Friday, August 3, 2012

The world... from a kayak!

At Community Boating, the youth participants are very, very lucky! In addition to activities such as fishing and setting eel traps, we also get the opportunity to go on kayak adventures a couple times every week. And when the focus is on the environment and the water in particular, kayaks are the perfect way to view our natural surroundings. Even better, the kids have a huge area to explore. Boundaries for C.B.I. extend from the Longfellow Bridge, all the way down to the Mass. Ave. Bridge. In addition, we often make use of the calm waterway running along the main Esplanade walkways, where we can see fish, ducks and lily pads for starters!

Friends on the river!

The waterway of exploration and adventure
Happiness at the river

Another cool thing about the Charles River is that another boat is usually skimming the waters to pick up any trash/marine debris the crew finds, and the work definitely pays off as the waters we glide through are often clean and trash free. However, this does not mean that the waterway is completely trash free. Earlier this week, as we paddled alongside the lush plants growing along the river bank, we all could not help but notice the plastic bottles, bottle caps, plastic bags, etc. stuck on a lily pad or in the bushes. This is never a pretty sight, but our next idea was a great one -- we will utilize the kayaks to help us pick up this trash, and to further understand just what type of trash ends up in this particular environment, and why littering is never a good thing! This group of kids was definitely supportive of the idea, and I can't wait to see what we collect when this trash pick-up takes place!

-Ashley Wakefield, Senior Harbor Educator at Boston Children's Museum and Community Boating

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