Photo: Boston Harbor Now
July 26, 2019 (BOSTON, MA) – Conservation Law Foundation (CLF) and the Boston Waterfront Partners celebrated Boston’s public open spaces Thursday evening by hosting the third annual Pitch a Blanket event on the Public Green in the South Boston Seaport.
“Waterfront spaces in Massachusetts are owned by the public, and those ownership rights are being threatened,” said Bradley Campbell, President of CLF. “Developers continue to wall off access to the water, even as climate change threatens to render useless the precious few open spaces that do exist. This event was critical in bringing together people from communities across Boston to learn how to advocate for their right to access the waterfront.”
Participants learned about their right to access public open spaces near Boston Harbor, the threats that climate change will bring to open space on the waterfront, and enjoyed food, games, and more.
Earlier this week, CLF released a survey that showed that Boston residents see rampant development as one of the greatest threats to the city’s waterfront, and residents find waterfront areas too expensive and difficult to get to. Additionally, the survey found that when it comes to feeling welcome in waterfront neighborhoods, black residents are four times more likely to feel unwelcome than white residents.
The public’s right to access Boston Harbor and waterfront land is enshrined in the Public Waterfront Act, also known as Chapter 91. CLF is committed to protecting Boston Harbor from threats to public access and to promoting climate resiliency on the Waterfront. More information about CLF’s People’s Harbor campaign can be found here.
Thursday’s event was hosted by CLF and the Boston Waterfront Partners, which includes GreenRoots, The American City Coalition, Mystic River Watershed Association, Piers Park Sailing Center, the Trustees of Reservations, Harborfront Neighborhood Alliance, The Harborkeepers, Friends of the East Boston Greenway, and Boston Harbor Now.
CLF experts are available for comment.
###