Introduction

During the fall, when the weather permitted, Marine Biology students at Milton Academy participated in weekly field trips to various coastal field sites around Boston Harbor and the North and South Shores. Students had the opportunity to board whale watch vessels, explore Duxbury's and Quincy's Black Creek marshes, and observe & collect data and specimens from several of the area's coastal environments. The Academy's proximity to the Neponset River estuary, Dorchester Bay, Quincy Bay, Hingham Bay, Boston Harbor, and the Atlantic Ocean gives the students the unique advantage of being able to experience Marine Biology first hand. One of these such trips was to Wollaston Beach, as students joined local biologist & naturalist, Eastern Nazarene College Professor Dr. Phil McLaren. The group discussed the ecology of its shores, observed the flora and fauna among the sand and mud, and collected invertebrates along the shores of Quincy Bay.

History of Wollaston

In the 1980's, Wollaston Beach, and the rest of the Massachusetts Bay, were one of the most polluted areas in all of the US. An extremely antiquated system of sewage disposal and treatment, located on Deer Island, discharged approximately 138 tons of wastewater solids and sludge just a half-mile off the coast every single day. Wollaston's sickeningly high sewage content permanently closed the beach to shell-fishing and even swimmers. In 1982, the city of Quincy filed suit against the state for violating the Clean Water Act. Fortunately for Quincy and for Wollaston, they won.

In 1988, a program was established to help clean up the Mass Bay beaches and restore them to their nature splendor, and in 1990, the Mass Bays were selected by the Environmental Protection Agency as an Estuary of National Significance. They cited the Mass Bays as needing special attention as they are adversely impacted by excess levels of nutrients, pathogens, and toxins that are all present in the bay. The EPA also recognized the harm brought upon beaches like Wollaston by pollution from the continuous development of the bay's coastline.

By 1996, the cleanup project was touted by the Boston Globe as "one of the most remarkable success stories of recent years." This success came on account of Quincy's focus on improving the most significant causes of coastal pollution including sewer related pollution, air pollution, and storm water runoff carrying contaminants into the bay. Around Wollaston, ineffective tide gates, broken storm drains, failing septic systems and leaking sewage pipelines were all dealt with. The results are amazing.

Our Trip

On our field trip to Wollaston Beach, we were introduced to Professor Phil McLaren. Phil delivered a field lecture of sorts, walking us around the beach and showing us different plant and animal species while explaining how they all existed in relation to each other. He discussed how Wollaston's tides affect its marine life and constantly change the look of the beach itself. We dug around in the sand for various organisms that we could bring back to the lab for further study. Some of these organisms included Horseshoe crabs, green crabs, several types of clams, and a variety of worms, such as blood, bamboo, and clam worms. Most amazing about the beach is that we the students had no idea that just a few years ago, not so many of these animals could have been found there with such high numbers and good health. We had no idea that Wollaston used to be an ecological disaster - a testament to the work of the EPA, MWRA, and the Town of Quincy. The cleanup project has allowed students at local schools to actually experience the coastal environment that, as New Englanders, is a part of our heritage.

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