First “Green” Water Taxi 
Launched In Boston Harbor

On June 3, 2010, The Boston Harbor Association, with Rowes Wharf Water Transit, Massport, the MA Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs, and The Boston Harbor Hotel, launched the first completely electric, zero-emissions water taxi in Boston Harbor. The taxi can carry a maximum of 12 people for up to thirteen hours on a single night’s charge. Like other water taxi services, the electric vessel offers passengers traffic-free access to Logan Airport and thirty other popular locations around the Boston Harbor, but unique to the electric water taxi is a nearly silent, eco-friendly ride. Sixteen six-volt batteries power the vessel at a speed nearly equal to that of traditional water taxis, making the trip from Rowes Wharf to Logan Airport in only ten minutes.

June 3, 2010 ribbon cutting ceremony for
first “green” water taxi in Boston Harbor. 
(L to R) Lowell Richards, Massport’s Chief Development Officer; 
Scott Rickards, Manager, Equity Office Properties; 
Vivien Li, Executive Director, The Boston Harbor Association;
 Paul Jacques, General Manager, Boston Harbor Hotel; and
Steve Goyette, co-owner and operator of Rowes Wharf Water Transport

Enjoying Boston Harbor

With summer just around the corner, now is the time to enjoy Boston Harbor with The Boston Harbor Association (TBHA). Thanks to the support of our generous members and sponsors, all of TBHA’s HarborWalk tours, cruises, and activities are free of charge and open to the public. Be sure also to check out our new activities for young professionals (limited to those ages 21-35 years old, please). Click here for TBHA events.

2010 Updates on the HarborWalk

The section of the HarborWalk that spans the John F. Kennedy Library and Museum now offers visitors increased opportunity to take in the spectacular view of the downtown skyline and connects to the long stretch of HarborWalk along the UMass Boston campus.

Thanks to the advocacy of the Charlestown Waterfront Coalition, an improved section of the HarborWalk opened at the Schrafft Center in spring, 2010. The HarborWalk is next to the existing ball field, and is another link connecting Charlestown to a growing network of pedestrians and bicycle pathways in Somerville and surrounding communities. The walkway extends along the shoreline adjacent to the Mystic River, with a viewing area and benches where the waterfront path ends and connects to Medford Street. A boat ramp is also on the site.

Visitors walking along the Fort Point Channel in late April, 2010 may have noticed the new interpretive markers along the HarborWalk installed by the InterContinental Boston Hotel. The new markers tell the story of the Boston Tea Party, Fort Point Channel, and the InterContinental Hotel.

Immediately next door, the facility of public accommodation at 470 Atlantic Avenue has been completed. The indoor space, which is open to the public daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., provides a quiet respite on the HarborWalk. A seating area is available for families and visitors, together with educational displays about Independence Wharf (site of the Boston Tea Party) as well as a television monitor tuned to CNN news. Visitors can also enjoy the free 14th floor observation deck in the building, with views of Boston Harbor, the Harbor Islands, and the Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenway (free telescope available). The Boston Harbor Association successfully advocated for these public amenities during permitting and enforcement proceedings of the building.

On the Fan Pier along the South Boston waterfront, Louis Boutique moved into a two-story building in late April. The building has a small second-floor lookout for visitors. Boston’s newest waterfront restaurant, Sam’s, has opened on the second floor of Louis Boston.

Louis Boutique

Louis Boutique

The newest waterfront park along Boston Harbor opened next door at One Marina Park Drive. Along with a dramatic harbor vista, the Public Green offers something totally unexpected- music that is played 24/7. Don’t be surprised to see the public walking with a slight bounce to their step or dancing along the HarborWalk while enjoying the music that is programmed to change intermittently. A public rest room and small sitting area are available to the public in the lobby of the One Marina Park Drive building. 

Public Green

TBHA’s 2010 Harbor Bound Program 

The Boston Harbor Association launched its 2010 Harbor Bound education program on 29 April with a field trip to Deer Island for middle school students from the Timilty School in Roxbury. Staff from the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority had visited the school earlier in the year to provide an orientation for the students about the Boston Harbor Project.

Harbor Bound

The students were excited to visit Deer Island to see first-hand the waste water treatment plant which has helped to make Boston Harbor one of the cleanest urban waterways in the country. As the boat got closer to Deer Island, the students marveled at the two wind turbines which are providing energy on the island and learned about the environmental sustainability measures which have been implemented by the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority at its facilities.

The Boston Harbor Association’s 
Free Trips to Deer Island

On two occasions this spring, The Boston Harbor Association provided members of the general public with free water transportation to Deer Island, which has nearly five miles of trails and paths for the public to enjoy. All on the trip were first-time visitors, and were surprised by the wonderful views from the island. Interpretative signage was available at key spots on the walking paths, and visitors could see the state-of-the-art treatment facility. 

Many paused at the memorial for Federal Judge David Mazzone, who oversaw the clean up of Boston Harbor, as well as benches dedicated to workers who died during the construction of the Boston Harbor project.

Federal Judge David Mazzone Memorial

TBHA's Winter Walk Explores 
New HarborWalk Sites

The new lobby at one Marina Park Drive.

On 13 January 2010, TBHA together with WalkBoston led a tour of the newest sites on the HarborWalk between the ICA and the New England Aquarium. At One Marina Park Drive, TBHA Executive Director Vivien Li led attendees into the finished ground floor which one of Newbury Street's most popular stores, Louis Boston, will briefly occupy in early spring 2010. The attendees' attention was directed to the luxurious detail of the lobby, which includes an elaborate floor of imported marble and specially designed ceiling lighting.

Louis Boston will move from the lobby to this low-rise building when it is  completed later this year.

The store will stay in the ground floor of the building until construction is completed of a new low-rise building later this year . The building is part of an effort towards generating more activity in the area, and will house several new restaurants and stores in the coming year.

The tour also visited the new public green on the Fan Pier, another part of the Fan Pier development project, and viewed an interpretive display of the old rail terminal at the Fan Pier. The last stop on the HarborWalk was the new Marine Mammal Facility at the New England Aquarium, where attendees looked in through the glass walls to see the fur seals.

Tour Attendees peer through the glass walls of the
 Marine Mammal Pavilion at the New England Aquarium. 

Celebrating First Night 2010 on Boston Harbor

Thousands greeted the 2010 New Year on Boston's waterfront. The 
Boston Harbor Association, with support and assistance of First Night Boston, Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino and the Boston Redevelopment Authority, and the Mayor's Office of Arts, Tourism & Special Events, coordinated a series of special events along Boston Harbor. 

The celebration began on 31 December at 11:45 a.m. with a dramatic water-display by Massport's fireboat and ended after 12:30 a.m. on New Year's Day when the last passengers disembarked from a special midnight cruise to view the fireworks over Boston Harbor.

From 12 noon to 4 p.m., the public had a rare opportunity to board the Boston Pilot Association's CHELSEA boat and to tour the U.S. Coast Guard's newest response boat, both of which were docked at the John Joseph Moakley Courthouse. 

Dozens went out for a mid-day cruise on Boston Harbor, while others enjoyed the newest facility of public accommodation at Independence Wharf, and children participated in free craft activities at the Fort Point Arts Community Store. 

Visitors marveled at ice sculptures at the New England Aquarium, and took advantage of "First Night" discounts at the Aquarium, ICA Museum, Boston Children's Museum, as well as at waterfront hotels including the Boston Harbor Hotel, Fairmont Battery Wharf, InterContinental Boston, Marriott Long Wharf, Renaissance Boston Waterfront Hotel, Seaport Hotel, and Westin Boston Waterfront. Old Town Trolley Tours shuttled First Night button holders around the waterfront, thanks to support from the Boston Redevelopment Authority, while City Water Taxi brought the public from East Boston to Long Wharf/Quincy Market.

Harbor Bound Fall Season: 
Teaching Sustainability

New renewable energy wind turbine on Deer Island.

Fulfilling its mission to educate the next generation of harbor stewards about a sustainable harbor, The Boston Harbor Association completed its successful fall "Harbor Bound" season on 28 October. This season TBHA introduced a new element to the tours - an overview of environmental sustainability on Deer Island, showcasing the extraordinary efforts of the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority (MWRA) to generate 30% renewable energy by 2020.

This fall, students from the Mary E. Curley Middle School in Jamaica Plain, Dorchester Academy, and Boston Latin School learned about sustainability first-hand. They had the opportunity to see two 190-foot high wind turbines that were installed in August 2009 and will generate over 2 million kW hours per year. They also learned about the roof mounted photovoltaic system and lighting improvements, both of which promote sustainability by using energy-saving power.

The students received an introduction to the MWRA's Department of Laboratory Science by Director Michael F. Delaney. Dr. Delaney explained how scientists conduct water quality testing and provided an overview of his educational background. The MWRA lab tests water quality daily, including from the beaches.

On a lighter note, the students were amused to learn of Deer Island's appeal as a movie set, most recently as a location for the filming of "The Box" which opened in theaters during the fall.

The Boston Harbor Association would like to thank the staff at MWRA for their support including tour guides Nadia Caines, Richard Dalton and Tom DeRossier and Mass Bay Lines for their ongoing support of "Harbor Bound." If you are interested in participating spring, 2010, please contact TBHA at mail@tbha.org.

Sincere Thanks to TBHA’s 2010 
Boston Harbor Celebration Sponsors

The Boston Harbor Association gratefully acknowledges the generosity of the following corporate sponsors for their support of TBHA’s 17th Annual Boston Harbor Celebration and Auction held on 13 April 2010. 

This support allows The Boston Harbor Association to provide free harbor education programs and field trips for Boston youth, promote a robust water transportation network in Boston Harbor, increase public access and public amenities along the HarborWalk, and work towards an environmentally sustainable Boston Harbor.