Save the Harbor/Save the Bay is thrilled to ring in the beach season with some great news!

We are delighted to announce that we will be awarding a third round of Better Beaches Small Grants to local organizations in beachfront communities and waterfront neighborhoods from Nahant to Nantasket thanks again to the generous support of The Boston Foundation.

We launched "Better Beaches" in 2008, in partnership with the Metropolitan Beaches Commission and the Department of Conservation and Recreation to help jumpstart public activities and free events on our region's public beaches. By all accounts we have done just that, helping groups on nine communities put their beaches to work for all the residents of our region.

Last year, with the support of all of our great partners, Save the Harbor supported 31 free events in 9 communities that brought hundreds of thousands of the region's residents to their public beaches. Among the many notable events and programs we supported in 2009 were concerts and sand castle competitions, family reading nights and neighborhood beach festivals that attracted hundreds of thousands of regional residents to the cleaner waters of Boston Harbor and Massachusetts Bay.

The 2010 Better Beaches program looks to build on this success by seeking proposals that will support and promote beach programming in 2010, and strengthen local beach groups so that they can survive - and thrive - in the longer term. This year we will look forward to funding creative proposals that include plans that will help sustain beach programs in the long term through media partnerships, advertising or other outreach efforts, the creation of materials such as posters, t-shirts, or other items for resale, or support for other innovative (or tried and true!) fundraising, membership or marketing efforts.

Of course, beyond financial support, Save the Harbor/Save the Bay will also continue to offer technical and operating assistance to empower all beaches groups to better advocate on behalf of their beaches and their programs.

Save the Harbor will hold a Grant Workshop on Monday May 3rd from 5:30-7:30 at our office on Boston Fish Pier, to discuss new ideas with applications. We are accepting requests ranging from $500 to $5,000. Proposals are due Monday, May 10th. Grants will be awarded on Saturday, June 5th at our offices on Boston Fish Pier.

Click here for more information about how to apply.

We are looking forward to another great summer of events and activities on our region's public beaches and hope you are too!

Better Beaches

Save the Harbor / Save the Bay's “Better Beaches” program grew out of the recommendations made by the Metropolitan Beaches Commission in their 2008 report “Beaches We Can be Proud Of” and was (and still is) made possible by a generous $25,000.00 grant from The Boston Foundation, a similar amount of in-kind support from the Department of Conservation and Recreation, and contributions from our corporate and philanthropic partners.

In 2008 we made grants totaling $28,000 to 11 community groups who in turn organized 27 free events and programs on the region’s public beaches from Nahant to Nantasket. Those funds were partially matched by the local organizations, and by in-kind contributions, for a total leveraged investment of $68,000.00

In the first year we funded activities designed to jumpstart public activities and events on public beaches from Nahant to Nantasket including beachfront concert series, kite festivals, sandcastle competitions, beachside art shows, swimming lessons, family fun nights and reading programs and neighborhood beach parties.

These events and programs have generated new enthusiasm for, and attracted new people to, our region’s public beaches. They have been important successes in other ways as well, helping to strengthen local community organizations and beach friends groups – encouraging them to create new partnerships with local government and area businesses, and strengthening their relationships with the DCR.

In 2009, despite the tough economic climate, we have been able to bring more resources to the table. These include another generous grant of $25,000 from The Boston Foundation, and a similar amount of in-kind support from the DCR. They also include another grant of $3,000 from National Grid, and $2,500 from Comcast Massachusetts to support the program, enabling us to make grants totaling $30,500 this year – up nearly 10% from 2008!

In addition, as they grow stronger, the local groups ability to bring resources to the table has grown as well. This year the local groups have secured more than $57,000 in sponsorships, donations, and in-kind contributions in support of these programs. Together we have invested more than $112,000 in these free events and activities this year, nearly twice what we secured last year!


I hope you will take a few minutes to check out the blog posts about each of this year's events and activities that we supported on the beach in Lynn, Nahant, Revere, Winthrop, East Boston, South Boston, Dorchester, Quincy and Hull.

See you on the Beach!

Around the World in 5 Hours - The World Folk Fest!

Lynn:
October 10, 2009:
Lynn Heritage State Park was one loud and busy place yesterday, as the Friends of Lynn Heritage State Park put on the World Folk Fest. Postponed from last Saturday because of bad weather, the Friends made up for it this weekend with a show featuring music from all over the world.

From Russian to Spanish, Cajun to Mamadou, performances featured musicians and dancers who really brought each culture to life for their audiences. It was awesome to see people celebrating so many different cultures!











Click here for more info on Lynn Heritage State Park

Friends with Feathers

East Boston/Winthrop:
September 21, 2009: This Monday the Friends of Belle Isle Marsh introduced the public to the region's "Birds on the Beach" in an open forum. The bird-news is good: Two endangered species, the Piping Plover and the Least Tern, have nested in the area!

Everybody's coming back to the beaches...



To learn more about the Friends of Belle Isle Marsh, click here.

Endless Summer in Hull

Hull:
September 13, 2009: I wish summer could go on forever, and apparently, so does the town of Hull.



The Endless Summer Waterfront Festival by the Hull Nantasket Chamber of Commerce might not actually stretch out summer to December, but at least proves that the Beach Season doesn't end on August 31.

Nantasket Beach offered a warm, summery day, and the Festival featured Live Music, Hot Dog Eating Contests and Sand Sculpture Competitions.

Clearly, summer isn't over yet!



Click here for the Hull Nantasket Chamber of Commerce website and here for their Facebook group!

Summer Reading Nights

Dorchester:
August 30, 2009: The reading events in South Boston last year were so popular that other communities wanted to share them, too.
The Tenean Beach Association made a start with their reading event Books on the Beach on Tenean Beach.

I think these programs are a great way for kids to enjoy the beach and have an educational experience at the same time!




Learn more about the Tenean Beach Association on their Facebook page!

Boys and Girls and Family Fun

Dorchester:
August 28, 2009: Like the first event in June, the Boys and Girls Club of Dorchester's second Family Fun event on Malibu Beach was a real blast for the kids!

The event featured Moonwalks, face painting, refreshments and blubble machines.
Especially face painting and the bubble machines were a big hit.



The beach was alive with all the colors from the kids' face paintings.

What a great sight!





























Learn more about the Boys and Girls Club of Dorchester by clicking here!

Treasure Hunting at Winthrop Beach

Winthrop:
August 27, 2009:

Thanks to the Parks and Recreation Department and the Girl Scouts of Winthrop, kids of all ages made their way to Winthrop Beach last night to hunt for treasure with their parents and friends. The Harbor Islands-themed hunt was part of the Winthrop Collaborative's Expanded Summer Activities, and everyone got active and followed their maps from the Union Congregational Church to Winthrop Beach, looking for "X" marks. Every team celebrated when they reached their goal on the map and claimed their prize for finding the buried treasure! A sense of adventure and dedication really pay off when hunting for treasure!


Click here to learn more about Winthrop Beach

Dancing in the Sand

East Boston:
August 22, 2009: The weather could have been better, but enough guests attended the East Boston YMCA's "Beach Dance" to keep Constitution Beach bustling!



Aside from the dance, beach explorations for kids, arts and crafts and a Wiffle Ball Tournament made this day another great day at the beach!



Want to learn more about the East Boston YMCA? Visit their website and Facebook page!

Arts on the Shore - Beach Fest!

Quincy:
August 16, 2009: Friends of Wollaston Beach

Yesterday's "Arts on the Shore" brought close to 1,000 people out in droves to Wollaston Beach to do some arts and crafts projects and have a fun time with their friends and families. Artists were lined up along the beach, painting pictures of the scenery as spectators passed by. Some families built sand castles, while others made sidewalk chalk drawings. The kids also went crazy over the clown show, balloon animals, moon bounce and face painting.

And of course a beach event wouldn't be complete without beach games, courtesy of DJ K9 from Radio Disney!















Click here to learn more about the Friends of Wollaston Beach and their Facebook page