A wakeup call at 6:00 AM is not part of a typical teenager’s summer vacation. But Alex Golen is not your average 13 year-old. Alex and his father Richard are members of the Coalition’s volunteer-based Baywatchers monitoring program. Once a week for the last four summers, Alex and Richard have collected early morning water samples at the beach next to their Clarks Cove home. The father and son team measure the Cove’s dissolved oxygen levels, temperature, salinity, and water clarity—basic parameters that provide an immediate snapshot of the health of the Bay.

Hundreds of Bay enthusiasts, dedicated volunteers, and beautiful summer weather all helped to make this year’s Celebrate Buzzards Bay, held on July 23, a great success. Seventy-seven swimmers kicked off the festivities as they braved a northerly breeze and some early morning chop to complete the 1.2-mile swim across outer New Bedford Harbor. Pocasset’s Matt Shenker retained his title as the fastest male, finishing in 23 minutes, 19 seconds. Stefanie Carter of New Bedford placed first among females with a time of 33 minutes, 18 seconds.

The Coalition recently embarked on three exciting new pilot projects aimed at providing a better understanding of ecological changes in the Bay and its watershed. Guided by recommendations by the Coalition’s Research Committee, these long-term initiatives, which focus on monitoring stream flow, river herring, and saltmarshes, will gather important new data while expanding the Coalition’s commitment to engaging volunteers who are interested in learning about and protecting the Bay. Each pilot project will begin by focusing on a specific field site, however the hope is to expand to other sites throughout the watershed.

For humans, oxygen is life. Dissolved oxygen concentration is also a crucial parameter for determining coastal water quality. It’s so important to the health of Buzzards Bay that the Coalition’s water quality monitoring volunteers have been collecting weekly dissolved oxygen (DO) data each summer for the last 14 years.

Celebrate Buzzards Bay All Year Long!

Did you forget to buy your Celebrate Buzzards Bay t-shirt this year? It's not too late to order a limited edition t-shirt commemorating Celebrate Buzzards Bay 2005 and featuring original artwork by illustrator Daniel Vasconcellos. CBB members receive a discounted price.