Bye Bye Boston Harbor!

Working with Save the Harbor Save the Bay this summer has been such an incredible experience that has surpassed all my expectations. As a photographer, I was so lucky to be able to spend time at each site throughout the course of the summer. Each site is so unique in their environments, but they all offer kids an amazing summer experience.

Each day, I was amazed by the children’s excitement, enthusiasm, and curiosity.  I have grown up around the ocean, and this summer made me realize that it has something I have most definitely taken for granted. The ocean, especially Boston Harbor, offers so much to our community. It was amazing watching children of all ages discover and learn about the environments around them. It was amazing meeting all of the kids who came to our programs this summer, and it was equally amazing getting to know the Save the Harbor staff.  It was incredible being able to come to work with such amazing people each day. I learned so much from everyone and made some amazing friends. I am so thankful to everyone I worked with but especially to Bruce, Patty, Bridget, and Amy.  This amazing summer wouldn’t have been possible without all of their guidance and support.

            Since I was mainly a photographer this summer,  I wanted to share some of my favorite pictures:

I am so sad to see this amazing summer come to an end. I already miss being on the harbor and spending time with my phenomenal coworkers every day. Thank you so much to everyone who made this summer so memorable and extraordinary

- Hallie Fox 

Ivan, Lindsay and me at the top of Spectacle Island

Farewell and Adieu

     Hello again fellow explorers!

     Working at Save the Harbor this summer has been nothing short of spectacular. Coming into the first day of staff orientation, I could not have even dreamed of the amazing summer that I have had.

     As most of you will have figured out by now, this summer program is based mainly on the education of Boston's youth. Coming into the summer I wouldn't have expected to be working with such bright young minds. I quickly realized we weren't going to be teachers as much as helping these kids enrich their experiences with the world around them. While I grew up fishing the various ponds and lakes near my home, most of these kids had never even held a fishing rod; and throughout the summer we were able to teach hundreds of kids how to do something that had been second-nature to me. This was perhaps one of the most heart-warming experiences for me, seeing their eyes light up at something that seemed so ordinary to me, but what new and exciting to them. 

Working hard, or hardly working?

     While I was in-fact working 5 times a week this summer, the word "work" was taken very lightly. Between fishing, pulling up traps, and even playing Four Square, I'd say my job was much more fun than most people's summer jobs. Every day my fellow co-workers and the kids we spent the day with would laugh and have a grand ol' time. We even made photographing the wildlife fun, by taking group pictures and of course the staff favorite, lobster selfies. Between the ever positive energy of the staff and the eagerness of the kids we worked with, I could not have had a better time.

     And now comes the emotional goodbye. This group of people at that came together in early July from all walks of life quickly became a tightly-knit family that I would do anything for. The Senior Harbor Educators brought structure and leadership to every sight, and also work experience. The Lead Harbor Educators (myself included), helped bridge the age gap between the SHE's and the JPA's, who all worked above and beyond. Of course I can't forget Bridget, who kept everything organized and under control, no matter how great the task. It was clear from the start that Bruce and Patty devote their lives to this company, and I tried to match their hard work and perseverance in every aspect of my daily routine at Save the Harbor. I will forever be grateful for the opportunity that they gave me this summer, and I will never forget what I learned here.

Our version of a family photo

     Although this summer is coming to an end, it doesn't mean that you can't still continue to go out every day and explore this wonderful world around us. So until next time my fellow explorers!

- Luke -

   

End of Summer

Summer’s End 

It’s hard to believe this summer is already coming to an end. It seems like just yesterday I was starting at Save the Harbor Save the Bay, unsure of how the summer would unravel and what projects I would be working on. This summer I was technically an environmental policy intern; however I got to step into the shoes of a communications intern, participate in donor outreach, and lend a hand at various events. The opportunity to participate in all of these various tasks truly made for an interesting and memorable summer. As a policy intern, I worked on researching the path and treatment of Boston’s water from source to sink to outfall. As a communication intern I got to work on press releases and creating Save the Harbor’s very own Instagram account. Through donor outreach I had the chance to connect with community members who share Save the Harbor’s passion for restoring, protecting, and sharing Boston’s beaches and harbors. At events, such as the Fan Pier Fishing Tournament and the Beach Bash and Splash, I was able to see firsthand one of the greatest (I think) accomplishments of Save the Harbor: the ability to share the beaches and harbors with Boston’s youth and the pure fun that they provide to so many.

I have learned so much over this summer and am incredibly grateful to Bruce, Patty, and all the Save the Harbor staff for the opportunity and all of their help and guidance along the way. Here’s to a great summer!

- Julia 

Its Been Real

Over the past 6-8 weeks, I had the opportunity to work with some amazing people. These "coworkers" as some would call, are my family. They may not be immediate, but after countless efforts at providing perfect service to the city we are a unit. As these last days approach us, I would like to personally thank everyone that works with us. All the staff in the office, the interns, Bruce, Patty, fellow LHE's and SHE's, etc. This summer has been a great success, we achieved success over certain parts of struggle, and as a unit we prospered.

This Sunday, I depart to school, to continue my personal journey with the intentions of success for the future. Many of the people I work, have offered their insight on life and college, and I have learned a lot. I worked alongside a fellow classmate, the VP of my grade at Stonehill, Maxwell Kennedy-Reid. We are tackling this obstacle, as friends, but brothers after this summer. It was an honor getting to work with him.

I spent countless honors on the beach with the kids, playing double bounce on the Provincetown II, and offering great service to  over 5000+ children of Boston and surrounding cities. This summer has drew me closer to the harbor, everyday I enjoyed work more and more. Bruce always told us at meetings how he enjoyed this summer a lot, and I believed him as it was active, but as the summer has now ended, I could not agree in any other matter. To everyone apart of our team, I wish you the until next time. This summer was good, and next year  I have the intentions to return and make it GREAT (Tony the tiger voice) !

-Ahmed Hassan

Bidding Farewell To Boston Harbor

It's hard to believe the summer is almost over. After three months of and being around (and in!) the harbor, I'll be getting on a plane on Thursday to head back to Idaho.

I learned a lot in my time at Save the Harbor. From budgeting meetings to fundraising efforts, event preparation to behind-the-scenes office work, hunching over a laptop to hauling paddleboards across the beach, I got to dip my toes into most aspects of the organization. It was tough at times, and the learning curve was steep, but I enjoyed it. Seeing clean beaches and sparkling water, watching all those happy kids plunging into the harbor...that made every second feel worth it.

And, hey, at what other organization would I be able to spend an entire day painting faces on the beach and call it work?

When I leave Boston, I'll be leaving a beautiful city and a lot of friends, but I'll be bringing with me the knowledge and skills I've gained. I hope that, in my time here, I managed to return the favor in some part to this organization.

Thanks to everyone at Save the Harbor for showing me the ropes this summer. I wish you all another awesome year of protecting the bay.

--Hanna Petroski, Summer Communications and Policy Intern

America SCORES Beach Soccer Blast 2014

On Saturday, August 23rd at Carson Beach in South Boston, sixty participants came together for a day of soccer in the sand to benefit America SCORES Boston and Save the Harbor/ Save the Bay! 

In partnering with America SCORES Boston, we were able to hold an event that not only engaged the public and invited them to participate in a healthy competition, but that also welcomed them on to the beaches we have worked so hard to clean. One of the primary goals at Save the Harbor/ Save the Bay is to help the Boston community experience the wonderful beaches they have at their disposal. In fact, Boston beaches are among the cleanest urban beaches in the country! 

The tournament was a huge success and a great time was had by all who attended. Throughout the day, six teams played one another in thirty minute games. The number of wins and losses each team had were tallied up in order to determine the two final teams that would compete for the title. The players all displayed great sportsmanship and had a blast competing in the sand. 

Towards the end of the day- after a quick meal of burgers, hotdogs, and Gatorade, the Wells Fargo team and the State Street team competed for the Beach Soccer Blast 2014 Championship title and trophy. After a close match, Wells Fargo took the lead and claimed the title!

 

The America SCORES Beach Soccer Blast was made possible by Save the Harbor/ Save the Bay's Better Beaches Program funding. 

Thank you to our sponsors, Wells Fargo and Uber, for helping us raise money for this event to help benefit both Save the Harbor/ Save the Bay and America SCORES Boston.

A special thanks to the DCR Carson Beach for partnering with us on this event. 

View a video from the 2014 Beach Soccer Blast below:

About Save the Harbor/Save the Bay
Save the Harbor/Save the Bay is a non-profit, public interest, environmental advocacy organization, whose mission is to restore and protect Boston Harbor, Massachusetts Bay, and the marine environment and share them with the public for everyone to enjoy.

About America SCORES Boston
America SCORES New England’s flagship program, America SCORES Boston, provides soccer, creative writing, and service-learning activities to over 1,000 low-income Boston youth through after-school, summer, and winter programs.

Visiting Blacks Creek and Camp Harbor View

This week I got the chance to visit Blacks Creek for the first time this summer. From the beginning all of the kids were excited and ready to start exploring the waters. The environment and the animals there are so different than what you find at the other sites so it was really fun checking out the area with the kids. Together, they caught buckets full of minnows and shrimp along with hermit crabs, green crabs, and snails.

building the crab castle

The kids got the most excited about catching Mummichogs, a fish I had not even heard of until visiting Blacks Creek. They are a small fish that mostly populate salt marshes, and shallow, muddy channels, and their name is derived from a Narragansett term that means "going in crowds". It was really cool to see so many of these little fish for the first time. Once the kids had all gotten their fair share of creature catching, they built a castle out of sand and drift wood for the crabs.

In the afternoon we visited Camp Harbor View where I got to know some of the campers while fishing with them on the pier. I also got to venture up to the light house when I participated at a checkpoint at the camp's version of  The Amazing Race. At the lighthouse, the kids had to create a two line, rhyming poem, and it was really fun to hear what they came up with. All the kids had a blast running around during the game, and it was a great way to meet some new faces.

Overall, it was a great and exciting day at both Blacks Creek and Camp Harbor View!

-Hallie Fox

Fishing at CHV

The end of a spectacular summer

     It's that time of year again....the time where I have to write a farewell blog once more. This past summer of 2014 has been a blast, everyone on the staff has been a pleasure to work with. At long last, the eight weeks of programming has come to an end for me. This summer was an eventful one, from me holding a skate for the first time to having an awesome time at the beach bash. Everyone on the staff this year worked extremely hard to ensure that the children of Boston can enjoy a wonderful time on our city's harbor. Everyone showed the city what our organization is all about: teaching children about all the fun the Boston Harbor has to offer. It was a delight to be able to work with not only the children that I've worked with in years past, but to work with amazing children that I've never worked with before. The invaluable experiences that I shared with these children will never be forgotten.

Good times on the water

     I would like to wish all of my fellow coworkers the best of luck in their future endeavors, be it school related or work related. It was a genuine honor to be able to work with all of you each and every day. I don't think I would have survived such a hectic summer if it weren't for the diligence and integrity that you all showed. Now that the summer is coming to an end, it is time for us all to diverge and each go on our different paths in life. I hope that I will see everyone again in the future!

Best,

Vinh Tran
Lead Harbor Explorer

Family Fun Night!

Family fun night was hosted on Carson Beach located in South Boston. It was definitely an awsome night for me, I had an amazing time with the kids. There was a ton of Disney songs playing such as Tarzan, Lilo and stich, Beauty and the Beast, and many more! There were also hot dogs, slushies, and of course popcorn for storytime!

When we arrived we had a little problem because we had no water for our touch tank. We tried to go out to get some water from the beach, but it was low tide and it was quite difficult to walk through the mud. But we did manage to grab some seaweed and a little water for the sea friends in the touch tank. We brought Larry and Lareta (the 2 lobsters), 2 spider crabs, many green crabs, and some snails. For once the center of attention of our touch tank this time wasn't the lobsters, but the spider crabs! We got many questions about them and the plankton on the seaweed, which was quite intresting. Another thing that was the center attention of the Family Fun Night was the blue marbles for the raffle for the Jet Blue round trip ticket, that got alot of attention. Some of our Save the Harbor staff went to hide the marbles. The kids went wild looking for those blue marbles! From windows, to sand, even to flower pots, the kids looked everwhere they could! It was entertaining watching them scouring the whole Carson beach searching for the marbles.

Overall, I had an amazing time and it looked like many other people that attended would agree. I'm most definitely looking forward to other events like this.

Well, I'll catch you later,

Nhu

First Time Sailing

Unfortunately this is our last week working with these amazing kids, so I wanted do something I had never done before. I have never been sailing and this week I had the chance to go sailing and it was one of the most amazing things I have ever done. It was really fun being out on the water moving with the wind. At first when we sailed all was at peace were moving fast and we where in control and everyone was having fun. I even had an opportunity to sail the boat for a couple of minutes which was really amazing.

So as we were out on the water the boy that was sailing the boat had to go home because his parents came to pick him up. The McDonough staff came on the motor boat and they took him and left us there with Mae who we thought knew how to sail. Mae then tried to sail us back but it wasn't working, Vinh tried he couldn't and finally I took the post and nothing happened. We were stranded out there for about 20 minutes trying to get back. Finally the staff from McDonough came to rescue us and I couldn't be happier to see land. Even though we got stranded out there, I was really happy to go sailing and I'm really looking forward to taking sailing classes so I can become a pro and make sure I don't get stuck out there again.

Jazeel Mendes- Chao

Another unforgettable summer...

Remember how I mentioned in one of my blogs that hopefully by the end of summer at Piers Park we will catch a fish? Well... We did! Ironically, it happened on the very last day of camp! Also, It wasn't just no ordinary fish, but it was a squid! Which has never been caught here before. What a great memory, definitely one that will stick with me and the kids for a very longtime.

"I caught a squid!"

Its crazy and sad to realize that this summer is actually coming to an end and to know that this will be my last blog. Honestly, Save the Harbor Save the Bay has made another unforgettable summer for me. This summer, I got to met a group of funny, awesome, and amazing people. I also got a chance to grow many close friendships with the kids that will be apart of my memory. I will remember having tons of fun with the kids and my team playing a competitive game of capture the flag, fishing and crabbing, and of course all the laughs we had together. I had a fantastic summer and hopefully you all did too.

Besides all the fun, I also learned many things and developed many skills from working here, and most definitely will be using them in the future. Which makes me very grateful for having the honor and opportunity to be able to work for Save the Harbor Save the bay.
Very soon, I will be heading to college and there will be many changes in my life. I don't know what path college will take me and where it will lead me to. Whatever happens, I hope I will see you guys again someday. Till then, I wish you all the best and good luck.


Day one: When we all met each other for the first time.

Farewell,
I miss you guys already!
Nhu




Lobster Traps, Crabs & Lobsters..Ohh My!!

It's hard not to feel some excitement pulling up the lobster traps each morning when the kids arrive at the Pavilion.  The anticipation grows as the trap gets closer and closer to the surface with every pull of the rope.  With all the excitement, the kids often jump in to help us pull the trap up faster.  This week we caught many green crabs and even one Jonah crab.  However, the main event of the week occurred when we pulled up our first lobster!





The kids went crazy with excitement when they saw the lobster. They helped us band the claws, and soon after wanted to hold it.  Then came the questions; they wanted to know everything about it.  One brave soul was even daring enough to wear the lobster on his head for a short time (just long enough to capture the perfect selfie).

Summer's newest fashion statement

All in all, starting off the day like this certainly gets me excited, and it's great to see the kids just as interested and excited as we are.  I can't wait to see what other interesting creatures we bring up this summer!


Until next time!

Lindsay Phenix
Senior Harbor Educator & Coach

A Summer To Remember

Working for Save the Harbor/ Save the Bay this summer as a Senior Harbor Educator was an unforgettable experience. Not only did I learn so much about the Boston Harbor and working with kids, but I also made a ton of friends. When I look back on this summer I feel as though it just began- I remember playing "ride that pony" at our staff orientation like it was yesterday. Getting to know all of our Junior Program Assistants and Lead Harbor Explorers was such a fun experience, and I know I'll cherish the memories we made forever. 

The whole crew during our orientation!

Over the course of the summer I worked at two sites: the Piers Park Sailing Center in East Boston and the Harry McDonough Sailing Center in South Boston. Both had incredible kids eager to learn about the Boston Harbor and all it has to offer. My favorite experiences were when we would catch something new in the crab traps, lobster traps, or on a hook- the campers were always so excited to see the new creature and to learn more about it! The most interesting things we caught all summer were skates, sea stars, flounders, HUGE lobsters, and a squid on our very last day of camp! Piers Park was a lot of fun because we had many of the same kids come back week after week. It was great to watch them grow with the program and use the skills they were learning all throughout the summer. Our afternoons at McDonough were a blast-it's a hectic place with kids running amuck, but it was definitely my favorite place to work. We made so many little friends there over the course of the summer, and I know I'm going to miss them all! 

Dissecting a Sea Squirt at Piers Park

 One of my favorite memories from this summer was participating in the Jet Blue Swim and Paddle for Boston Harbor. The other Senior Marine Educators and I swam the entire mile after first believing we couldn't do it! We had only planned on swimming to the first buoy and then heading back to the beach, but once we rounded the first marker we all decided to keep going and finish the race together. I was so proud of myself for completing the mile, and it was a great bonding experience!

After the one-mile swim!

All in all it was an amazing summer- one I will never forget. Thank you to all of the Junior Program Assistants and Lead Harbor Explorers who worked so hard to give the children of Boston a fantastic summer! And to my fellow Senior Marine Educators- I had a blast getting to know all of you during our various staff meetings and the many events we worked all summer, praise cod! 

Thank you Bruce, Patty, and Bridget for such a wonderful opportunity!

-Kelly Randall-

As The Summer Comes To An End

This has been an amazing second year working with Save the Harbor and it's unfortunate that it's coming to an end. This summer I had the opportunity to experience many new things that I did not do last year. This year was really different from last year, but it was a good type of different. This year I feel that the JPA's were all closer than we were last year. This year I had the opportunity to make a lot of great new friends like Esmeralda, my brother Andy, Somtoo, Carlos, Edward and Abdi. These were the people that I had a change to work with and we became close after a couple of hours of work. I also caught my first fish ever which was really cool because I brought it home and we had the fish for dinner and it was the best fish I've ever had. One of the coolest changes this year was having Sam around to lend some of his art talents to us. I had an awesome time learning how to make fishing prints and the fish mural that we mad was just amazing.

The Squad

Fish Printing With Sam

The Fishing Tournament

It is really hard saying goodbye to not just the staff but saying bye to the kids. I really enjoy working with these kids even though at times it maybe be tough. You can learn a lot from the kids if you pay attention closely to what they say and do. They are all intelligent kids and when a challenge is posted in front of them they always find a way to solve the problem and that's really impressive. These kids that I've been working with for the last two years have really grown on me and it really stinks that I won't be seeing them for a long time. To all the staff it was really great working with all you guys, I had a terrific summer and I'm really looking forward to carving up with some of you guys to hear about how your year is going. To Bruce, Patty and Bridget thank you for an amazing summer.

Jazeel Mendes and this is the me signing out- Chao

When The Animals Came To Visit

This past Sunday I had the opportunity to work the event in the North End. Sundays are not one of the most exciting days of the week to work, but this sunday I was very excited. At first when we arrived the place was really quiet and there wasn't much life around, but as soon as the band came on and started playing it felt like a different place. The bands were all great, especially "Street Magic" which was a group from the same neighborhood where the event was taking place. There were many other organizations like ours that took time from their busy schedule to do something nice for the neighborhood.

La Familia

There was everything from the balloon man to street magicians to even a animal shelter that had the cutest little animals. The shelter brought with them little chicks, bunnies and they even had two little goats. I was really happy that they showed up because we had our touch tank which had sea animals and they brought a whole mini zoo which was really awesome. Everyones faces lit up when we saw them bringing the animals through the park. We also had a chance to show many kids lobsters and many of them had never held one or seen one before. That was also really cool because it's an awesome feeling when you show someone something for the first time. Overall the event was great there was free food and live music and most important all the kids had fun.


Jazeel Mendes- Chao