Breaking Beach Barriers

Metropolitan Beaches Commission Report

Save the Harbor/Save the Bay facilitated four Metropolitan Beaches Commission community hearings to engage the public in a conversation on barriers to accessing the beaches.

At all four hearings we heard from people of color, people with disabilities, and people who do not speak English as their first language. We found that the region’s residents who live within a short ride to the coast love their beaches and rely on them for recreation, respite, mental and physical health. However, we found that many of them do not have equal access to the benefits of our more than $5 billion investment in clean water and better beaches.

The purpose of the Breaking Beach Barriers report is to provide a formal account of the Commission’s work. Findings and recommendations for the Legislature, the Administration, DCR, and the public were included to serve as a roadmap for improving access and increasing diversity, equity and inclusion on our public beaches going forward. This webpage contains all of the appendices referenced throughout the report. 

2021-2022 Public Hearing Materials

In 2021 and 2022, we held three hearings and a summit. Below are the recordings, as well as transcripts generated by Otter.ai. The transcripts are translatable with Google Translate.