The Buzzards Bay Coalition believes everyone who lives in the Buzzards Bay watershed should have access to experience the natural wonders of our coast. Through community engagement, the Coalition is creating a new generation of Bay stewards, who understand their place in the Bay ecosystem and will support its protections for decades to come.
Protecting places for public use
Coalition properties are preserved and developed with a focus on how best the community can enjoy a property open for all. In places like the Sawmill (New Bedford) and Marsh Island (Fairhaven), adjacent neighborhoods otherwise would not have had public waterfront access to enjoy.
Explore the Bay with us
We lead explorations for anyone to enjoy. Bay Adventures are free activities that take place throughout the region using trails, rivers, and beaches across the watershed and include a variety of hands-on, outdoor activities such as hiking, biking, kayaking, fishing, and more.
Our Centers
The Coalition’s Onset Bay Center offers high-quality on-the-water programming for thousands of kids and adults and families every year. Through a variety of outdoor activities such as sailing, paddling, shellfishing, and shoreline ecology, the center helps community members of all ages build a personal connection with our local environment.
School Programs
Innovative school programs further our community reach. The Schooner Ernestina-Morrisey program brings students face-to-face with science, history, culture and navigation skills while day sailing aboard the historic vessel in partnership with the Massachusetts Maritime Academy. When Coalition staffer Carly Baumann asks the groups how many are on a boat for the very first time, a sea of hands routinely shoot up. In 2026, we will bring the experience to every single sixth grader in the New Bedford school system, roughly 1,000 students.
Community Stories
Click into images below to read personal impact stories.
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