Buzzards Bay Coalition

Founded in 1987, The Coalition is supported by more than 12,000 individuals, families, and businesses. Active programs at the Buzzards Bay Coalition 1) Involve volunteers bay-wide - from Little Compton to Woods Hole to support signature fundraising events (Swim / Ride), Bay water collection (Baywatchers) and land stewardship workdays (on our Reserves). 2) Engage thousands of children in the classroom, on the Bay, and in the watershed with a sense of wonder and respect for our fragile coastal environment through our year-round Outdoor Exploration Programs. 3) Protect the most important lands for conservation in the Buzzards Bay watershed. 4) Work with town officials, business leaders, legislators and citizen groups to protect clean water and serve as effective advocates for open space protection, coastal habitat restoration, and Bay-sensitive redevelopment.

The Buzzards Bay Coalition is a nonprofit, membership organization dedicated to the restoration, protection and sustainable use and enjoyment of Buzzards Bay and its watershed. The Coalition works to improve the health of the Bay ecosystem for all through education, conservation, research and advocacy. The Buzzards Bay Coalition was officially incorporated in July 1987, as a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization with start-up funding support from the US Environmental Protection Agency. The initial Board of Directors was comprised of individuals from throughout the Bay watershed - environmental advocates, cranberry growers, marina owners, research institutions and town government. Today, the organization continues to maintain a governing Board of private citizens concerned with the health and future of the Bay from Westport to Woods Hole and from a variety of backgrounds. The organization has been led by three Executive Directors: Mimi McConnell (1988-1995), Pamela Truesdale (1995-1998), and Mark Rasmussen (May 1998-present). The push to reverse the decline of Bay water quality, shellfish beds, and wildlife populations had begun in earnest in 1984 when Congress recognized the unique value of Buzzards Bay by selecting the Bay as one of four estuaries in the country (Buzzards Bay in Massachusetts, Narragansett Bay in Rhode Island, San Francisco Bay in California, and Puget Sound in Washington) to be studied under the new National Estuary Program. With this program, a new government partnership between the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Massachusetts Executive Office of Environmental Affairs (EOEA) was formed to create the Buzzards Bay Project (BBP). The objective of the BBP was to study water quality and living resources in the Bay, to assess threats to Bay health, and to develop a long-term management plan for the Bay. Toward that end, the Buzzards Bay Project completed a Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan for the Bay in 1991. Directing the activities of the BBP during its early years was a Citizens Advisory Committee (CAC) comprised of local town officials, environmental advocates, and members of the scientific community. This group was charged among other things with determining if Buzzards Bay would benefit from the establishment of a private advocate/watchdog group to insure that the right decisions were being made for the Bay long after the Buzzards Bay Project National Estuary Program was dissolved. In order to make that decision, the first Buzzards Bay Day was held on October 11, 1986 with varying events held around the Bay watershed - tours of Buttermilk Bay, the Elizabeth Islands, and the Pocasset River as well as clean-up projects in New Bedford and elsewhere. Ninety nine percent of the general public that came out for this first-of-its-kind regional event responded to a questionnaire that they felt that a permanent advocacy group was needed for Buzzards Bay. The Coalition for Buzzards Bay was formed less than a year later.