Marion L. Decrow Memorial Foundation, Alice Willard Dorr Foundation, Eastern Salt Company Inc., The Fallon Company, Hampshire House Corporation – Cheers for Children, John Hancock Financial Services, Inc., Mass Humanities, Massachusetts Bay Lines, Massachusetts Port Authority, National Grid Foundation, P&G Gillette, William E & Bertha E. Schrafft Charitable Trust, Vertex and Mark Wahlberg Youth Foundation.

Save the Harbor also appreciates funding support from 3A Marine Service, Arbella Insurance Group Charitable Foundation, Andus Baker & Rowan Murphy Family Fund, Bay State Federal Savings Charitable Foundation, Blue Hills Bank Pavilion, BOMA Boston, Boston Bruins Foundation, Boston Global Investors, Breckinridge Capital Advisors, Andrew J. Calamare, Camp Harbor View Foundation, Carnival Foundation, Circle Furniture, Cresset Management, LLC, The Daily Catch Seaport, Eastern Bank Charitable Foundation, Paul & Phyllis Fireman Charitable Foundation, Thomas & Lucinda Foley, Legal Sea Foods, Ms. Wallace M. Leonard Foundation, Mass Bay Credit Union, HYM Investment Group Inc., Sherry & Alan Leventhal Family Foundation, Lovett-Woodsum Foundation, Massachusetts Water Resources Authority, National Park Service, Nicholson Foundation, Randy Peeler & Kate Kellogg, Reebok Foundation, Rockland Trust – Peoples Federal Foundation, Lawrence J. & Anne Rubenstein Foundation, Senior Housing Property Trust, Skanska, South Boston Community Development Foundation, Spectra Energy, South Boston Community Development Foundation, Storm Duds, Matthew J. & Gilda F. Strazzula Foundation, TD Bank Charitable Foundation, Tishman Speyer, UDR, and Kyle & Sara Warwick.

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

For more information about Save the Harbor/Save the Bay and the work we do to restore, protect and share Boston Harbor, the harbor islands and the metropolitan region’s public beaches, visit our website at www.savetheharbor.org and follow savetheharbor on Facebook and Twitter.

Lucky Man Finds Treasure on the Beach in South Boston Thanks to JetBlue

On September 16, Siva Venkataraman of Walpole found a blue marble on the beach while taking part in the Blue Cross /Blue Shield of Massachusetts Annual Service Day at DCR’s Carson Beach in South Boston.

Siva Venkataraman of Walpole found a blue marble on the beach in South Boston and won a pair of round trip flights from JetBlue in Save the Harbor’s “Simply Marble-ous” Treasure Hunt.

 “It was a great way to spend the day, giving back to our community” said Siva, who was surprised to discover this week that he had won a pair of round-trip flights from JetBlue to any domestic destination they serve from Boston’s Logan Airport as part of Save the Harbor/Save the Bay and JetBlue’s 2015 “Simply Marble-ous” Treasure Hunt. “Save the Harbor and JetBlue are awesome! I can’t wait to tell my wife.”

Take a minute and enjoy this short video starring the 2015 treasure hunters.

The JetBlue “Simply Marble-ous” Treasure Hunt began in 2012 on the beaches of South Boston with a beach clean up sponsored by JetBlue in partnership Save the Harbor. In just a few short hours, more than 100 people did 5 weeks worth of work cleaning up the beaches. At the end of the day, the participants released blue marbles on the beach for Boston beach-goers to find.

“The Simply Marble-ous Treasure Hunt is a favorite among JetBlue’s more than 2,500 crewmembers in Boston, many of whom volunteer locally for a variety of worthy causes including Save The Harbor/Save The Bay” said Ronda Ivy McLeod, Manager of Regional Marketing, Northeast at JetBlue. “The treasure hunt exemplifies our fun value, while also highlighting our commitment to the city of Boston.” 

Bruce Berman, Director of Communications at Save the Harbor/ Save the Bay said, “One of the reasons this event is such a success is because JetBlue is such a great partner. Fun is one of their core values, which you can see that in the way they treat their community partners, employees and customers.” 

This year more than 100 people found marbles on the beach, while scores more bought a “Virtual Marble” online to share in the fun and support Save the Harbor’s free youth and beach programs, which served more than 25,000 youth and teens to Boston Harbor and the harbor islands in 2015.

Thanks to everyone who took part, and special thanks to JetBlue

For more information about the “Simply Marble-ous Treasure Hunt” and all the great work Save the Harbor does, visit their blog “Sea, Sand & Sky” and follow savetheharbor on Facebook and Twitter.