Environmental Justice & Carson Beach Fun!

Heyy everyone,

    This week my group and I got to hang out at Carson Beach! We set up a piece of paper as our mural with the question "what's your favorite thing about Boston's Beaches?" written at the top. We asked people to answer that question by drawing or writing and got to hear their stories which was really cool to hear. We dug for clams and my shoes got really muddy so that was kinda sad but it's fine. On Wednesday our group got to go out to Spectacle Island with David Coffin who told us all about the island and its history. We collected some cool sea-glass, I really liked finding the bottle necks and pretending they were rings. After leaving the sea-glass on the beach we hiking up to the top of the island which was quite the workout, but once we got back down we got to swim and that was great way to end the day. To wrap up the week we had a little staff kayaking trip on the Charles, also QUITE the workout, but I got to talk to other groups I hadn't met yet and friends I hadn't seen in a while, I had so much fun :)).

    This week we have been talking about environmental justice, which is giving everyone the resources they need to protect and clean their environment regardless of race, color, income or anything as well as enforcing environmental policies. The Office of Environmental Justice has done some amazing work such as assisting overburdened and under-served communities to find solutions to local environmental and human health challenges, creating youth programs and workshops to educate, reducing disparities in childhood blood lead levels and making sure all people served by small community and tribal water systems have drinking water that meets applicable health-based standards. I think making sure everyone has clean drinking water is one of the most important and interesting steps that the OEJ is taking for environmental justice. So many diseases are caused by unclean water and if cleaning it can keep a small community safe from an epidemic then it is so worth it. No one should have to worry about whether or not the water they're drinking is safe or not, environmental injustice is a problem everywhere and the OEJ as well as Save the Harbor are doing our part to try and stop it. An example of environmental injustice occurred in Flint, Michigan during the water crisis. Almost half of those who live there are below the poverty line, and more than 50% are people of color. Flint residents noticed the water quality drop almost immediately, and began to complain about it. State Officials responded by publicly dismissing those concerns and to issue false assurances to them. They were ignored by the officials who were then slow to respond to the problem because the neighborhood didn't have the resources they needed, a classic case of environmental injustice. Another example of environmental injustice that relates more to our city is the number of hazardous waste sites in lower income communities. In an article written by Northeastern, there was a chart I read that used a system that gave each waste facility points based on how dangerous it was, totaled with the other facilities in each neighborhood. Comparing those points with the income rates was astonishing. In Downtown Boston (low income area) there was a total of 224 points, verses Charlestown (medium income area) that has 134. A significant difference and a clear example of environmental injustice. To spread more awareness about this injustice we can educate others as we are doing with this program and like we did in our video at Carson Beach this week. Environmental injustice is something you see first hand in Boston, the nice beaches in some neighborhoods verses the ones in bad shape and that no one really goes to because they aren't cleaned up like others. It's such a sad thing to see in your own city, knowing that there is such a gap between your neighborhood and someone else's. Working for Save the Harbor you also get to see those sites and the difference in how each of them look, but now we have the power to educate others and to speak out about it in our videos, and I am really grateful for being able to make change.

Sea you out there,

-Jane

Erickson, Jim. “Flint Water Crisis Is the Most Egregious Example of Environmental Injustice, Says Researcher.” Phys.org, Phys.org, 22 Oct. 2018, phys.org/news/2018-10-flint-crisis-egregious-environmental-injustice.html.

Faber, Daniel R. Unequal Exposure to Ecological Hazards: Environmental Injustices in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. faculty.uml.edu/sgallagher/Environmental_Hazards-MA.pdf.

Climate Resiliancy at Constitution Beach

    Climate change affects everyone and everything very differently. In Boston, climate change can potentially create more hot days in the summer and heavy precipitation. There will also be a greater sea level rising rate throughout Boston. Especially on the historic waterfronts of Boston, it is important because there will be a greater chance of flooding the areas. Through all of these changes to the environment, it can affect people who are children, senior citizens, and people with health problems, it will also affect Boston economically as there will be more money towards the rebuilding or fixing due to all of the upcoming natural disasters. Through Climate Ready Boston, different groups, and organizations such as UMASS Boston and UMASS Amherst, Boston is preparing through various solutions that will be added on overtime. For example, many are researching in on possibly building a harbor barrier looking forward and researching ways to stop flooding from the shoreline to predict the routes of floodwater and protecting it from neighborhoods near the water. They are also looking at redoing older buildings to prepare themselves for potential flooding and looking at new waterfront buildings, parks, and other waterfront areas that will be safe for people visiting.

    This week I was stationed at Constitution beach, located in East Boston, and home to one of the most diverse areas in Boston. The beach was kept in very good condition and many have looked after it. Climate change had an effect on Constitution beach due to the sea levels rising causing the waters to slowly increase at the beach. During low tide, I was able to discover that different parts of the sand were darker in color depending on how close they were to the water. Although tides have a great role in creating the different water levels throughout the day, I could tell significantly that there was a greater piece of land on the higher shore that was now darkened in color. Since I used to come to this beach as a kid, I could tell that the waters were rising because the ends of the tide were significantly closer to the ocean than how they were before. I would like to question the budget on the projects that they are starting up, and how long it will take them to be completed. I play a role in advocacy and awareness to climate change in Boston by being a part of the Boston Climate Strike team as an area-director. My job is to inform my peers and spread awareness through posters, social media, and more to get the word out about the strikes and other informational events happening in Boston. By educating my peers, I hope the severity of how little time we have left spreads in order for more people to be an active member in helping the planet.

To another week at the beach!

Regina

One of many works of art we had created in the sand!

One man's trash is another man's treasure!

Hi guys!

After a successful first week on Castle Island and a great fishing trip aboard the Belle with Captain Charlie (3 flounders and a pogie boated in our rain-shortened outing!) #TeamLuke spent this week at Revere Beach. We spent the week putting together a scavenger hunt about Boston's wastewater and stormwater systems, marine life in the harbor, and how having a clean harbor keeps that marine life around. On Wednesday, after looking for marine life to discuss in our scavenger hunt for a few hours, we began to notice how much trash we found on the beach... so we decided to do something about it by doing a trash cleanup the following morning! 

Our group was able to pick up 5 mostly full bags of trash, which was super rewarding! An additional rewarding aspect of the morning for me came from an interesting interaction I had with a beach-goer during our cleanup. I was approached by a very friendly gentleman who commended us for helping clean the beach, but wondered why we weren't picking up the "plastic stuff that looks like plungers" that was covering the beach. I explained to the gentleman that the "plastic plungers" weren't actually plastic at all, but were actually moon snail "sand collars". These interesting structures are grey circles that are often found along Boston Harbor beaches in the summer, and are formed from a mixture of snail "goo" and sand. The structures harden and moon snails lay their eggs on the underside of the "plunger". It took some convincing, but I think the gentleman eventually believed me that the "sand collars" weren't actually harmful. I was glad to make someone feel better about the cleanliness of their home beach!

While I have knowledge about certain marine life we found like moon snails and oysters, I was also psyched to find some stuff on the beach that I knew basically nothing about! For example, at one point, we found the carapace of a crab laden with pink speckles. After researching the pattern a little, I was able to figure out that the crab was a Lady Crab (Ovalipes ocellatus), an aggressive, carnivorous crab species found between Canada and Georgia on the eastern seaboard. I also found out that Lady Crab's have modified back legs shaped like paddles that are used for swimming, much like the Blue Crab commonly found further South. My next goal is to find a live Lady Crab at some point this summer (and to avoid getting pinched by it!). 

Next week we are at Fort Point Channel and we get to use the underwater drones! I am super excited for that and will check back in soon!

See ya on the sand, 

Luke

Lady crab info: http://www.edc.uri.edu/restoration/html/gallery/invert/lady.htm

Lady Crab carapace

Trash squad!

Example of a moon snail "sand collar"

Week 1, Out in the Sun

     My first week of summer working for Save the Harbor was spent at the Charlestown Navy Yard. This was my second time being able to visit the Charlestown Navy yard. The first time I went was with Save the Harbor last year, when we got a special tour inside the museum and learned how different jobs that the workers on the U.S.S. Constitution had. This week, I got to explore more of the sites at the Navy yard, like the U.S.S. Cassin Young, which was a more modern battleship than the Constitution. There is also a cannon near the museum that was found while digging up the surrounding area. That cannon is fired every day in Charlestown. Also, there is a giant mast that is hoisted up next to the Charlestown cannon, bearing the American Flag. I think the coolest thing there is the dam that can hold ships out of water by letting water into the area, and then gradually draining it until said ship is rested on multiple big blocks of wood. I was fascinated at how well and creatively it was constructed.
     First day I was there, I talked with my teammates about what we were going to do for our lesson on the Navy Yard. We decided that our end product was going to be a video lesson on the Charlestown Navy Yard, along with the artifacts that were there. The second day, we drew pictures of what was there. We drew pictures of the Cassin Young and the Constitution, along with animals that lived there, like crabs and jellyfish. We also got two aquatic drones called the Poseidon. We dropped them into the water and tried to view what was under the waves, but the water was too murky. Even then, the drone started to swim in circles, so I just pulled it from the water. On the third day, we went to the Barking Crab to learn about the history of the harbor and the islands. One of the islands is supposedly cursed by a pirate on his last breath, which caused the island to become hidden in the high tide. Further out is the first lighthouse ever made, which has walls that are 17 feet thick at the base. Apparently, most of the islands have very simple names, like Deer Island, which was covered in deer, and Spectacle Island, which is shaped like a pair of eyeglasses.
     To be quite honest, it was fun but not the most exciting site out there, mostly because the environment is pretty neutral. In the end, I look forward to working at my new site this week!
        See you next time,
          Aidan

Psyched for a summer on the water!!!

Hey everybody!

My name is Luke Briccetti and I am sooooo excited to be an STH Team Leader for the summer of 2020! While I am originally from the New York area, I just graduated from Tufts University in Somerville and definitely consider Somerville to be my adopted home. 

I have been passionate about enjoying, exploring, and working on the water for as long as I can remember. This passion mainly stems from my love of fishing and marine science, which I hope to eventually pursue in graduate school. I have also spent a lot of time doing environmental education, and am excited to make fun educational videos for our program partners all summer long! I am also pumped to get to know my team better and to explore the harbor's sites with them!

Another thing I am excited about is getting to know Boston's waterfront this summer. As someone who didn't grow up in Boston, most of our summer sites are super new to me. I love urban beaches and working to conserve urban waterways, so I can't wait to learn more about how Boston achieved it's status as having some of the cleanest urban waterfront in the country (as well as the ways we can maintain it). 

Overall, I have had a ton of fun throughout orientation and the first week of programming at Save the Harbor. My favorite part so far was simply showing up at Carson Beach on the first in-person day - after being cooped up all spring due to Covid-19, it was awesome to be out on the beach, and awesome to see all the smiling, masked-up STH staff member's faces ready to tackle the Covid summer! 

Thanks for reading and see ya on the sand, 

Luke