• Lush vegetation on the top of Spectacle Island's North drumlin dominates the foreground. Boston's skyline can be seen in the distance. The park's logo with tag line minutes away, worlds apart empashises the stark contrast between the city and islands.

    Boston Harbor Islands

    National Recreation Area Massachusetts

A Partnership Park

We are proud of the partnerships that established and now sustain this unique national park. A mix of government, non-profit, and for-profit entities work together to protect park resources and provide visitor services.

Boston Harbor Islands Partnership. The island park is managed collaboratively by the Boston Harbor Islands Partnership, which represents a range of federal, state, city, and nonprofit agencies.

Boston Harbor Islands Advisory Council. The Boston Harbor Islands Advisory Council advises the Partnership on the development and implementation of the general management plan for the islands, including ongoing park operations.

The achievements of the Boston Harbor Islands Partnership during our first 10 years-and goals for the future-are presented in:

» Boston Harbor Islands: 10 Years of Progress (National Park Service. December 2006. Boston, Massachusetts.) [PDF]

Other Partners
The National Park Service and the Boston Harbor Islands Partnership collaborate with many other government agencies, tribes, not-for-profit organizations, colleges and universities, and businesses. Many of these partnerships operate subject to governing laws or formal agreements. These relationships are described throughout this Web site.

Did You Know?

Double-crested Cormorant Rests at Boston Harbor Islands

Shag Rocks in Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area offers roosting sites for cormorants and other seabirds that fish the surrounding waters.  Better known in Britain as “shags,” cormorants gave this rocky outcropping its name. More...