On Sunday, the 14th, I participated in the Buzzard Bay Coalition's annual fundraising ride, in which "A record 147 cyclists raise[d] a projected $68,000 for clean water." The route took us through the watershed that empties into the bay, from Horseneck Beach in Westport to Quissett Harbor in Falmouth.
I had ridden most of the roads before -- but not all at once. A ride like this creates a strong link between the idea of the bay and the physical experience of space. So, for my project, the experience was invaluable -- especially undertaking it with so many other people who care about the health of the water.
I raised $300 from eleven donors. Of course, anyone can still donate to the coalition on my ride page. I personally have benefitted from the organization through experiences like this ride and from volunteering on the coalition's water monitoring boat. I need to acquire local knowledge about the bay for my project. The coalition's main offices also provides educational programs about Buzzards Bay. An interesting fact is that the largest contributor to pollution in the bay is the nitrogen that gets into the watershed from individual septic systems throughout the area which we cycled -- not golf courses, not cars, not boats. The biggest problem is the sheer number of people whose toilets are not connected to the grid.
I video recorded the whole ride and have posted the documentation below. It's sped up 1000%, so the four hours and fourty minutes that I was cycling are condensed into less than twenty minutes. It provides a nice portrait of the region.
