Oh my COD, it’s already August!

Hey everyone, long time no sea! Summer is flying by, and I am having a great time at Piers Park Sailing Center with my incredible team! Every day we play games, fish, engage with the touch tank, and create some fun and educational activities for the kids to learn more about the harbor. I have made some amazing friends in just the first half of the summer, just like I knew I would! Being with my team at this site has been so fun, we have been able to bond over playing games, talking, and making Tiktoks in our free time!

Every morning we start our day with games of “Fishy Fishy Cross My Ocean” and “Everyone’s It,” along with tug-of-war, catch, and jump rope. Spending this time with the kids is a highlight of my summer; they are always so excited to catch some of the counselors in a big game of tag! Just last week was Shark Week at Piers Park (and worldwide!). We made a Shark Jeopardy and the kids had so much fun! They guessed the answer to questions about sharks and their habitat, lifestyle, and physical attributes. I was surprised at how much they all knew about sharks! They also had a shark egg hunt and field day to wrap up this special week! Throughtout the summer so far, the kids have not only proven to be knowledgeable about sharks, but also of the harbor and other harbor species too! Every day they are just as eager to tell me the gender and type of crabs we catch!

While only one month in and we endured our first heatwave of the summer! It hit 100 degrees on was SO hot! What better way to spend this hot summer than fishing? Each and every day we catch an abundance of crabs, including Green crabs, Jonah crabs, Rock crabs, and Spider Crabs---this definietly makes the heat more bearable! While normally caught in the crab trap, we have been catching a lot of them on our fishing rods! We have also caught and explored other species, including cunner fish, muscles, and skate. Nathan, our star-fisher, caught 6 crabs this week, all on his own!

While saying bye to some of my coworkers this week was bittersweet, I am excited to make some new friends during this new month! See you all on the harbor! Aleena :)

Accessing All Access

 This past month at All Access was one of the best summers in the past few years. The amount of engagement I experienced with all different people was a good experience for me. I really enjoyed the fact that every day at All Access was a different group of kids and adults. I really liked that variety because every day was a different experience and a different conversation. What we did when we went to our sites was go on free ferry rides to Spectacle/George's island and we brought people on walks and helped some of them with fishing. I have grown a lot closer with my group and will miss them when groups switch after today. 

There have been a lot of good moments in the moments I have been working in this group. I really enjoy just meeting new people and this job gives me the opportunity to do just that. Working with kids is also another highlight of the workday. I have never liked working with kids because in my previous experience they were always so awful. Fortunately, these kids that I have been working with have been super fun and make my job to interact with them a whole lot better. One of my favorite experiences with these kids is on the most recent fishing trip. I met a kid named Elijah and was basically his fishing partner on the boat. He was a very wholesome kid and I can tell he had a passion for fishing. I was telling him this whole time that he would be the first one to catch a fish on this boat and he was. I can tell the level of his excitement when he pulled it up and it is one of my favorite moments. He claimed that I was his good luck charm and even asked for a picture afterward. My experience at All Access was honestly very good and I am excited for the next group to experience it.

As always, see you at the harbor.

                - Patrick Chen

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The BCM Finale

 Hey all, Sid again. This week marks the end of Week 4, the first month of July, and the first site for this summer. This week was a pretty normal one, as we had droves of people visiting us at BCM. On Monday we had the usual at Atlantic Wharf. We had our normal days at BCM on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. We were also able to do a MIMIC on Thursday, with Friday being our last day as a team. I was able to help fish and we were able to catch 10 green crabs. 

My favorite part of BCM was having access to plenty of crabs, green and spider. They were able to entertain the kids and were super helpful in educating them, as well as being able to find mussels under the nearby dock. Our site was helpful to promote contact and talk to lots of people about the harbor, however the canal near BCM is low on fish. This meant that despite the fishing rods being quite popular, they were rarely able to catch anything. Regardless, we were still able to divide the kids into equal groups (Fishing, touch tank, and drawing). The best day there was when we were able to reel up our old crab trap, which has 8 green crabs in it.  

Thats the end of my final blog for July. Tomorrow, I'll be going on the first trip of August, and I look forward for everything else that happens in August. July may have been a hot month, but it was super fun and I enjoyed it. 

Until next time,

Sid

Time at Camp Harbor View

This week was a quiet week for catching. On Monday with our first group we had tons of spider crabs in our crab trap and found a pregnant spider crab which was really cool. We had two of them. After the first group left we started to fish and Rick got his line stuck on a rope which we were able to pull up. In our second group, we showed them the pregnant spider crab which the kids thought was cool. During the fishing club, we did a crab race which the kids loved. The next day Tuesday we did crab races with the other groups.

On Wednesday we were at the great hall making ice cream and talking to the kids about how they liked their summer. On Thursday we helped out with the hustle and got to paddle board and it was really fun most of us fell in the water besides Jaelynne and Seoule but it was really fun spending my last day spending time with the group and the kids. I really enjoyed spending my time at Camp Harbor View. It was fun talking to the kids and meeting the staff and enjoying their fun music. Especially the clean up song. I just had fun singing along every day. I liked learning new things about crabs more than anything and learning about skates which I’d never seen or touched before. I enjoyed learning new things and got to be more experienced with relining a fishing rod. I hope I get to go back next summer to the camp but overall I really enjoyed my time there.

See u next time on the water- Ari :)

 

CHV the place to be

 As I conclude my time with CHV I would like to thank Jaelynne and Maddison for allowing me to mix fun and work. I made a couple of goals at the beginning when I was first assigned CHV I can remember two, knowing the difference between work and fun as well as achieving better social skills. As I head into my new site I can easily say that I have improved as a worker and also as a person thanks CHV.

During our last hustle, we helped the lighthouse kids do paddle boarding. The harbor was cold of course and we had to go into the water in order to secure the paddle boards so they don’t collide with the ground. The objective was to paddle boarding around a blue buoy. Starting from the left go around it come back to shore on the right. I was in charge of Sandys board.

After they finished we were given the option to go paddle boarding and of course, we took it. I’ve never paddle boarded in my life and it was definitely an unforgettable experience. I could barely keep my balance, thank god my pockets were sealed since I had stuff in them. Thankfully not my phone but my clothes did not stop me from getting wet. I have high hopes for my new destination and I hope anyone who gets CHV can enjoy it as much as me. See y’all on spectacle!!!

Atentamente

Maddox Alves

The All Access Journey

This past month in All Acess was an amazing experience for my fellow colleagues and me. Going to Specictle island and Georgia's are always fun places to go to. Teaching kids how to fish and seeing the excitement on their faces always brings joy to the All Access crew members. We would catch a variety of crabs such as green crabs or spiders crabs on the dock. It was always cool to show the kid the different features of the different crabs. Showing the kids the differences between male and female crabs or having them touch the different surfaces of the crabs.

Also, we wouldn't just go to the islands we would do fishing trips with different youth groups and go out on Charlie's boat to fish. We show them how to fish but not only that we would show them the significance of other boats and other historical places in the area. The kids would always have a competition to see who catch a fish first and it was always fun to see them catch the first one. It was always a good time fishing with Charlie.

Working at All Access was truly fun and I would've never guessed that we would be this close to one another. We would always make each other laugh and smile during the times we were together. We would also make other kids laugh and enjoy their time on the harbor islands because we had such a great bond with one another. If we needed help with something we were always there for each other. Being together for most of the days made us get comfortable with each other every day and we created this special bond that made us work even harder. I am going to truly miss this group and the fun moments we had with one other. This past month has been truly amazing and hoping to have many more.

    See yall soon! 

            From Simon 

 

 

Week 4, end of July

 Hello all, it's Aidan back again for blog number 4. This week marks the end of July, and the end of our first month this summer. This week was a busy week. On Monday, we had the usual at Atlantic Wharf. Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday were busy days, as multitudes of families visited the tent. We caught lots of green crabs and spider crabs, and we got to do a MIMIC on Thursday. Friday was our last team day together at Langone Park, where I played games section for the most part, while fishing got about ten green crabs.

I think my favorite part about being at BCM was having access to a bounty of crabs, mostly green with occasional spiders. The experience working in that site was highly interactive, promoting contact with passerby's and teammates. Having a wide range of things for kids to do was good too, since that helps in dividing the kids into manageable groups in case things get crowded. It's a shame that the canal by BCM is low on larger fish, so the fishing rods don't get a lot of action despite the attention they receive. My favorite day there was the day we hauled up our old crab trap that we thought was lost to the sea, but we reeled it up on a fishing hook, where it was filled with large green crabs.

And so that wraps up my final blog for July. It's been a hot month but a great month. I look forward to what August has in store, and what the next group will be. But I won't know till the week is here so... 

until then,

Aidan

no more BCM

This week was my last week at the Boston children's museum and I think I am going to miss it a lot. (i am mainly going to miss the tent that gave us shade the whole day).I will certainly miss my group and the site, but I am also very excited to move on to the excitement and curiosity of the next site. I am going to be working at all access for the rest of the summer and I am excited to go to the harbor islands nearly every day because honestly, I haven’t been there much throughout my life. hopefully, it will be fun!

But going back to my location for the first part of the summer, I am going to miss it a lot. every Monday we would meet at a camp and play games and fish with the kids. I only really played games because I have never been much of a fisher. it was always fun to draw with them and it seemed like they really enjoyed it. 

The main location where I spent like 50 hours of my time this summer was the Boston children's museum, where we found tons of crabs and taught a bunch of people how to fish. it was really fun to see little kids light up when they saw our crabs and to teach people about the harbor. I definitely learned a lot on the job so far this summer. it was very fun because we met so many different people, even some people from Spain and Ireland.

Thanks for the summer so gfar, BYE!!!

The Longest (and loudest) Island

Camp Harbor View (CHV) is located on Long Island in Boston Harbor. The name of Long Island is fitting, as CHV is on the longest island in Boston Harbor, however, if anyone were to rename the island it could become the loudest island. All throughout the day you can hear campers laughing and playing, and music with everything from Disney classics to clean-up songs. But nothing beats the camp songs that ring out all throughout the day. Campers are broken into different Lighthouse Groups, with each group having its own name and songs to sing. When all of the Lighthouses come together during the day, it is a battle to be the loudest and proudest Lighthouse. Megaphones mixed with the hundreds of screaming campers sure do make things loud at times, but it is so fun to see the kids become more involved in their Lighthouse and work to become the champion of the day. Among many activities and individuals, the camp songs are one of my favorite parts of the day. 

At CHV, campers spend their days participating in various activities from swimming to art to fishing. Save the Harbor is one of the many Program Partners at the camp, providing a specific activity for camp groups to participate in. We spent most days on the pier fishing with the groups who got sent to us. Although we didn't always catch much fish, our days were filled with a never-ending supply of Green Crabs. 

 

Save the Harbor staff at Camp Harbor View

Many of our days consisted of two morning camp groups joining us to fish, and fishing club in the afternoon to round out our day. Fishing club quickly became one of the best parts of the day for myself and many other staff members. The campers who came during fishing club were the only ones we would get to see multiple days in a row. Each afternoon when they arrived we would chat about their days and experiences at camp while fishing off the end of the pier. Despite having caught few fish during this time, the friendships formed among the campers and our staff were some to not be forgotten. These campers would seek us out during the morning ferry and lunchtime to chat and joke in our downtime. They helped make our days much more enjoyable, allowing us to build better connections with so many people around the island and camp.

A group of campers in fishing club, working together to decide the best spot for their drop cast.

In the brief periods where we did not have camp groups to fish with, we made the most of our days by breaking out many different games to play. Uno and Jenga became favorites to many of us, bringing out everyone's competitive edge and best laughs at the same time. I enjoyed those moments as they allowed our staff group to really get to know one another, building friendships that will last more than just this summer. There was never a moment in the last month that I did not enjoy thanks to the amazing coworkers who became good friends in such a short period of time. 

Knowing that I get to spend the next month at CHV forming new friendships while connecting with campers makes me very excited for what lies ahead. I cannot wait for all that August has to bring. 

See you on the water,

Jaelynne

The CHV Experience!

 

Every two weeks at Camp Harbor View the camp has a new set of kids. You teach them how to fish, get to know them, and then you get a new group for two more weeks. When we're not fishing we are playing card games like Uno and spoons. The experience has been more than I expected. We get provided lunch and breakfast everyday that is way better than anything school provides. 

One of the best days at camp has to be the hustle. The hustle happens on the last day of camp when all the lighthouses compete against each other in a race to see who the best lighthouse of the session. Even though there is no fishing involved we still cheer on the sidelines supporting all the lighthouses. We get face paint and necklaces of all the colors. The campers start by raising a sail on their sailboat when done they run down the dock. Then they bike, paddle board, run more, and more. Another one of the best days is the first day of camp. During the first day, we go up to the KIP Building to do introductions with the new campers. We first do an icebreaker outside and then go inside to do an activity. Kids also choose their clubs on this day so it is a good time to influence joining fishing club. 

See you next week!-Seoule

300 Kids Splash to Beat the Heat on East Boston’s Constitution Beach at Save the Harbor/Save the Bay’s Beach Bash & Splash

On Wednesday, July 20^th, in the midst of a heat emergency, 300 kids from East Boston and 8 Boston area communities beat the heat at Save the Harbor/Save the Bay’s Beach Bash and Splash at Constitution Beach.

     

Kids from 9 communities hit the water at Constitution Beach as part of

Save the Harbor/Save the Bay’s Beach Bash and Splash

 

These moms from East Boston brought their kids to Constitution Beach on

Wednesday for Save the Harbor/Save the Bay’s Beach Bash and Splash

 

Save the Harbor's staff encouraged all participants to drink plenty of water (courtesy of the Boston Water and Sewer Commission), enjoy frosty treats (courtesy of the Boston Police Department’s ice cream truck), apply plenty of sunscreen, and stay cool in the water or the shade.

 

Representative Adrian Madaro and Save the Harbor/Save the Bay’s Executive Director
Chris Mancini on Constitution Beach with The Boston Circus Guild, and A Trike Called Funk

 

East Boston Rep. Adrian Madaro was pleased to see so many kids and families on the beach. “Constitution Beach is the primary point of contact with the cool clean water of Boston’s spectacular harbor,” said Madaro. “Save the Harbor/Save the Bay’s free beach programs really bring our kids, adults, and people of all ages, abilities, backgrounds together. This is what makes our community beautiful.”

“We love being at Constitution Beach," said Save the Harbor/Save the Bay’s Executive Director Chris Mancini. “The water is clean and cool, and it is easy to get to by the T or by car or van, making it one of the region's most accessible beaches for people of all abilities. But what I like the best is how it truly brings the community closer together."

While a Trike Called Funk performed a live DJ set, and the Boston Circus Guild amazed people with aerial arts, acrobatics, and juggling, kids also enjoyed fishing, swimming, beach sports, a touch tank and face painting.

  
Staff from Pier’s Park Sailing Center gave kids free kayak lessons, while Save the Harbor/Save the Bay provided free lifejackets to kids
as part of their Better Beaches Program Partnership with the Department of Conservation and Recreation, to keep them safe.

“Just hand a kid a lifejacket and a paddle and get them on the water and you can see the stress of everyday life disappear,” said Alex DeFronzo of Piers Park Sailing Center in East Boston which provided free kayak instruction at the event. “Thanks to Save the Harbor/Save the Bay and the Metropolitan Beaches Commission for making it possible. I wish they had the resources to do this every day on every urban beach.”

 

As the event came to an end, children left with new friends, skills, and experiences, having beat the heat on Constitution Beach. The Beach Bash and Splash was one of many free events happening on our metropolitan beaches this summer. Visit https://www.savetheharbor.org/better-beaches to view the full calendar of upcoming events and learn more about our Better Beaches Program.

 

According to Save the Harbor/Save the Bays Development Director Patricia Salic, free beach events like this would not be possible without their program partners and event sponsors, including Arctic Chill and Harpoon Brewery, JetBlue, FMC Ice Sports, P&G Gillette, National Grid, Coast Cannabis, the Daily Catch, Comcast, Mix 104.1, iZotope, Inc, The Blue Sky Collaborative, Boston & Maine Webcams, BostonHarbor.com, The Boston Foundation, and The Richard Saltonstall Charitable Foundation.

 

In addition, Save the Harbor recognized the Metropolitan Beaches Commission Co-Chairs Senator Brendan Crighton of Lynn, and Representative Adrian Madaro of East Boston and the legislative and community members of the Commission as well as Senate President Karen Spilka and House Speaker Ron Mariano for their support for their beaches and communities. Save the Harbor also thanked the Baker-Polito Administration, the Massachusetts Legislature, Save the Harbor's partners at the Department of Conservation and Recreation, the Boston Centers for Youth & Families, the YMCA of Greater Boston, and the hundreds of people who took part in the Shamrock Splash for their support.

 

To learn more about Save the Harbor/Save the Bay and the great work they do to restore, protect and share Boston Harbor, the waterfront, islands, and the region’s public beaches with all Bostonians and the region’s residents, visit their website at www.savetheharbor.org and follow @savetheharbor on social media.