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Cleanups Net Nearly Nine Tons of Trash |
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Volunteers collected more than 17,500 pounds of
marine debris from area beaches in 2006 as part of
the Adopt A Shoreline Program. Coordinated by the
Coalition and UMASS Dartmouth, the program aims to
connect citizens, organizations, and businesses to
the waterfront by organizing monthly beach cleanups
from April through October. This year, 17
organizations partnered to adopt locations in New
Bedford, Fairhaven, and the surrounding region. In
all, volunteers gave more than 944 hours of their
time to the effort.
An analysis of the debris collected indicates food
wrappers and containers, cigarette filters, plastic
bottles, and styrofoam cups make up the majority of
trash washing up on our shores... Read more [here]
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Best of the Bay: Books |
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Winter is here and most of us can only dream
about spending time on the Bay. Why not chase the
chill away by curling up with a Buzzards Bay-themed
book this holiday season? From natural history to
historical fiction, there are plenty of books about
or set on the Bay to tide you over until spring.
In this issue of The Bay Buzz, avid Bay
reader and Coalition Executive Director, Mark
Rasmussen, shares a few of his favorites.
A Storm Without Rain
By Jan Adkins
This young adult novel chronicles the adventures of
15-year-old Jack Carter who, instead of giving a
speech at his grandfather's birthday celebration,
sets sail on Buzzards Bay. While waiting for the
tide to change, Jack falls asleep and awakes in
1904, where he becomes the best friend, shipmate,
and co-conspirator to another 15-year-old boy—his
own grandfather. Suitable for adults and children
alike, this book, which takes place in the Town of
Marion and on the Elizabeth Islands, is filled with
fascinating details about what life must have been
like on the Bay 100 years ago.
Castaways: The Penikese Island Experiment
By George Cadwalader
George Cadwalader, founder of the Penikese Island
School, tells this true story of how he and a handful
of like-minded local visionaries transformed the
once leper colony into a school for troubled boys.
Located one mile north of Cuttyhunk Island at the
end of the Elizabeth Island chain, the Penikese
Island School is a surrogate family and home for
children from difficult backgrounds. Penikese has
slowly been transformed by the students and staff
into a self-sufficient school community.
Buzzards Bay: A Journey of Discovery
By Daniel Sheldon Lee
Dan Lee explores the Bay's natural and cultural
history, weaving them together with his personal
history, encounters and reflections. The result is
an engaging look at everything from the region’s
Wampanoag past, to its future as one of the last
great places on the eastern seaboard. Copies of this
book are available from the Coalition store.
A portion of the proceeds will support our work to
Save Buzzards Bay.
Sou’West and By West of Cape Cod
By Llewellyn Howland
This Bay classic, originally published in 1947,
chronicles the childhood memories of the author
growing up on New Bedford Clark’s Point at a time
when the landscape of the city’s southend reads more
like that of Westport than what we find there today.
It is a story of Beetle’s Boat Yard, clambakes,
sailing races, and island adventures. While it is
long out-of-print, copies can often be found at
local used book shops.
The Big House
By George Howe Colt
Anyone who has ever enjoyed time spent at a summer
house on the shores of Buzzards Bay will relate to
this story of the Colt family house on Wing’s Neck
in Bourne. Beautifully written, this book is
nostalgic about how the ‘Big House’ became a central
figure in the life of four generations and realistic
about the complexities of managing an extended family.
Check the availability of these and other Bay-themed
books at local bookstores, including Coalition
corporate member, Baker Books.
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Annual Fund for the Bay |
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It is not too late to make a gift to the Coalition’s
Annual
Fund for the Bay 2006. This is the
Coalition’s most important fundraising drive and its
success is critical to our work. We are very
grateful to the many, many members who have
already made
a contribution to this important effort.
But we have a ways to go to reach our goal of 700
gifts and $230,000.
Please help us end the year with a
special gift to help Save Buzzards Bay.
Make your donation on our secure
website or send your gift to:
The Coalition for Buzzards Bay
Attn: Annual Fund for the Bay
620 Belleville Avenue
New Bedford, MA 02745
If you have any questions or would like to make a
gift of stock, please contact the Coalition's
Development Director John
Vasconcellos at
508-999-6363, ext. 202.
Thank you for all that you do to help us Save
Buzzards Bay.
Photo: Ed Hebert
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Coalition Recognizes Volunteers |
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November marks the time of year when the Coalition
stops to take a moment to thank our wonderful,
irreplaceable, and very generous volunteers.
On November 9th, the Coalition hosted our annual
Baywatcher Volunteer Thank You Reception. With more
than 45 Baywatchers attending, Director of
Monitoring Programs, Tony Williams, once again
regaled the group with a very entertaining report on
the various observations and comments captured by
the volunteers as they go about their monitoring.
On November 30th, Volunteer Coordinator Donna
Cobert hosted the many volunteers who help the
Coalition with events, outreach, office support, and
Adopt A Shoreline projects. Volunteers Bob and
Marilyn Werner and Arthur and Dolores Vasconcellos
were recognized as the individuals who had donated
the most time during the previous year. Their
efforts were acknowledged with a small token of
appreciation from the staff of the Coalition.
And to the many, many other volunteers who
were unable to join us for these events: thank you
from the staff and board of the Coalition. You make
this work possible.
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Coalition Merchandise Available for Last-Minute Shoppers |
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Attention Last Minute Shoppers!
There's still time to give the gift of Coalition
merchandise to
everyone on your list. Organic cotton t-shirts,
Nalgene water bottles, and eco-totebags
are just a few of the unique items for sale.
Remember, Coalition
members receive a discount on most products.
To guarantee delivery by Christmas, all orders
placed this week must
be picked up between 9:00 am and 5:00 pm at the
Coalition office (620 Belleville Avenue, New
Bedford) by the end of the day on Friday, December
22. Call
508-999-6363, ext.
200 with questions or to place a phone order.
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