Our Story

BH Satellite view
Satellite View of Barnstable Harbor – Our Story

Friends of Barnstable Harbor was established in early 2009 by a group of local residents concerned with the condition of the Barnstable Harbor Boat Basin Bulkhead/Retaining Wall that had collapsed.  Informal meetings were held where slip-holders, abutting business owners, commercial fishermen and recreational boaters coalesced to become Friends of Barnstable Harbor, and to work together on behalf of the Town of Barnstable to secure funding from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts for the repair project.  Spearheaded by Ted Theodores, a retired engineer, Friends of Barnstable Harbor was instrumental in obtaining $3.75M from the state for this project.  Further, Ted’s experience positioned Friends of Barnstable Harbor to keep an “eagle-eye” on the construction ensuring that both the Town of Barnstable’s and the local community’s interests were protected and served.

Governor Deval Patrick Press Release Dec. 21, 2009

Friends of Barnstable Harbor, with the approval and oversight of the Town of Barnstable Conservation Commission, organized the clean-up of the marsh area behind The Dolphin Restaurant in Barnstable Village.  Members and other volunteers picked up trash, tires, and debris;  and removed invasive phragmites.  The results of this creek clean-up are still apparent and Friends of Barnstable Harbor continues with  annual Creek Clean-Ups.

Today, our yep! (Youth Education Project) offers an “outdoor classroom” field trips for students from local public schools.  Our Benthic Habitat Mapping Project (BHMP) will give us a physical and biological “snapshot in time” that will deliver invaluable data for protection, preservation and planning for the evolution of the harbor.