Save the Harbor/Save the Bay

Save the Harbor/Save the Bay
Name	Save the Harbor/Save the Bay
Formation	1972
Type	Nonprofit organization
Headquarters	Boston, Massachusetts
Region served	Greater Boston Harbor and Massachusetts Bay
Leader title	Executive Director

Save the Harbor/Save the Bay

Save the Harbor/Save the Bay is a nonprofit environmental organization based in Boston, Massachusetts focused on the restoration and protection of Boston Harbor, Massachusetts Bay, and adjacent coastal resources. Founded in 1972 during the era of the Clean Water Act debates and concurrent with litigation involving the Environmental Protection Agency and Massachusetts state agencies, the organization has engaged with municipal, state, and federal entities including the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection, the United States Environmental Protection Agency, and the Massachusetts Port Authority to improve water quality, public access, and coastal resilience. Its activities intersect with major coastal planning efforts such as the Boston Harbor Islands National and State Park, the Urban Ring (MBTA), and broader regional initiatives like the Northeast Regional Ocean Council and the Gulf of Maine Research Institute.

History

The organization traces roots to citizen activism in the aftermath of pollution scandals that implicated facilities monitored by the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority and regulators like the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, with early allies from the Harbor Coalition and legal advocacy by firms connected to the Natural Resources Defense Council. Throughout the 1970s and 1980s it partnered with scientific institutions such as the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology to document contaminant loads in estuaries assessed under programs similar to the National Estuary Program and projects funded by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. In subsequent decades the group played roles in campaigns around the cleanup overseen by the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts consent decrees, waterfront redevelopment projects near the Seaport District (Boston), and public access improvements tied to the Boston Harborwalk.

Mission and Programs

The organization's mission aligns with goals advanced by environmental NGOs like the Sierra Club and the Audubon Society to restore marine habitats and expand equitable access to coastal recreation on sites managed by the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation and the National Park Service. Core programs include water quality monitoring modeled after protocols from the Environmental Protection Agency, habitat restoration influenced by methods developed at the New England Aquarium, and public beach and boating access initiatives coordinated with the Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management and local municipalities such as Chelsea, Massachusetts, Revere, Massachusetts, and Winthrop, Massachusetts.

Advocacy and Policy Initiatives

Advocacy work has engaged policymakers in the Massachusetts General Court and federal legislators from Massachusetts's congressional delegation on issues like stormwater regulation, port redevelopment, and climate adaptation linked to reports by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and regional sea-level rise assessments produced by the Northeast Climate Adaptation Science Center. The organization has submitted comments to rulemakings at the Environmental Protection Agency and collaborated with coalitions including the Conservation Law Foundation and the Boston Harbor Association on zoning, permitting, and environmental review affecting projects such as the Big Dig legacy sites and waterfront industrial conversions.

Education and Community Engagement

Educational programs draw on partnerships with academic institutions like Boston University, Harvard University, and the University of Massachusetts Boston to deliver youth stewardship, citizen science, and volunteer stewardship aligned with curricula used by the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education and nonprofit educators at The Trustees of Reservations. Community events and interpretive programming have taken place at venues including the Institute of Contemporary Art (Boston), the Boston Children's Museum, and neighborhood organizations in the South Boston and East Boston communities.

Environmental Impact and Achievements

Notable achievements include contributions to improved metrics in water clarity and pollutant reduction comparable to outcomes reported in studies by the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and the Northeast Fisheries Science Center, expansion of public shoreline access akin to projects by the Massachusetts Bays National Estuary Program, and involvement in restoring intertidal and eelgrass habitats monitored by researchers at the New England Aquarium and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. The organization has been recognized by local entities such as the Boston Preservation Alliance and cited in policy analyses from the Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management for advancing coastal resilience and public recreation goals.

Funding and Partnerships

Funding sources have included private foundations like the Barr Foundation and the Charles Hayden Foundation, corporate donors involved in harbor redevelopment, grants from federal agencies including the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Environmental Protection Agency, and support from philanthropic initiatives connected to The Boston Foundation. Strategic partnerships span government agencies (Massachusetts Port Authority, Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection), research organizations (Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Gulf of Maine Research Institute), and civic groups (Conservation Law Foundation, Boston Harbor Association).

Organizational Structure and Leadership

The organization operates as a nonprofit corporation with a board of directors composed of leaders from Boston-area institutions, civic groups, and environmental law firms, and maintains staff teams in program management, science, outreach, and development. Leadership has included executive directors drawn from nonprofit management and environmental policy backgrounds with professional networks extending to institutions such as Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Harvard Kennedy School, and the New England Aquarium, and advisory input from scientists affiliated with Boston University and Northeastern University.

Category:Environmental organizations based in Massachusetts