Winthrop Youths Visit the Boston Harbor Islands with Save the Harbor

Nearly 100 kids from Winthrop’s Kathy’s Place Youth Center and Winthrop Parks & Recreation visited the Boston Harbor Islands National Park in July as part of Save the Harbor/Save the Bay’s free All Access Boston Harbor program. More than 5,000 youth and teens have taken part in the free program so far this summer, which brings area youth groups to Spectacle, Peddocks, and Georges Island for a fun filled day of environmental exploration and healthy outdoor activities, including fishing, crabbing, swimming and art on the shore.

All Access Boston Harbor trips begin at the Blue Hills Bank Pavilion where groups learn the history of Boston Harbor and the Boston Harbor cleanup from Save the Harbor’s maritime historian David Coffin. The groups then walk to the World Trade Center and board Bay State Cruise Company’s Provincetown II for their trip. On the island they enjoy a picnic lunch and then head off to explore.

The Boston Harbor Islands are important educational and recreational resources for youth development and community groups from across the city and around the region” said Bruce Berman, who serves as Director of Strategy, Communications and Programs for Save the Harbor/Save the Bay. “They are also a great place to spend a summer day.”

On Spectacle Island, kids love to explore the shore while looking for sea glass and historic artifacts at “Treasure Beach”. Save the Harbor’s Harbor Educators teach kids to fish for flounder, skates and the occasional striped bass from the pier. There are miles of walking trails with great views of the city, grassy areas for ball sports and a great beach for swimming.

On Peddocks Island, youth and teens can visit the renovated chapel and new visitor center, explore historic Fort Andrews, play Frisbee or soccer, or swim on the sandy beach.

On Georges Island, groups can explore the maze of passageways at Fort Warren, which was used for coastal defense during the Civil War, and maybe catch a glimpse of the famous “Lady in Black”. The parade ground is a great space for sports and games, and the docks on this island are great for fishing.

“At Save the Harbor/Save the Bay we are particularly proud to serve as the Boston Harbor Connection for a generation of young people” said Save the Harbor/Save the Bay President Patricia Foley. “The best way we know to “save the harbor” is to share it with the public.”

Save the Harbor’s free youth environmental education and family programs are made possible with Leadership Grants from Bay State Cruise Company, The Boston Foundation, Distrigas/GDF SUEZ, and The Coca-Cola Foundation.

Save the Harbor is grateful for Partnership Grants from Forrest Berkley & Marcie Tyre Berkley, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts, The Chiofaro Company, The Clowes Fund, Marion L. Decrow Memorial Foundation, Alice Willard Dorr Foundation, The Fallon Company, Hampshire House Corporation – Cheers for Children, John Hancock Financial Services, Inc., Mass Humanities, Massachusetts Bay Lines, Massachusetts Port Authority, National Grid Foundation, P&G Gillette, William E & Bertha E. Schrafft Charitable Trust, and Mark Wahlberg Youth Foundation.

Save the Harbor also appreciates funding support from 3A Marine Service, Arbella Insurance Group Charitable Foundation, Andus Baker & Rowan Murphy Family Fund, Blue Hills Bank Pavilion, BOMA, Boston Bruins Foundation, Boston Global Investors, Boston Properties – Atlantic Wharf, Breckinridge Capital Advisors, Andrew J. Calamare, Carnival Foundation, Circle Furniture, The Daily Catch Seaport, Eastern Bank Charitable Foundation, Ms. Wallace M. Leonard Foundation, Paul & Phyllis Fireman Charitable Foundation, Thomas & Lucinda Foley, HYM Investment Group Inc., Lovett-Woodsum Foundation, Massachusetts Water Resources Authority, National Park Service, Nicholson Foundation, P&G Gillette, Reebok Foundation, Rockland Trust – Peoples Federal Foundation, Skanska, South Boston Community Development Foundation, Spectra Energy, Matthew J. & Gilda F. Strazzula Foundation, Lawrence J. & Anne Rubenstein Foundation, Senior Housing Property Trust, South Boston Community Development Foundation, TD Bank Charitable Foundation, Kyle & Sara Warwick, and the hundreds of individual donors who help make these programs possible.

Save the Harbor would also like to thank our partners at the Department of Conservation and Recreation, the Metropolitan Beaches Commission, the Boston Centers for Youth and Families and the YMCA of Greater Boston for their support.


Save the Harbor/Save the Bay is a non-profit public-interest Boston Harbor environmental advocacy organization whose mission is to restore and protect Boston Harbor, the Boston Harbor Islands, our region’s public beaches and the marine environment and share them with the public for everyone to enjoy.

 For more information about Save the Harbor/Save the Bay, visit their website at www.savetheharbor.org, their blog Sea, Sand & Sky at www.blog.savetheharbor.org or follow savetheharbor on Facebook and Twitter.