The Coalition for Buzzards Bay is supporting two bills that seek to create an ocean management plan for the coastal waters of Massachusetts. If passed, the ground-breaking legislation would make Massachusetts the first state in the nation to put in place a comprehensive statewide planning process to assess new projects proposed for state ocean waters.

There is currently no comprehensive management plan for the Commonwealth’s coastal waters, which extend three miles offshore along the State’s more than 1,500 miles of coast. Demands and competing interests for coastal resources—from navigation, to tourism, to renewable energy development—are plentiful and growing. The Commonwealth currently responds to ocean development proposals on a case- by-case basis with no overarching plan to ensure the protection, conservation, and sustainable use of our ocean resources. “This legislation is a way of managing the State’s waterways to a level that has hasn’t been done before,” says Ben Bryant, Marine Policy Specialist for The Coalition for Buzzards Bay. “It will establish the necessary criteria to properly govern the future uses of the State’s coastal waterways..." Read more here

In March 2004, after pleading guilty to criminal charges associated with the 2003 oil spill in Buzzards Bay, the Bouchard Transportation Company was forced to pay a $10 million fine, $7 million of which was directed to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s North American Wetlands Conservation Act (NAWCA) Program to be used for the acquisition and restoration of wetlands in the Buzzards Bay watershed.

The Coalition for Buzzards Bay led a partnership of 25 local, state, and national conservation organizations and towns by developing a collaborative proposal to NAWCA to protect Buzzards Bay habitat for waterfowl and migratory birds. According to Allen Decker, Land Protection Director for the Coalition, proposed projects must be near the areas oiled by the spill and must have good quality migratory bird habitat... Read more here

Above Photo: Field Farm, Tim Sylvia

An internationally acclaimed gathering of scientific and social innovators will gather at UMASS Dartmouth on October 14-16 for the first annual "Bioneers by the Bay: Connecting for Change" conference. Sponsored by the Marion Institute, in partnership with the Coalition and a variety of regional colleges and grassroots organizations, the meeting will demonstrate visionary and practical models for restoring the Earth and communities and feature topics such as renewable energy systems, new paradigms in business, native ecology, healthy food, youth leadership, holistic health, and sustainable communities.

For program information and online registration, visit Bioneers by the Bay: Connecting for Change

The Coalition will be participating in the 35th Annual Bourne Scallop Festival and New Bedford's Working Waterfront Festival, each taking place September 23-25. You're invited to stop by our table and get the latest news on Coalition projects, browse our publications, or pick up a Coalition t-shirt or hat.

Visitors to the Scallop Fesitval will enjoy entertainment, games, rides, and arts and crafts, not to mention the event's famous scallops.

The Working Waterfront festival celebrates the commercial fishing industry and will feature tours of fishing boats, demonstrations and contests of occupational skills, food, music, and more. Both events are free and open to the public. We hope to see you there!



Photo courtesy of the Working Waterfront Festival

The Coalition for Buzzards Bay is looking for volunteers from the Towns of Mattapoisett and Rochester to monitor river flow at three recently installed stream flow gauges on the Mattapoisett River. Monitoring locations include the mouth of Snipatuit Pond, the end of Tinkham Lane, and Acushnet Road in the river.

Coalition staff, along with representatives from the Massachusetts Department of Fish and Game’s River Instream Flow Stewards (RIFLS) program, will hold a training session on Tuesday, September 27, from 6:00 to 8:00 PM at the Mattapoisett Town Hall. Volunteers will learn about the importance of river flow, and how to read the stream gauges to record river height and water temperature.

Flow and the water temperature are important to water quality, and the living organisms that inhabit the river. The project is aimed at providing a better understanding of ecological changes of the Mattapoisett River related to river flow to the Bay. The data will also help in developing a model to track how much water the river has flowing through it and will assist towns in long-term planning for the protection of the Mattapoisett River.

If you would like to attend the training session, send your contact information (name, address phone, and email) to Tony Williams, Director of Monitoring Programs, williams@savebuzzardsbay.org