First Summer at Save the Harbor!

 Hello!! 

My name is Jason Rundle and I am so excited to be one of the team leaders and Senior Harbor Educators at Save the Harbor this summer :). I am originally from California, but have spent the last 4 years in Boston as a public health student at Boston University. I recently graduated from my undergraduate program in May of 2021, and I am now pursuing a Masters in Public Health at the BU School of Public Health. I am specializing in Environmental Health and Global Health, and I am especially interested in natural disaster preparedness and response, migrant and refugee health, and homeless health. 

I've always loved to spend time outside in nature, and recently I've really started to think about how privilege plays a role in people being able to access the outdoors. Considering how people need to have the time, equipment, and knowledge to experience and enjoy the natural world has made me passionate about finding ways to connect historically excluded populations to outdoor spaces. I love that one of Save the Harbor's missions is to bring more people of color to natural areas because it is so important for people to see and feel that the outdoors is a place for them, not just for rich white people with expensive gear. I feel so lucky to be working outside this summer and spending time with students, because mentors have been such an important part of my personal and academic journeys. 

I am especially interested to learn and discuss how Boston is responding to climate change and how we can plan for future issues such as extreme weather, sea level rise, and ocean warming and acidification. As a coastal town, Boston's history and future are so intertwined with the harbor and ocean. It will be interesting to see how we can work together to maintain the ecosystems that we have. 

I was so stoked to meet my team and visit our sites in Revere for this first week! It was a blast getting to know everyone and spend time on the beach doing the bivalve quest, surveying for invasive species, picking up trash, and learning about the biodiversity that exists in Boston. I can't wait to come up with new and creative ways to get kids excited about spending time outside and learning about the natural world. I truly believe that exposing younger children to nature is essential in building their sense of environmental stewardship, which will be vital as we move forward and try to tackle the complex issues caused by climate change. Can't wait to see what awesome things this summer brings!!

Until next time!!

Here's a super not great pic of me fly fishing in a stream near Yosemite!

My AMAZING team for this summer with some of the trash we were able to pick up from Short Beach in Revere!