The Latest News from The Coalition

The Coalition's Annual Meeting offers virtual trip around Buzzards Bay

The 32nd Annual Meeting of the Buzzards Bay Coalition, which took place on Thursday, Aug. 20, featured field reports from woodlands in Westport and salt marsh in South Dartmouth to the edge of West Falmouth Harbor, the highest point on Cuttyhunk, and the middle of Vineyard Sound.

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The Watershed Ride is ON!    

The 14th Annual Buzzards Bay Watershed Ride is rolling on, albeit with some changes necessitated by the pandemic. The most notable difference: the ride will feature two routes—a metric century (62 miles) and a metric half-century (31 miles)— ending at historic Fort Taber in New Bedford. We plan to return to our regular routes next year, but current restrictions made it unworkable for 2020.

We're also adopting a host of measures that are designed to facilitate social distancing as recommended by public health officials. These include plans for a rolling start to help riders spread out on the course, rather than gathering a big group to embark all at once.  

All in all, we're pretty excited to be going forward with the Watershed Ride. If you've participated in the ride in the past, you know that this is a great event in support of a great cause—protecting Buzzards Bay and its watershed. This year, when cycling and outdoor activities are more popular than ever, it promises to be extra special. Registration is open; there's still time for you to be a part of it.  

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Updates from the Coalition

• Sawmill Expansion. The Sawmill in Acushnet will get an expanded and resurfaced parking lot, as well as the first plantings for a community garden in September. The new parking area will better accommodate visitors; the community garden will create new educational opportunities for local school children. The City of New Bedford, as a project partner, will hold a conservation restriction on the parcel, ensuring the protection of this community resource. On September 23, volunteers will plant blueberry and raspberry bushes to start the community garden.
• Marsh protection by the numbers. The effort to halt the loss of Bay salt marshes kicked into high gear this summer, generating a massive amount of data: 69,000 water level measurements, 680 marsh elevation readings, 400 plots of vegetation surveyed, and 264 soil samples collected. That all adds up to a solid foundation of evidence to guide our efforts to protect these sensitive and essential Bay habitats being degraded by climate change and nitrogen pollution. 
• Tee time. The Buzzards Bay Coalition Annual Golf Tournament on October 16 offers you the rare chance to play at the beautiful Bay Club in Mattapoisett with like-minded friends and colleagues who share your love of Buzzards Bay. Your participation supports the ongoing cleanup of New Bedford Harbor. For more information or to register, visit https://savebuzzardsbay.org/golf.    
• Fall in Onset. The Onset Bay Center will sponsor a full slate of on-the-water programs—kayaking, rowing and sailing—including after-school activities and evening offerings for adults this fall. Be on the lookout for the new schedule to debut soon. 

Keep the Watershed Ride rolling

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