Tidings November 2009 November Harbor Series! Newsletter of the ―Midday at the Meeting House‖—Special Harbor Series in November at VOLUNTEERS and 12:15 PM on the following days at the Old South Meeting House: Island FRIENDS of the Hopping: Three Islands Through Time. This series is presented in collabo- BOSTON HARBOR ration with the Friends of the Boston Harbor Islands. Thursday, Nov. 5, ISLANDS, Inc. Spectacle Island & Its Native American Past; Thursday, November 12, 349 Lincoln Street Rainsford Island: ―Mercy’s Dwelling Place‖; Thursday, November 19, Girls Building 45, Night Out of the 1890s. All programs are $5; Free for OSMH and FBHI Hingham MA 02043 members. See www.fbhi.org for details. 781-740-4290 Congratulations, www.fbhi.org Friends! At the Boston Harbor Islands Partnership meet- ing on May 19, 2009, the Friends of the Boston Har- bor Islands were recog- nized for 30 years of ser- HELP THE FRIENDS vice. The award read in GO GREEN! part: "The Boston Harbor See page 2 Island Partnership con- gratulates and thanks (Above) James Hunt, Chair of the Boston Harbor Is- [FBHI] for 30 years of ser- lands Partnership, Suzanne Gall Marsh, Steve Mar- cus and Bruce Jacobson, Superintendent of the Inside This Issue vice to the islands.‖ Boston Harbor Islands National Park Area Greetings from Carol Fithian, 3 Coordinator of Volunteers From the Chairman — Steve Marcus 2009 Boat Trips 3 It is quiet beside our big saltwater pond. The ferries have stopped running. Pri- Edward Rowe Snow Day 2009 4 vate boats are out of the water. The rangers are off the islands. Park facilities A Garden Grows on Long 5 are buttoned up. Volunteers from the Friends of the Boston Harbor Islands no Island longer face thousands of visitors who seek the grandeurs of a national park Sharing the Friends with 5 Others with questions such as ―where are the snack bars?‖ Feedback 5 I know this can sound forced but, please, look me in the eye and know that I Library Legacy Report 6 and the management as a whole are genuinely proud of you, the other volun- 2009 in Photos 6 teers, and the larger membership who stand behind the volunteers in the field. Be a Friend This Holiday Sea- 7 son (Continued on page 2) From the Chairman, continued from page 1 Tidings, November, 2009 I assure you those friends from our sister agencies But you need not leave behind your enjoyment of the noticed as well. park. We plan several lectures, panels, dinners and celebrations this winter. We invite you to join with your The trust you have built will allow us to start up sev- friends from the Friends throughout the year. When eral exciting new programs next year and reinvigorate you do start back, begin with a visit to the Friends services offered by the Friends in the past. 30th anniversary display. It will remind you of all FBHI You can help us continue the growth in energy by does and what a difference it has made contributing generously to an organization that pre- While we are entering a process to enhance our ser- serves one of the region’s most valuable and educa- vices there will be an impressive number of changes tional resources. And, unlike other organizations we to park structures starting now and continuing for sev- will not press you to contribute instantly. We will give eral years. We will try to bring you up to date in the you … how long does it take you to read three pages? next few tidings. A few are listed in the table below. The forms are contained in this newsletter. As you head out for the winter, be well and thank you. Please come back next year and bring a friend or four. Construction Location The harbor island pavilion will be the first construc- Rose Kennedy Greenway. tion on the Greenway and a new gateway to the park. Gut the existing Administration building and Georges Island administration and mine cable building. build a second structure beside it. This complex is intended to be a visitor center with far more customer comfort, service and programs. A large maintenance garage has been built at the south end of Ft. Warren. It is intended to serve all the DCR islands. At least one building will be demolished as unsafe. Fort Andrews, Peddocks Island. Four more are scheduled to be repaired. Peddocks Cottages. No immediate plans are writ- ten, but the new strategic plan calls for some long Middle Head of Peddocks. term renovation of some cottages Design work and fundraising have begun. Renovation of Pier on Fort Warren. Minot’s Ledge Light has been designated for dis- Minots Ledge Light, outside the park but within the posal. Park’s view shed. The Boston Harbor Islands National Park Partnership has adopted a strategic plan for the period from now through 2016. The plan focuses on activities of the 13 partner agencies. The Friends participated actively in the development of the plan and expect to support what is implemented. For a copy of the plan, follow the link below www.nps.gov/boha/parkmgmt/planning.htm Help the Friends Go Green! To save money and trees, we have converted to an online e-Tidings. So PLEASE make sure we have your email. If you’re not sure, email us your contact information at [email protected]. If you do not have email, we’ll continue to mail bimonthly Tidings updates in paper form. 2 Tidings, November, 2009 Greetings from the Coordinator of Volunteers, Carol J. Fithian Our 30th season of providing vol- this please Many of you have seen the Ken unteer service to the park has contact the Burns program on the National been a good one, despite rainy Friends Parks by now, a great program Carol Fithian on the job weather and program cancella- office. that conveys the specialness of tions. Lots of Friends volunteers the National Park concept. I am Preserving What We Have were involved with exciting activi- proud to say that I can see this We all know that pile of stuff, that ties on the islands. We had over happen right within our own small cabinet filled to overflowing, those 80 volunteers giving 6,000 hours but treasured organization. The boxes containing pictures, articles of service to the park. islands make us all different be- —our ―harborstash.‖ Most of us It is always a fabulous experience cause we can take the knowledge have one in some manner or an- for me to watch new volunteers of them that has been accumu- other, and the question arises, formulate their relationship with lated over time and pass it on. ―what to do with it‖ as it grows and the islands and find the island that That is how we make a differ- takes over our space. The project is the special place for them. ence. would be to begin to gather these Each discovers his or her own Projects for 2010 items from those wishing to have personal connection to a particu- We are developing new and excit- them preserved and begin the lar island and it is an observable ing programs and projects. We process of sorting and archiving moment when they know they will be working with the Depart- them. This is a large task and will have found ―their‖ island. It makes ment of Conservation and Rec- take some time but it is an impor- volunteer training so rewarding reation to put together a program tant task in documenting the his- because people come not sure of focusing on the history of farming tory of the Friends of the Boston what they will do or how they will on the Boston Harbor Islands. Harbor Island. We will be looking fit in, and as the season pro- This concept is intriguing and en- for volunteers to help with this gresses they form their bond. It compassing as you explore it be- and finding funds to help with the always happens. It is the best part neath the surface. You can then preservation costs. We as Friends of the coordinator’s job to see the see how far back the story takes are a valuable resource to the is- change occur. My slightly clichéd you. A picture is painted of the lands and what we have gathered line when I am training a new vol- sustenance that the islands have because we love them is valuable unteer is: ―Volunteering on the given us and continue to bring to as well! If you have ideas to con- islands will make you different.‖ us on so many levels. If any of tribute to this project, please con- The wonderful thing is that it you would like to participate in tact the Friends office. really does. 2009 Boat Trips gledy, Rab Sherman, Jeanne Island to a rapt audience. Kicking Despite the awful Leary, Marguerite Krupp, Ken everything off was the 30th anni- weather this year, Stein and Suzanne Gall versary boat cruise. Many thanks the FBHI hosted a Marsh. Tour leaders Ellen to Boston Harbor Cruises for do- number of successful trips, includ- Berkland, Elizabeth Carella nating the boat M/V Frederick L. ing a series of sunset cruises and and Allen Gontz did an ex- Nolan Jr. for the April 30th event. very successful tours of Rainsford traordinary job in unlocking The NPS/BOHA also distributed Island. Many thanks go to FBHI the mysteries of Rainsford Nixes Mate pins that were much boat trip volunteers: David Din- coveted! 3 Tidings, November, 2009 Edward Rowe Snow Day 2009 — Article by Stephanie Schorow Scenes from E.R.