MINI ISLAND MAY POINT TO LEARNING
Children would monitor saltwater grass program
A local community group is looking to put a miniature island in Fort Point Channel as part of an effort that could lead to a series of floating green spots aimed at educating children and livening up the area, supporters said.
“We want to green the area, bring more of that to downtown Boston, and this is a huge benefit,” Friends of Fort Point Channel Executive Director Rachel Borgatti said of plans for a pilot island.
“I would love to see more of this in the channel; I think it’s such a cool project.”
Community Boat Builders is seeking city approval to place a 10-foot by 6-foot artificial island to grow saltwater grass about 20 feet into the channel across from the Boston Children’s Museum. Founder John Rouse said the island will provide the organization, which works with local elementary school children to build rowboats and other marine projects, with a new educational outlet.
“It grows out of trying to get them engaged in global warming,” Rouse said.
“One of our bigger parts is getting kids to understand this stuff, see what the issues are.”
The island will have netting that contains seeds for different varieties of cordgrass, which grows at tidal edges in saltwater marshes. If the project is approved, students would monitor their growth and collect data for a year in the hopes of towing the island to a coastal marsh once it’s grown and planting it there as a way to reduce erosion from higher tides and flooding.
The organization will need approval from the city’s conservation commission next week. The panel will want to make sure the project won’t cause any harm to the channel, though Rouse pointed out the island will be made of all biodegradable material.
The ultimate goal, Rouse said, is to place as many as 10 grass islands in the channel.
“We’ll start small and see where it goes,” Community Boat Builders Executive Director Stockton Reece said. “We’d love to explore improving the aesthetics of the channel.”