Blue Cross Blue Shield Service Day Goes On Through Storms, Rain and Wind

On Wednesday, September 20, we had the privilege of partnering with 55 volunteers from Blue Cross Blue Shield, the Department of Conservation and Recreation, and the South Boston Neighborhood House to clean Carson Beach as part of Blue Cross Blue Sheild’s annual service day! The weather was rough, but the “Blue Crew” braced the severe winds and near-torrential downpour to clean nearly 2 miles of beach. From City point to the Murphy Skating Rink and into Moakley Park, the Blue Cross volunteers worked hard and once again showed their dedication to local beaches and organizations.

 

Blue Cross Blue Shield Service Day Volunteers show off their fish printing skills at the end of the day

After months of intense planning, and with a rain plan which consisted of “get wet”, we started the week with a forecast of nearly 50 mph winds and heavier rains than expected. Despite the last minute addition of some indoor projects, the volunteers showed up with overwhelming positivity and drive, and eager to get outside and onto the beach in the weather.

Despite 50 MPH winds and blowing rain, we couldn't keep volunteers from getting outside onto the beach.

Our staff kicked off the day leading a chorus of the sea shanty “Haul Away Joe”, which not only got the energy up for a big day, but also set the stage with a unifying message: if we all work together, we can get anything done! Volunteers cleaned, painted classrooms, washed windows, and cleaned kitchens, playrooms, and bathrooms at the South Boston Neighborhood house.   “We had our first Parent/Child Playgroup today,” said Cheryl Itri, Director of Early Education & Care Programs at SBNH. “The parents were so impressed with our nice fresh look, they kept complimenting on the newly painted walls.  Thanks again for being a great partner with us.”

 

Putting a fresh coat on the South Boston Neighborhood House Classroom

To top off all the amazing work BCBS volunteers had already accomplished, they also helped prepare our new initiative aimed at spreading awareness on the health benefits of eating seafood twice a week and focusing on the benefits of eating more healthy, sustainably sourced and delicious fish! To celebrate, volunteers created fish-printing masterpieces and sampled fresh scup and mackerel from our neighbors on Boston Fish Pier.

Staff, interns and volunteers get a crash course in healthy, delicious preparation of sustainable species like scup and mackerel from Save the Harbor's Director of Strategy and Communications, Bruce Berman

Our beaches and community centers are important resources, and we are grateful to our partners at Blue Cross Blue Shield, the Department of Conservation and Recreation, and the South Boston Neighborhood House for their hard work and dedication to our mission.  We wouldn’t be able to make such an impact without our partners and our friends.

Join us for a Free Cruise to Georges Island October 14th!

On Saturday, October 14^th, Save the Harbor/Save the Bay will host a free fall cruise to Georges Island! Come explore historic Fort Warren, and maybe encounter the fabled “Lady in Black” in the Dark Tunnel!

We will begin boarding the Provincetown II at Bay State Cruise Company's dock at the World Trade Center in the Seaport at 9:30 AM for a 10 AM departure. The boat will depart the island at 1:15 PM for a 2 PM arrival back at the World Trade Center.

To reserve your space on this free trip, fill out this Google Form! There is plenty of space on the trip, but you must RSVP to join us.

Please note that the snack bar on Georges Island will have closed for the season. You are welcome and encourages to bring a picnic lunch-- please remember that the Boston Harbor Islands National and State Park has a "carry-on, carry-off" policy, so bring a bag for your trash to dispose of back on the boat.

While the Visitor’s Center on Georges Island will be closed for the season, the Provincetown II will remain at the dock with bathrooms available on board throughout the day.

Temperatures on the water and the islands are often cooler than in the city, especially during the fall season—dress warmly and bring layers!

This trip is for families, individuals, and chaperoned groups of youth and teens. Strollers are permitted but can be unwieldy on the boat stairways and gangways.

If you have any questions please contact Amy Gaylord via email or phone at 617-451-2860 x1008.

To learn more about Save the Harbor/Save the Bay, visit our website, like us on Facebook, and follow us on Twitter and Instagram @savetheharbor.

Save the Harbor's free youth environmental education and family programs are made possible with Leadership Grants from Bay State Cruise Company, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts, The Boston Foundation, The Coca-Cola Foundation, Distrigas/ENGIE.

Save the Harbor is grateful for Partnership Grants from Forrest Berkley & Marcie Tyre Berkley, Comcast, Eastern Salt Company, Inc., Fan Pier - The Fallon Company, John Hancock Financial Services, The Llewellyn Foundation, Massachusetts Bay Lines, Massachusetts Environmental Trust, Massachusetts Port Authority, National Grid Foundation, Nicholson Foundation, Lawrence J. and Anne Rubenstein Charitable Foundation, William E. & Bertha E. Schrafft Charitable Trust, Clinton H. & Wilma T. Shattuck Charitable Trust, Vertex, Yawkey Foundation.

Save the Harbor also appreciates funding support from Arbella Insurance Foundation, Blue Hills Bank Foundation, Blue Hills Bank Pavilion, Boston Properties - Atlantic Wharf, Boston Properties – 200 Clarendon, Camp Harbor View Foundation, Clipper Ship Foundation, Cronin Group, LLC, The Daily Catch Seaport, Davis Family Foundation, Elizabeth Elser Doolittle Charitable Trust, Alice Willard Dorr Foundation, Emera Inc., Enbridge, The HYM Investment Group, LLC, Lovett-Woodsum Foundation, Massachusetts Convention Center Authority, Massachusetts Water Resources Authority, P&G Gillette, RMR Real Estate Services, Skanska, South Boston Community Development Foundation, Tishman Speyer.

Save the Harbor would also like to thank our supporters 3A Marine Service, Andus Baker & Rowan Murphy Family Fund, The Bay State Federal Savings Charitable Foundation, Beacon Capital Partners, LLC, Boston Bruins Foundation, Andrew J. Calamare & Marianne Connolly, Circle Furniture, Kevin & Dee Colcord, Dark Horse Capital Partners, Diversified Automotive, Tom & Lucinda Foley, Fort Point Framers, Goulston & Storrs, Legal Sea Foods, George Lewis - Haven Trust, Liberty Bay Credit Union, Mass Bay Credit Union, Massachusetts Marine Educational Trust, National Park Service, Randy Peeler & Kate Kellogg, Red Sox Foundation, SKW Partners, Inc., Storm Duds, Matthew J. & Gilda F. Strazzula Foundation, TD Charitable Foundation, UDR, Kyle & Sara Warwick, and Winthrop Parks and Recreation.

Special thanks to the hundreds of individual donors and to our partners at the Department of Conservation and Recreation, the Metropolitan Beaches Commission, the Boston Centers for Youth and Families and the YMCA of Greater Boston for their support.

Glad to be back

Well, the summer did come to an end, but Save the Harbor hosts year round trips to the islands, even in the fall. I was proud to be invited to work back at the site where it all started, Spectacle Island. However that day was different, David was not there, it was not the exact same team, and it was not a bunch of camps, there were groups of families. We gathered in front of the Dunkin Donuts checking people in, and when that was all said and done, we were ready to set sail! The Provicetown II set out  towards Spectacle Island.

I worked fishing that day, and there were a lot of mackerel around. Bruce re-rigged the rods to a unique double hook style, and taught us a new technique called retreating. When you cast the rod you don't let it go all the way down and pull the rod up every 15 ish seconds, and we saw mackerel all around, but unfortunately we did not catch any. People relaxed and enjoyed themselves at the fishing station, while others did hiking, and treasure hunting looking for the blue marbles that could possibly win you free Jet Blue tickets. People got their pictures and were entered into the contest, but that was how the day went, and I was so happy to be back!

signing off!
Qalid Hassan :)

where it all started

entered into the contest!!

Back and Better Than Ever.

Hey everyone,

        Today was actually relaxing and I entertained so many kids. So I was with Ray at the Treasure Hunt/ Fish Printing Station and we had so many creative kids do beautiful fish prints. There was a group of cousins that came to us and they all had a creative color ideas and they were such a cute family.


        Then a man came up and was taking pictures of the kids doing fish prints; he was from Time Magazine which intrigued many of the kids because they were surprised to see they'd be featured on something so extraordinary.


        It was a calm day and we made plenty of jokes on the boat there and back, we're a family and it's going to stay like that. I noticed that a while ago and it's a beautiful feeling to have a second family to turn to.


My friend with the pretty fish print.

         I would hope to continue working at Save the Harbor and to have a good time with the kids and just invest time into teaching them about the Boston Harbor.

Spectacle Island with Friends & Family

   

 Today I had the wonderful opportunity to come back on the Provincetown 2 boat with a bunch of different families and friends to enjoy a free ride to Spectacle Island. There were over 300 families that came on this wonderful trip to come and have a great time with us. The STH/STB crew had a lot of fun activities planned for the trip such as fishing on the dock, fish printing, hiking, flying a kite, and finding cool treasures on the beach. I was one of the STH people that did fishing & fishing today was great because I learned how to tie a double hook on a rod to catch some fish. Today was a great day and can't wait to come back real soon.



                                                                                             Logging off Naja D

Spectacle Island & North End Against Drugs

Spectacle Island  has been so much fun all summer long it's so sad that today was my last day coming here! Today I did fishing with Max and Qalid. We had families and friends who came to the island this time. We had fishing, fish printing, hiking and much more. We didn't have luck with fishing--I was the only one that caught a crab and I dropped it because it was going to pinch me. I missed touching crabs and interacting with the kids and families. I'm so glad that we have one more trip to Georges Island and I really can't wait to go.

On Saturday, I went to the North End Against Drugs. It was fun they gave us free cook out food and ice cream, apples, and much more. We had fish printing and it was fun when everyone passed by us and everyone was like "wow are those real fish"!?  The kids loved it. Parents also did some prints. I hope they do this again next year!

Holding a bunny at the North End Against Drugs event

-Marly Burgos

Yellow Brick Ferryboat

Hello again!

This weekend Save the Harbor Save the Bay welcomed the fall season with a free trip to Spectacle Island for the region's great communities. I jumped at the chance to venture to the island one last time, reunited with my former All Access team and reliving the gold old days of this past summer season, providing children and their families with some fun under the sun. Though, it wasn't very sunny at all, in fact there was a dense fog encompassing the harbor; so thick we could hardly see the railings of the boat. I walked onto the bow and witnessed a young group of siblings caught in awe, like me, they had never been on the harbor and sailed through something like that; "spooky" to say the least!

Luckily for us, we arrived on the island just as the fog was seeming to break. with us we had brought fish printing materials, kites, and a whole bunch of fishing rods for the families to sink their teeth into while on the island. The fog enticed families to hike up the island's northern drumlin and try to look out onto the harbor. From the pier where we were fishing, the whole city seemed as if it were floating on a cloud. Fortunately for us, none other than Bruce Berman, fisherman and chef extraordinaire, and the company's director of Strategy and Communication, was on site and in action. We had received a tip that Mackerels were biting and he knew just what to do, re-rigging some of the fishing poles with double-hooks and instructing us on how to get the fish jumping. Unfortunately for us, we're not all fisherman extraordinaires and were unable to hook any of them. Save the Harbor is also sponsoring another free trip to the islands this coming October-- this time to George's Island-- so definitely stay tuned for that!

Until next time,
Maxwilliams

HAUL AWAY JOE

This Sunday I went to Spectacle Island and I did hiking and flying kites with my FAVORITE, Patrice. Before we got on the boat we had to direct everyone on which way to go and it felt different to deal with families instead of groups or summer camps because the kids felt more comfortable and more outgoing with their families. It was also very nice to see everyone have fun, smile and laugh with their families, I have never seen so many kids have fun like today than the whole summer. The kids had so many questions on what we could do on the island and when they heard about the kites they almost went crazy!

         After we got off the boat I found out that I was assigned to fly kites and do hiking which was in my opinion the best activity on the island. It was pretty hard though considering that it was VERY foggy, we could not see the top of the hill or farther than about 20 feet away. It cleared up throughout the day, on the way back we sang Haul Away Joe at the top deck. The view was amazing it was one of the best rides back to land, I can't wait to come back!

Sincerely,

Vince Vila

The Best Day Ever

I had the most amazing day yesterday. I asked to be put on the job for the Spectacle Island trip. I skipped my pregame practice for this job and anyone who knows me knows that I never EVER skip soccer practice. But the All Access team had been planning this. We missed each other so much and wanted to see each other so badly. So we all signed up to work and see each other on Sunday. I can't explain how amazing it felt to give everyone a hug and be reunited. Sure we missed Kharliyah and her laugh, Henry's presence, and most of all Jenn the mermaid, but we couldn't be happier to see each other. Even though it had been nearly a month since we all worked together, it came back to us with no trouble at all.

I helped Amy check people in, Vince ran back and fourth giving us the count of how many people got on the boat, and Max simply observed us all. When we got to the island, we all split up into our separate jobs. Vince and I were in charge of hiking, Max, Qalid, and Marly were all fishing off the pier. After we finished our hiking session, we headed over to fishing. Now it really felt like old times. We all rotated casting, baiting, and helping the kids fish. The best part came on the boat ride home. We all gathered on the very top deck to sing with the entire boat our special sea shanty. It was amazing how the entire boat sang along with Chris the pirate and the STH/STB staff.

It made my heart fill with joy as everyone who stepped off that boat thank us genuinely and asked when the next trip would be. It makes me feel good because I knew that I contributed to their great day. Many of these people had never been to the island before and now they knew how special it was. One woman asked me what town we were in and I told her we are on Boston Harbor and she was shocked. She had lived in Boston her whole life but never knew that these islands existed.

Once we returned the supplies to the office, the All Access crew was leaving and I received a FaceTime call from Jenn. Everyone crowded around the phone and we all screamed hello into the phone. The smiles on our faces were like those never seen before. It was officially the best day ever.

North End Against Drugs

     Finally back with Save The Harbor! After a long month without working at Save the Harbor, I really enjoyed getting to work with some familiar faces and having fun at the North End Against Drugs event. The North End Against Drugs event on Saturday, September 16th was a great event packed with fun, food, music, animals, and sports. The rest of Save The Harbor and I had a table where we taught people fish printing, and along with our table their were also tables for art and other activities. For the fish printing we had brought with us a flounder, along with two other smaller fishes. The smaller fishes were hard to use for the purpose of fish printing, so must people did their prints using the flounder.

     Throughout the day we had many people that were fascinated and surprised by our fish printing, some of these people were intrigued enough to create their own print. Along with all the great fish printing I assisted on,  I was also  able to visit some of the bunnies, goats, and birds present at the event. I wasn't able to work up the courage to hold one of these animals, but it was still cool to be able to see them up close and personal. All around this event was really great, and it was awesome to see some of my friends and co-workers from the summer.

Until Next Time, Abel Yohannes

Pirates Sail Through Fog

Hello Ladies and Gentleman,

On Sunday the 18th of September, Save the Harbor/ Save the Bay(S.T.H./S.T.B.) was hosting a free trip to Spectacle Island! The fog that was present that day was absolutely abnormal. If I wasn't so excited to see the fog, the atmosphere could've been seen as an eerie. We had  sign up list that indicated that roughly a thousand folks would join us that day, but due to the fog and weather conditions, a lot of folks got deterred. On our journey to Spectacle Island, the fog was so thick out in the harbor that anything beyond fifty feet was not visible. The usual Boston skyline was not present, nor was there the usual vast blue sky.

Figure 1. After several hours, a lot of the fog had cleared up, however one could still see how much fog was present in the horizon.

With a majority of the S.T.H. staff geared up in pirate wear, we cruised to the island and started our sections of fishing, fish printing, kite flying and hiking! 

 Figure 2. Shown in the picture above is the Hula-hoop section, where folks gathered around to show their exquisite talents.

After fish printing with Schup, Mackerel, and Flounder for about three hours I can say I saw a lot of interesting things that day. At around 10:30 AM, I saw a mom attempt to fly a kite. She went for a chaotic run to try and fly the kite high enough to get it up in the air. After a failed attempt, I tried to get the kite going.  I retired my short lived kite flying career after my attempt and offered it to the kids that were eager to follow my foot steps by running with the kite. Visitors left and right came up to view if the fish we were using were real. People shared their stories like where they are from and what they do as a profession. I had the chance to meet this one guy from the Philippines who was a professional photographer. He ended up taking photos for folks who had children fish printing. This professional photographer worked with Times Magazine. Once Times Magazine was mentioned, folks were voluntarily offering to be in the photos taken by the Professional photographer!

Figure 3. One of the kids that enjoyed fish printing volunteered for a photo opportunity! 

Figure 4. A view from the top of the boat of some of the lovely visitors that we had that day aboard with us to and back from Spectacle Island.

Thank you guys for reading another blog post from myself, I hope you'll catch my next post whenever that will be.

Raymond Chai

2017's "Simply Marbleous" Treasure Hunt!

Attention Bostonians and aspiring treasure hunters: enter Save the Harbor and JetBlue’s “Simply Marbleous” treasure hunt to win two free round-trip JetBlue flights from Boston Logan Airport to any domestic destination they serve!

The Lee Mun family found their marbles on Georges Island! Where will you find yours?

The “Simply Marbleous” treasure hunt began in 2012, when JetBlue and Save the Harbor partnered up to clean up a South Boston beach. In just a few short hours, more than 100 people cleaned up the equivalent of 5 weeks’ worth of cleaning! To celebrate, participants released blue marbles on the beach for beach-goers to find, kicking off an annual tradition that brings Bostonians closer to their local beaches.

Now, here's the most important part: how to enter!

You can find marbles on DCR’s beaches in:

• Lynn
• Nahant
• Revere
• Winthrop
• East Boston
• South Boston
• Dorchester
• Quincy
• Hull
• Any of the Boston Harbor Island beaches!

Our friend here was telling us how excited he was about finding a marble. Good luck to the Megenedy family in the hunt!

There are THREE easy ways to enter:

1. Finding a marble on the beach and posting a photo with the marble/of the marble on Facebook, tagging Save the Harbor/Save the Bay and including #SimplyMarbleous. Participants MUST like our Facebook page to have their entry count towards the prize.
2. Finding a marble on the beach and posting a photo with the marble/of the marble on Instagram, tagging @savetheharbor and including #SimplyMarbleous Participants MUST follow us on Instagram to have their entry count towards the prize.
3. Buying a “virtual marble” for 10 dollars from this link.

*Participants will get one bonus entry for tagging a friend in the Facebook or Instagram post.

The Vejar family showing off their marble!

The Hunt lasts until October 31st at 11:59 PM and the winner will receive a pair of free roundtrip JetBlue flights out of Boston Logan Airport to any domestic destination they serve. *Although the fun is unlimited, some restrictions apply.*

Don’t know where to start? You can find a marble at the Endless Summer Water Festival in Hull on September 16th. You can also join us on our Treasure of Spectacle Island cruise on September 17th OR our cruise to Georges Island on October 14th.

Someone found a marble while sand raking with world renowned artist Andres Amador!

That’s all we have for you, folks! Follow the progress of the hunt through our Facebook (Save the Harbor/Save the Bay), Instagram (@savetheharbor), website, or blog. And with that being said, happy hunting friends!

Find Your Treasure on Spectacle Island This September!

You've seen it in the summer, now experience the spectacle of Spectacle in the fall!

On Sunday, September 17th, Save the Harbor/Save the Bay will host the first of two free fall cruises to the Boston Harbor Islands National and State Park! Join us this month for the Treasures of Spectacle Island cruise to hunt for sea glass and artifacts on Treasure Beach, hike the North Drumlin for a view of the city and the harbor, and fish with our Youth Environmental Education Program staff! 

We will begin boarding the Provincetown II at Bay State Cruise Company's dock at the World Trade Center in the Seaport at 9:30 AM for a 10 AM departure. The boat will depart the island at 1:30 PM for a 2 PM arrival back at the World Trade Center. 

The snack bar on Spectacle Island will be open, as well as the snack bar aboard the Provincetown II. You are also welcome to bring a picnic lunch! Please remember that the Boston Harbor Islands National and State Park has a "carry-on, carry-off" policy, so bring a bag for your trash to dispose of back on the boat.

Reservations are required. Though there is plenty of room on the boat, space is still limited, so please RSVP via this Google Form. If you have any questions please contact Amy Gaylord via email at gaylord@savetheharbor.org or phone at 617-451-2860 x1008. 

Though as usual, any sea glass or artifacts found on the island must stay on the island for other visitors to enjoy, we do encourage you to find and keep the one inch blue frosted glass marbles that you find on the beach, as they are your ticket to enter the 6th Annual Simply Marble-ous Treasure Hunt for JetBlue Flights! Just post a picture of yourself with the marble to Save the Harbor's Facebook!

Desperate to see Autumn in the Islands, but can't make it on September 17th? We cruise to Georges Island on October 14th - so mark your calendar!

To learn more about Save the Harbor/Save the Bay and the programs we offer, like us on Facebook, and follow us on Twitter and Instagram @savetheharbor.

Save the Harbor's free youth environmental education and family programs are made possible with Leadership Grants from Bay State Cruise Company, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts, The Boston Foundation, The Coca-Cola Foundation, Distrigas/ENGIE.

Save the Harbor is grateful for Partnership Grants from Forrest Berkley & Marcie Tyre Berkley, Comcast, Eastern Salt Company, Inc., Fan Pier - The Fallon Company, John Hancock Financial Services, The Llewellyn Foundation, Massachusetts Bay Lines, Massachusetts Environmental Trust, Massachusetts Port Authority, National Grid Foundation, Nicholson Foundation, Lawrence J. and Anne Rubenstein Charitable Foundation, William E. & Bertha E. Schrafft Charitable Trust, Clinton H. & Wilma T. Shattuck Charitable Trust, Vertex, Yawkey Foundation.

Save the Harbor also appreciates funding support from Arbella Insurance Foundation, Blue Hills Bank Foundation, Blue Hills Bank Pavilion, Boston Properties - Atlantic Wharf, Boston Properties – 200 Clarendon, Camp Harbor View Foundation, Clipper Ship Foundation, Cronin Group, LLC, The Daily Catch Seaport, Davis Family Foundation, Elizabeth Elser Doolittle Charitable Trust, Alice Willard Dorr Foundation, Emera Inc., Enbridge, The HYM Investment Group, LLC, Lovett-Woodsum Foundation, Massachusetts Convention Center Authority, Massachusetts Water Resources Authority, P&G Gillette, RMR Real Estate Services, Skanska, South Boston Community Development Foundation, Tishman Speyer.

Save the Harbor would also like to thank our supporters 3A Marine Service, Andus Baker & Rowan Murphy Family Fund, The Bay State Federal Savings Charitable Foundation, Beacon Capital Partners, LLC, Boston Bruins Foundation, Andrew J. Calamare & Marianne Connolly, Circle Furniture, Kevin & Dee Colcord, Diversified Automotive, Tom & Lucinda Foley, Fort Point Framers, Goulston & Storrs, Legal Sea Foods, George Lewis - Haven Trust, Liberty Bay Credit Union, Mass Bay Credit Union, Massachusetts Marine Educational Trust, National Park Service, Randy Peeler & Kate Kellogg, Red Sox Foundation, Storm Duds, Matthew J. & Gilda F. Strazzula Foundation, TD Charitable Foundation, UDR, Kyle & Sara Warwick.

Special thanks to the hundreds of individual donors and to our partners at the Department of Conservation and Recreation, the Metropolitan Beaches Commission, the Boston Centers for Youth and Families and the YMCA of Greater Boston for their support.

Thank You for Buying a Virtual Marble!

Thank you for purchasing a virtual marble to support Save the Harbor/Save the Bay!

The contest runs through Halloween on October 31st.
We'll announce the winner on Facebook and Twitter - so stay tuned!

The funds we raise from the "Simply Marble-ous" Treasure Hunt support free events and activities on the Boston Harbor region's public beaches from Nahant to Nantasket as part of
Save the Harbor/Save the Bay's Better Beaches Program.

To find out more about the great work we do at Save the Harbor/Save the Bay, visit our website at savetheharbor.org and be sure to follow us on Facebook and Twitter.

Good luck and thanks again for your support!

Climbing Ranks

For my last few days with Save the Harbor/ Save the Bay this summer I was given the opportunity to step up from my current role and act as a Senior Harbor Educator! It was definitely a new and different experience to take on the higher position within our work environment. From my experience as an LHE and working with past S.H.E. I was able to make a easy transition to getting my group to work to their strengths and cover for each others weaknesses! The fact that I was placed back at Pier's park brought me some comfort as I knew the programming for this site all too well.

These last few days at Pier's Parks my JPAs: Maeve, D, Jahari, Kamal, Imani did a phenomenal job at pulling their weight and engaging the youth! School is around the corner, and it was easy for a lot of the youth to have the mentality to be more carefree, but these guys were superb! They showed the same enthusiasm playing games similar to tag with the youth since the start of the summer. The site itself has changed over the years in some aspects as well! Seeing the Pier's Park team transition staff around as well as seeing folks rise to higher roles and the consistency in happiness levels of everyone makes this site astounding. At times I am envious of the opportunities the youth have, as I too wish I had the chance to be apart of the Pier's Park sailing center's Harbor Explorers program. I would like to give special thanks to Amy, Bruce, Chris, Patty, and much more staff for giving me this opportunity to work with amazing individuals to make a difference to not only the harbor, but the lives of the next generation!

In the many many years to come, if Pier's park sailing center is at least a fraction as to how amazing it was these past two years for me, I would have my children signed up to be apart of this program! This summer has been a blast, from all the days of working in the sun, running around like a mad man with children tailing me for yards, I have had a fulfilling summer with growth in my personal abilities as well as many days of laughter!

Have a great fall and I hope you guys have enjoyed some of my content,

Raymond Chai

Adapting to a new setting

After being at Camp Harbor View for at least a week and a half, I have come to a conclusion as to what my feelings are for this site. I absolutely enjoyed this site a lot!

I had the chance to explore the fort at CHV with some of the group of kids and was out for wild adventure! Similar to Lovell's Island, there were some wild blackberries growing along the hiking trail at this camp. The kids were super excited to loop around the fort and explore the abandoned structures! I couldn't contain my urges to make ghost noises as the groups flowed into the dark rooms. Everyone was on the lookout for poison ivy since we were given a warning that some of the kids in previous weeks had been exposed and experienced some allergic reactions. Sadly, I ended up getting a rash on my fore arms due to being in contact with the old structures rocky terrain, something must've scratched me and had irritated my skin. With the reassuring nurses at CHV, I had my rash site smothered in anti-itch cream, ultimately resulting in me being back to normal by the time Miss Peddocks II arrived to pick us up off the island.

On my last day on the island, I had a chance to play Chess during my lunch break with this Chess champion named Ed! I could see how he earned the title of being the Chess Champion as I tasted bitter defeat a few times before lunch was served. While engaging him in Chess, I learned about his teaching career and how he taught the kids at the camp for quite a few years how to think ahead using the chess pieces. I am proud to say I was able to earn myself some praise from Ed, as he said " You're not too bad!" followed with a couple of chuckles. Being a avid checkers players, I was able to find in myself some appreciation for this strategic game too!

One very important lesson that I learned from this island is that you can sneak vegetables into your dessert! The next time you have a craving for some chocolate-y sweets, try zucchini brownies. Packed with cooked vegetables alongside zucchini's is this soft chocolate brownie breading that gives regular brownies a run for its money!

Thank you guys for reading this blog, hope you're looking forward to this next one,

Raymond Chai

New Intern: Rish Narayanan

Hi all! My name is Rish and I am the Communications, Media, and Events intern for Fall 2017. I have a bachelor’s degree in Psychology and Sociology and hope to pursue some type of masters in marketing and communication. My dream is to be involved with marketing, events coordination, and communications for an environmental conservation driven non-profit, and that’s how I found myself at Save the Harbor! I moved to Boston after graduating from Clark University in Worcester to get to know its local non-profits and cultural institutions before getting my graduate degree. I've also been at Save the Harbor for a little less than a month now.

There are three things always on my mind: birds, video games, and food. I am a bird mom and have cared for birds for over 13 years. Right now, I have a 2 year old pineapple green cheek conure who is my absolute sunshine! I’m also a huge gamer and can be found glued to a TV for hours (trying to get through The Last of Us right now, having a hard time emotionally). In terms of food, recommend a spot that has pescatarian, nut free options and I'm there (seriously, please recommend some). I love the city life and culture of Boston, and am absolutely ecstatic to be interning at STH. I’ve already been able to go on trips to Carson Beach and Georges Island, and have learned more in 3 weeks than I could have imagined.  STH has given me the opportunity to learn about the environment, local marine life, communications, media, press, and more. I can’t wait to absorb as much as I can!

Will Cullen- Development Intern

 Hi, my name is Will Cullen, growing up in Washington, DC I have always had a passion and curiosity to understand how the governmental and non-governmental organizations work. During this time I also developed a strong passion for wanting to help people in my community that were not afforded the same opportunities as me. I nurtured this curiosity by volunteering my time and completing my degree in Politics and History from Curry College in Milton, MA. Following graduation, I started looking for the right opportunity that could propel me to pursue those aspirations further. I have been living in Boston for three years now and I want to be able to effect change at a local level.  I believe working for an organization that not only promotes environmental awareness but also offers programs to educate youth in the community is awesome and inspiring. Being able to see how an NGO such as Save the Harbor finds its niche in the current political and social climate is an opportunity that I could not turn down. I hope as a development intern here, I can continue my journey of trying to effect that change.