Last Week at Blacks Creek

It is amazing how quickly this summer has passed. It seems that only yesterday I was greeting explorers for our first day together. Now programming is coming to a close. The boats on Blacks Creek are being hauled out of the water and I must say goodbye to all of the kids who came to join us for the summer.

The last week was certainly a one to remember. We spent our days playing games and of course catching things in the creek. The numbers of captured critters sky rocketed during this time, because by this point, nearly all of our explorers were experienced in the fine art of dip-netting. Adding to the success was the use of a new technique in which we bait our nets with crushed crab in order to catch copious quantities of both mummichogs and silversides. On one particularly successful day we had to have caught at least 300 of these small fish.

On the high tide days—when catching can be difficult— we built some very impressive sand castles. The kids were excited to build a home for the crabs that are plentiful on these high water days. The most elaborate of our sand creations had numerous arched entrances and a spiral tower in the middle. It was great to see all of the kids cooperating to create this magnificent castle. 

While I hoped the week would never end, all things must come to a close. These were bittersweet feelings for me. While I would no longer have the pleasure to enjoy Blacks Creek, our program grew tremendously this summer and even continued to do so in the last few days. The final two days of programming saw five completely new explorers join us, and, while disappointed to hear of the impending end to our summer at Blacks Creek—they were excited to sign up for next years programming. This is fantastic news for the future health of The Harbor and the environment at large, as our Blacks Creek Explorers will undoubtedly be future stewards of the wonderful resources that we all have to share.

Many thanks to the Quincy Rec. Dept. for their cooperation and to the fantastic families and kids who have come down for some sun and fun down at the creek. See you next year.

-Tom Rebula