Sea Shanties

Haul away JOE

Fishing in Boston

What's up guys, this week was all about stepping outside of my comfort zone. Now this is a really scary thing to do, yet I am proud to say I survived! It's like you do all this overthinking about what could possibly go wrong but then the experience was not even as bad as you thought it would be. Now, if I can do it then certainly everyone is capable of taking that big step forward.

We began by meeting the BCYF Jackson Mann and YES programs at the Pop Up Museum in the North End. It was a quiet, cloudy morning that felt like the rain would be coming any minute now. Anyone who'd have taken a look inside the museum could see how alive and

Fish Printing!

boisterous it was. David taught the youth a lesson about the famous tale of the lady in black. Signaling us by beginning to switch the subject to the importance of team work and leading us to sing a sea shanty for them. And so we sang, "WAY HAUL AWAY, WE'LL HAUL AWAY TOGETHER, WAY HAUL AWAY WE'LL HAUL AWAY JOE!" as we went around the circle and sang a different verse I could feel my anxiety rising as all eyes would be casted upon me. I cleared my mind and just sang along. As insignificant as it may seem, singing (when you can't sing) in front of a group of people you just met, makes one feel quite vulnerable or even embarrassed. Rather than shy away I pushed myself to embrace the attention in a different way, a positive one. Yes I may not have been on key but I made a few small people (including myself) giggle. I also encouraged them to sing along and they did. A young man was singing to the top of his lungs and together we spared a few happy moments for each other.

That was my second time singing to a group of kids I just met. To point out my first time earlier that week at Georges where we sang our favorite sea shanty, Haul Away Joe, at the park. If you recognize Georges you'll notice the small playground they have next to the cafe. Well, my staff and I climbed up the mini Fort Warren all the way to the top to sing Haul Away Joe. Being my first time, I was surprised at how quickly I jumped in to sing a verse, since no one else was really willing to. I would call it the most valuable thing I've done so far this summer. These times that I felt afraid or just embarrassed to be singing in front of strangers, I did not quit or try to opt out. It was way outside my comfort zone but I was able to learn from it. Instead of dwelling on the what-ifs, I went straight into it. I wouldn't say that now I am prepared to sing in front of a crowd or anything crazy like that but it showed me that some things are not as bad as they seem.

Touch Tank x Atlantic Wharf

Crab Week

Fog

This week was crab week at All Access Boston Harbor and I couldn't have been happier. It is only our third week of programming and the amount of crabs we caught this week was incredible. There wasn't a day that went by where we did not have a single crab in our touch tank. The best part of it all was that most of our crabs were caught while fishing! Do you understand how happy it makes someone to catch something while patiently waiting for a bite? It's as happy as winning a special prize. My prize was seeing the kids' faces light up with surprise and joy.

GIANTS

It all started on George's Island. It was a cool summer day, fog greeted the edges of the island in every direction you looked. There was nothing within eyesight anywhere except the precipitation looming in the air. Fishing was off to a quiet start; the kids sat there patiently waiting for a bite. "AHHHHH", a loud scream interrupts the silence as everyone hops onto their feet to see what all the commotion was about.  And there it was, at the end of the hook grasping on for dear life was a crab. But not just any crab, it was a green crab. Fans of AABH themselves, they often pay us a visit on our sites. The young boy who caught it was still screaming and the crab was still hanging. My co-worker, Patrice picked up the crab and placed it in the tank to hang with us for a bit.

A crowd swarmed over to the tank, including me, to observe the little green guy. There he was, with his pinchers raised ready for battle. I picked him up so everyone would be able to get a closer look and feel for him. Indeed it was a male after all, a few kids speculated and I confirmed it was true after seeing his light, triangle shaped belly. Hands reached from all angles to get a feel of his hard exoskeleton. I began telling the children fun facts about green crabs. Not too long after our first catch, we heard another shout of excitement and as I turned my head to the left I spotted another crab holding onto the line! The cycle began and for the rest of the week we were flooded with crabs on each line.

Over at CHV, dark clouds gathered in the distance. The air was warm but all was still, we could tell there was a storm coming on. Jules and Eric walked up the dock with two giant crabs in their hands. I was amazed, I never knew how potentially large these crabs could get. They took up all the space in the touch tank, just these two creatures. I peeked inside and there they were, two ginormous crabs: a spider crab and a red rock crab. I could not believe how big their pinchers were, it 

was almost intimidating. But I could not help myself, I was desperate to hold it. And that I did! I picked up the spider crab and its limbs just dangling there. "Lol", I thought to myself I recognized this trick. The crab thought he could fool me by playing dead. A real vet, like myself, knew it was a trick so I placed him back into our tank.

Our first day at Spectacle was similar to George's. Everyone was fishing, there was not a sign of any bites yet so we waited and waited until someone shouted, "I caught a crab!". Imani helped the group of girls rail the rod in and on the end of the line was yet another small green crab. The girl walked over with the crab and added it to the tank. It was the first crab we caught and as the groups swapped in and out, we received more. I made sure everyone was able to pet the crab at least once and/or hold it. Before we knew it time flew by and it was the end of our fishing session so we prepared for our favorite game, crab races! I carried the tank over to the yellow line and slowly poured the water out until the crabs were the only things left. I lined them up and out they went, moving quickly with all their legs eager to return to the ocean. I cannot wait to see what other creatures we'll be catching this summer.

                                                   Ready for more, Kharliyah Ortiz, Summer 18

Thunderstorm

Crab Lessons

First Day at my new site

After working at Camp Harbor View for the first three weeks of the summer, I got assigned to All Access. Even though I was sad to leave Camp Harbor View, I was excited to start working at a new site with new people. Working at All Access is very similar to being at Camp Harbor View, for a couple of reasons. One reason is the large amount of campers we work with at both sites, and we do similar activities at the two sites, also both sites are very close to each other. When I first learned I was working All Access I wasn't too disappointed since Camp Harbor View had prepared me for what All Access had to offer. There's only a couple of things we do during All Access that we don't do at Camp Harbor View, one is swimming and the other thing is playing sports. Unfortunately I wasn't aware that we all swim during All Access(while at Spectacle Island). When I told Dave and Andrea, that I couldn't go into the water since I didn't have a change of clothes, they weren't too happy. So when I started walking along the water Andrea filled her water bottle with water and then dumped it all over me, next Dave came and tackled me from behind and while I was pinned to the ground Andrea once again filled her water bottle and poured water all over me.
Other than this one unfortunate incident, All Access was filled with fun and exploring. Carlos and I played a very competitive game of soccer, which was very fun. I also got to enjoy my first time on Spectacle Island with a quick walk around the island.



















Abel Yohannes

George's Sea Stars

One of my biggest goals this summer is to find a living sea star out on the Boston Harbor Islands. I had heard rumors of sightings from other colleagues who had gone out and seen some on George’s Islands. The weeks we have been out on George’s I’ve searched feverishly for the five-armed echinoderms, but have come up with no luck. You can imagine how envious I was when I found out the group at the Courageous pulled some up with their crab traps.

A large group of kids were exploring the water line on Thursday and I joined them in one of my favorite activates. As they looked for sea glass and crab claws, eagerly showing off their findings to their camp mates, and myself I was keeping my eye out for a star. While I was talking to one girl another girl came running but to me “Look what we found! What is it?” In her hand was a sea star! On closer inspection I saw that the sea star was not alive but was the endoskeleton of a sea star that was bleach white. Even though it wasn’t a live sea star it was the first evidence I have personally found of sea stars in Boston Harbor. The founders of the white sea stars promptly decided that the sea star skeleton was less interesting than the shiny, colorful sea glass and tossed it back into the sea.

The hunt will have to continue for the elusive sea stars in two weeks when we return to George’s for the last time this summer. Hopefully this time the search will be more fruitful!

-Nora D.

These Skates Must Love Me

Hi everyone,

Its Andrea back again to wrap up the week at Gegorges island. Yesterday, was the end of the week out on Georges island. It was really hot out but Kharlyia and I made it through fishing. We had about five different groups that had signed up for fishing but only two groups showed up. With that being said, the two groups that showed up had more time than usual to fish. They were really small groups too. The first group only had three kids and the second group had about ten. When those groups were fishing, they did not catch anything on the fishing rods but they did catch lots of crabs in the crab trap. Once the groups were done fishing, they went about exploring Fort Warren because many of them had never been to Georges island before.

The last hour or so, Kharlyia and myself were left alone on the fishing pier. That meant that we were fishing just the two of us. We changed it a little bit. Instead of fishing at the same spot we split ourselves. Kharlyiah went fishing on the opposite side by the visitor center and I went fishing in front of the Boston Harbor Cruises dock. Fishing at Georges is very difficult due to all of the boat trafficking of Boston Harbor Cruises and water taxi coming in and out. Somehow where I was fishing, I kept on getting a lot of bites. Every time I had a bite, I would yell out for Kharlyia and she would come running down to me to see if I had caught a fish. Unfortunately, the bites was not what I was expecting. I was looking for some striped bass but I ended up hooking a skate. Kharlyia was brave enough to push down on the spiky skate as I removed the hook from its mouth. At first I thought that the skate did not make it but once we put it in the touch tank, it was alive so we sent it back to the ocean. No mattet which site I go, I always catch skate while aiming for some bass. Its like the skates knows me really well or they just love me. Although its not a bass, I still get excited because I get to tell the kids that we did catch something. The kids finds it really interesting how it looks like a sting rat. ai may not catch what I want but atleast I always end up catching something. I am really loving fishing with the kids. I cant wait to catch more and more stripe bass and skates.

Until next time !!!

- Andrea Lopes

Spectacular Week at Spectacle

Hi everyone,

This past week, All Access Boston Harbor spent Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday out on Spectacle Island. It was a really great start back on Spectacle. An old friend from high school that I recognized came out with us on Tuesday. On the first day back on the island, we caught two skates and was able to unhook them all alone. The first one that I caught, was during lunch. While everyone went off for lunch, I decided to stay on the dock fishing. Five minutes after casting, I had a skate on one of the rods so I reeled it in as the old friend from high school and her family surrounded me. At first they were all yelling "Eww what is that?" ... "Its a sting ray" ... I tried telling them that it was not a sting ray and that it was a skate. A few minutes later, an old guy joined us and started telling me to be careful with its tail so that I don't get stung and I kept telling him that it does not sting and that it is a skate but he just kept saying "Sting ray, sting ray, sting ray." Moment later, I released the skate and the first group of kids came over to do some fishing. I guided them all and everything went smooth. Towards the end of the day, one kid reeled in our second skate and they were all amazed by it. Most of the kids knew that it was not a sting ray and that it was a skate. I was really impressed.

Old High School friend with her nephew
when I caught the first skate in 5 minutes

Thursday which was the end of the week at Spectacle was also a great day. We had a really great ending of the week out there. The East Boston YMCA came out with us again for the second time. The week before Spectacle, they joined for the Georges trip. Although we did not catch anything on Thursday, I was able to help the counselor reel in the striped bass but unfortunately, the fish kept dragging the line under the dock and snapped it. Another reason why we were unable to reel the fish its because the fishing rod had really short line so with that being said, there was not enough line for the fish to keep dragging. Even though we were unable to reel in the fish, the counselor was excited for just knowing that he actually did have a fish on the line. I was excited as well because I don't quite remember if we ever had a fish on the line last summer and we also caught a little lobster in our crab trap. Overall, everything went great at Spectacle except for the weather that was not cooperating with us.

Second skate caught after a nice swim

Until I catch another fish!!!

- Andrea Lopes

Crab, Crab, Crab...Lobster!

It's no secret that All Access has had a productive summer on the fishing side of the program. Every time Andrea casts a fishing line into the water, she is pulling a skate or a bass up! With Andrea busy being the Queen of Fishing, Kharliyah and I have taken the gauntlet in crab catching.

We have found an abundance of rock crabs, Jonah crabs, spider crabs, and green crabs. We have found so many almost every kid who has gone out on all access with us knows the differences between all four species and how to tell the difference between male and females.

On our last day at Spectacle we had a surprise visitor in one of our crab traps. As I was pulling up the trap for one of the last groups of the day, I excitedly exclaimed that we had caught a lobster!! Our excitement spilled over to all the kids on the pier when they saw what we had in our trap. It was a welcome change to all the crabs we had been catching all day. Everyone crowded around to get to touch and take a picture with the lobster. Kharliyah did an excellent job balancing the crowd and holding the lobster at the same time!

After we were done showing off our celebrity of the day we returned him to the water. It was a great way to send our last groups of the week at Spectacle off! It was another great week on All Access and great way to continue the good vibes into George’s next week!

-Nora D.

What Mysteries Do Sea Glass Hold?

 On Wednesday, David Coughan and I took a small group form the Saint Ann's camp to explore Spectacles rocky shoreline. The girls were thrilled to be finding small treasures between the rocks. These treasures were many, many pieces of sea glass! Spectacle has hosted many things in it's life before becoming a state park. It once had hotels, a plant, and was the city's garbage incinerator for a span of time. All the glass found on the beaches are a result of the island's past. As tempting as taking these sea jewels back on the boat with you, all glass must remain on the island because it is part of the national park system.

As we slowly made our way down the beach, faces completely focused on the ground trying to find glass better than the last piece of glass we found. Whenever one of us found something unusual or out of the ordinary we could stop and call the group over. One camper loved finding porcelain piece and another found a large royal blue piece that was absolutely stunning. I tried finding little blue, aqua, and soft green sea glass because I love those colors. The most common colors we found were browns and greens. My unique find of the day was a turquoise bead. It was the only one we found on the beach.

David happened to have a good eye and found a rare color of sea glass, pink! We all oooh'd and aaaaah'd as David held it up in the light. The girls were jealous they had not found this rare treasure to add to their large collections that were now overflowing in everyone's hands. David encouraged us all to think about were this pink piece of glass came from. A vase, a perfume bottle; there could be some many possibilities given the history of the island. Was it valuable? Was it very important to some one at sometime?

Til the next sea glass adventure
-Nora D.

Are You Smarter Than A 9-Year Old?

The start of the summer couldn't have gone better! Even with weather challenges we had an amazing first week! There was one highlight of this week that I'll never forget. Wednesday and Thursday I had the chance to go on All Access where I met some pretty fun kids. Wednesday was hot but I still had a great time playing catch with the kids. Thursday was the day that will always stand out to me. I was walking around the ferry talking to groups when I saw these three kids sitting alone. I walked over there and starting talking to them. One of the kids was so excited to tell me about the history he knew about Pearl Harbor. You see, my new friend Franv (or Frank with a "V" as he told me) had just traveled to Hawaii, where he went to the Pearl Harbor memorial. As a total history nerd I was interested to see what Franv had to say, and to be completely honest, I wasn't expecting it to be so accurate. He explained to me, in detail, the terrible events of that day.

Franv and I sitting on the top- deck of the Provincetown II

After a while Franv and I had taught each other a lot. When I told him some information about Pearl Harbor he didn't know he was fascinated. As our conversation drew to an end he insisted on telling me what he brought for lunch. He pulled out some delicious looking chicken parm with a bread stick. I joked and told him to save me some for the trip home. While I didn't see him on the island I saw him on the way back. He was sitting at a table with his face covered in pasta sauce and a goofy grin on his face. He claimed he looked for me so he could share the leftovers,  I simply laughed and got him some napkins. He told me about his plans for the weekend and all his friends at home. I'll never forget the time a 9-year old had more knowledge than I could have imagined.

Happy Learning!
Sam

First Day Back with Stripers in Georges Island

Hello everyone,

This past Wednesday was our first day back on the islands. Even with the hot and sunny day, I was still getting chills as I was at the Blue Hills Pavilion welcoming the groups of kids and counselors from different summer camps and programs. After gathering every single groups into the big tent, I was shocked to know that we had 345 kids and staffs in total that came out with us on our first day back on the island. YES, I SAID 345! Ain't that amazing? Well I thought it was because I was not expecting that many people to come out with us on the first day. As we walked over to the Common Wealth Pier to get on the Provincetown II boat, I could see the excitement in the faces of many of these kids. After getting on the boat and walking around interacting with the kids, almost all of the Save the Harbor staffs started a game of 'quack-a-dilly oh my quack quack quack' with the kids. Most of the kids fell in love with the game because not many of them had played it before.

Playing 'Quack-a-dilly Oh My Quack Quack Quack' with the kids from
the Bruce School on the Provincetown II

Meanwhile they were playing, I decided to go around the boat and signing up groups for fishing and I remember every single counselor that I approached tell me that "Its too hot we are going to skip fishing for today." So after we got to the island, every group including the Save the Harbor staffs except myself went off to have lunch. I decided to stay on the pier with 5 fishing rods fishing all alone and all of a sudden, there were a group of lucky kids from the Bruce School that came down the pier to fish. I baited all 5 rods and casted them for the kids. As they held the rods, I had a girl that started yelling "Miss, Miss, Miss, I caught something." So I ran down to her and helped her reel in the fish when on the other side I had another little boy yelling "Miss, Miss I got a fish." After helping the girl rail in the fish, we all seen that it was a big striper and unfortunately, it snapped the line. When I ran to the other boy to help him, another striper had snapped the line. Although we were unable to bring the fish out on the dock, they were all excited to see both stripers that were on the line. What made them and their counselor more excited was the fact that I told them that in the past 3 summers, we have not caught a fish there. 

Reeling in "Bruce" the Stripe Bass

Later on around 1 PM, they decided to go to the fort so I stayed fishing alone. I had casted 2 fishing rods and at about 1:35 that same group came back and a few of them started asking "Miss, can I fish ... Miss I want to fish" and I had told them no that we are done fishing because it was almost time to get back on the boat. As that one kid Kevin kept asking frequently, I told Sam to give him a rod that I had casted and 2 minutes later guess what? WE CAUGHT A STRIPER and the kids named it Bruce. This time I was able to reel in the fish 5 minutes before getting on the boat and the kids were finally able to see the fish from a closer angle. One of their counselors helped me take out the hook from the fish's mouth and sent it back to the ocean. Running fishing was the best decision that I had made. Having 3 stripers on the first day for the first time in 3 years at Georges island made me feel very accomplished and good about myself because I had promised the kids that we were going to catch at least one fish and guess what happened? WE DID IT! Overall, Georges island was great and now I am looking forward to a spectacular week this upcoming week at Spectacle island.

Kevin, Andrea and the "Bruce" Stripe Bass

Until next time,

- Andrea Lopes 

New Scene For The Summer

Happy Summer 2016 everyone! I am back for my second summer as a Senior Harbor Educator and could not be more excited. A quick refresher about myself. I grew up and currently still live in Dorchester. I love everything about Boston, from the Seaport to Fenway Park. I migrated north for college where I majored in Environmental Biology. I become overly enthusiastic about birds and constantly carry a bird guide with me at all times. I enjoy swimming and hiking whenever I have free time.

Digging for Clams at Carson!

Between Summer 2015 and 2016 I did a lot of traveling. I spent time in Ireland, France, Italy, and Germany. It was amazing to see the diversity of culture and people we have in our world. My two biggest highlights of the trip were swimming in the Mediterranean and see the Cliffs of Moher.

Horseshoe crab!

  Last year I worked mainly at the Carson Beach site. As much as I will miss the clams, kayaking, and soccer events, I will be changing sites this summer. I will be working on the All Access Boston Harbor trips three days a week. I am looking forward to many boat rides, fishing stores, and tide zone explorations. The fishing scene at Carson is very sparse, I am hoping we will be getting a lot of bites out on the islands! Spectacle Island is one of my favorite islands; you can swim there which is definitely needed after a competitive kickball game! I can't wait to see what I learn this summer at All Access. I have an awesome team working with me that is going to make the summer a fun one!

Until next time,

Nora

New Scene For The Summer

Happy Summer 2016 everyone! I am back for my second summer as a Senior Harbor Educator and could not be more excited. A quick refresher about myself. I grew up and currently still live in Dorchester. I love everything about Boston, from the Seaport to Fenway Park. I migrated north for college where I majored in Environmental Biology. I become overly enthusiastic about birds and constantly carry a bird guide with me at all times. I enjoy swimming and hiking whenever I have free time.

Digging for Clams at Carson!

Between Summer 2015 and 2016 I did a lot of traveling. I spent time in Ireland, France, Italy, and Germany. It was amazing to see the diversity of culture and people we have in our world. My two biggest highlights of the trip were swimming in the Mediterranean and see the Cliffs of Moher.

Horseshoe crab!

  Last year I worked mainly at the Carson Beach site. As much as I will miss the clams, kayaking, and soccer events, I will be changing sites this summer. I will be working on the All Access Boston Harbor trips three days a week. I am looking forward to many boat rides, fishing stores, and tide zone explorations. The fishing scene at Carson is very sparse, I am hoping we will be getting a lot of bites out on the islands! Spectacle Island is one of my favorite islands; you can swim there which is definitely needed after a competitive kickball game! I can't wait to see what I learn this summer at All Access. I have an awesome team working with me that is going to make the summer a fun one!

Until next time,

Nora

Count Down Begins

                    

As the summer is winding down I finally caught my first fish! And guess what? It was the second biggest fish in the tournament. To be honest I was expecting to catch anything; maybe one skate if I was lucky.  But not a huge Striped Bass! Well this just shows you, "don't under estimate yourself, always expect big things for yourself". I know that's a cliché, but who cares? I went from being a quiet kid to "didn't you win the fishing tournament?!"  That just gives me a reason to be known, and more confidence to continue doing bigger and better things in life. Thank you Bruce for all the advice, I was beginning to give up on myself.

 

I'm not a very social person, but Lindsay Phenix was probably the first friend I made at Save the Harbor/Save the Bay. She helped me become more social, and that's very important since everyday on the boat David tells us to "DISPERSE!!" and talk to all the kids. As Bruce's favorite rapper said, "started from the bottom now I'm here", here is where I am with my All Access family. Couldn't ask for a better person than Lindsay and the rest of the AA team to show me that this is the best summer job to have. Honestly, at only 17 years old, I don't think I will ever have a better job. Save the Harbor/Save the Bay isn't just my job, everyone whose a part of it is my family, and I love every single person who is a part of it.

Only two more weeks left!
Looking forward to my last days on the islands this summer!

-Antonio

A Day Full of Selfies

It was a great day on all access! The sun was out, the water was cold, and the kids were happy. You couldn't ask for much more than that on a summer day. This week we took the kids to Peddock's Island; one of the two better islands along with Spectacle. Here, we played a enormous, and competitive game of kickball. But before we played, we had lunch. During lunch, I challenged all of the counselors to get a group selfie with all of their kids. There was no winner to this little competition, but it was funny watching all the counselors rally up their kids for a selfie.

After taking selfies and playing kickball, we headed down to the water to cool off. And before we went down to the water it was mandatory that I get a selfie with all of the staff too. They really didn't want to take one. But I told them put on their best happy face and pose for the picture. It was a hassle getting them together, but we finally did it. Tell me what you think of it.

Till later,

Preston.

Fun Running in the Sun

As a Development Assistant at Save the Harbor/Save the Bay, I took the opportunity to join All Access Boston Harbor on Wednesday to experience firsthand the impact our Youth Environmental Education Programs have on the youth and teens we take out to the Boston Harbor Islands. On this particular trip All Access took the kids to Spectacle Island. This island has an unusual history; in the early-to-mid 1900s the island was used as a landfill and was left derelict until renovations in the 1990s. Today, the island has been completely transformed into a beautiful recreational destination. This serves as a great example to the kids we bring on All Access how a previously heavily polluted area can be changed drastically, and the importance of protecting and valuing the natural resources in our own backyard.

Among the treasures you can find on the shores of Spectacle Island is beach glass!

On the boat ride to Spectacle Island I spoke to some of the kids and many of them had never been to Spectacle Island before, and for some this was their first time visiting the Boston Harbor Islands. It was exciting to think that today a whole new world would be opened up for them to explore and enjoy.

While on Spectacle Island I helped our Healthy Outdoor Activity Coordinator Lindsay Phenix and two other All Access staff lead a series of games for the kids. We played an intense game of football. Enough kids wanted to play that we started a kickball game as well. Some kids also played smaller games along the sidelines such as passing a volleyball. It was a joy to watch the kids laugh, run, and enjoy the sun and fresh air on such a beautiful day. 

Running around the bases while playing kickball.

After the games were wrapped up and the youth groups got ready to go back onto the boat, I had a chance to swim with the other staff. It is remarkable to think that only a few years ago none of this would have been possible. Now the kids who come to Spectacle Island as well as Peddocks and Georges through All Access will hopefully come to the Boston Harbor Islands again and again. After seeing the smiles on the kids’ faces as they boarded the boat, I’m sure they will.

New Site Adventures: Spectacle Island

Hi everyone, it's blog time!

      So, while the rest of the CHV crew got to go on the fishing trip last Thursday, I had the opportunity to take part in All Access Boston Harbor instead. We were going to Spectacle Island that day, which was great for me, since I had not had the chance to go there yet. While we were waiting for the kids to meet us at the Blue Hills Pavilion, I set up a crab trap off the side of the pier. By the time the first groups started to arrive we had caught a couple of small perch and some green crabs, which we set up in a touch tank for the kids to interact with.

One of the All Access kids trying his hand at fishing for the first time!

      Once all the groups arrived, David Coffin gave his welcome speech and we started to get all the kids moving to the ferry. Once everyone was boarded, I started signing groups up for fishing sessions out on the island. The kids were so excited to try, that my fishing schedule was filled to capacity all day long! When we arrived, after a quick lunch. I showed the first group how to set up the crab trap, and then taught them how to properly cast a fishing line. The kids had a blast learning how to fish and catch crabs. After all the groups got a chance to come through and try their hands at fishing, we had to board the ferry and return home. All in all, everyone had a great day!

Bye for now everyone!
Justin Warrener

A Great Day at Spectacle Island

On Wednesday, I had the opportunity to tag along on one of Save the Harbor's All Access Boston Harbor trips to Spectacle Island!

The view from the boat as we left Boston.

The day started out at the pavilion where youth and community groups met up to learn some of the history of Boston Harbor. Then we all walked down to the docks where the Provincetown II was waiting to take the nearly 500 kids from the region out to Spectacle Island. The kids were all so excited and many of them told me that they had never been on a boat before. For the ones who had been on an All Access trip before, they told me all about the activities and swimming that they couldn't wait to do on the island.

Not only had I never been on one of these trips before, but I had never been to any of the Boston Harbor Islands before either. When we showed up at the island there were many families enjoying their day on the beach and on the trails. I was shocked at how close the island was to the city, and once we were there it seemed like a great place to take a day trip with family and friends. It was like a little place to escape from the city.

Once we had, had our lunch, I went over to the pier to fish with some of the kids. I had fished in a lake before but never in the ocean. The kids were having a ball on the pier. Casting was pretty hard for some of them, but they caught on fairly quickly. Most of them were fascinated by the bait more than the actual rods. There was also a small touch tank with crabs in it on the pier that some of the Save the Harbor staff had caught overnight. I was afraid of getting pinched, but the kids dunked their hands right in without any hesitation.

Two girls from the Dorchester YMCA fishing together.

A little bit later I ventured over the hill to the group of kids playing all different types of sports. There was a big game of football going on with a group from Lynn that later turned into kickball. I played dodgeball with a few boys from Lynn as well, and they would take breaks every few minutes to drench their heads with their water bottles. I asked them why they wouldn't just go swimming to cool off, and at first they were confused by the question as if they hadn't thought about that before. They all looked at each other and one by one told me that, yeah, maybe they would jump in the water.

A group of kids from the Lynn YMCA playing football on the island.

Everyone seemed to disperse down towards the beach in the later afternoon. I went over to the water with some other Save the Harbor staffers and while I didn't bring my bathing suit to go in the water, that didn't stop the group...I was dragged in when I least expected it. The water was freezing at first, especially since I was covered in wet clothes, but I realized it was a lot warmer than the beach water I was used to up north. I had a ton of fun floating around with some of the staff, and it didn't take as long as I expected for my clothes to dry out on the way home!

Overall the trip was so much fun and I got the chance to do a lot of things that I had never done before. It was great to see so many smiling faces all day who were excited to spend a day on the island with their friends. I hope I get the chance to get out to the islands again soon!

All Aboard to Georges Island

This week, All Access Boston Harbor headed out for three beautiful days on Georges Island. I joined in on the fun on Tuesday, and played some kickball on the field in the center of Fort Warren. It was a busy day on the island, with 441 youth and teens taking part in the All Access program, and hundreds more on Georges Island with other camp groups!

Groups who took part in the program this week came from East Boston, South Boston, Chinatown, Dorchester, Jamaica Plain, Mission Hill, Roxbury, the South End, Lawrence, Somerville, Quincy, Hyde Park, Revere, Billerica, Waltham, Roslindale, and Charlestown.

Next week we will return to Spectacle Island, where we will definitely take advantage of the beautiful summer weather we’ve been having by swimming at the beach!

If you are interested in bringing your youth group or organization out on a free trip to the Boston Harbor Islands this summer, please send me an email at Gaylord@savetheharbor.org  or give me a call at 617-451-2860 x1008!

-Amy Gaylord

Busy First Week!

Happy Friday! As the first full week of programming comes to a close, I feel more optimistic and excited than ever for the weeks still to come. Our team is working together well, embracing new learning opportunities, and experiencing new things! 

This week's Menino Leadership Forum guest speaker, Paul Burton,
 told Scholars to "dream big, and act now".

I spent this morning at the first John Hancock MLK Summer Scholars Friday workshop of the summer. The workshops, now called Mayor Menino Leadership Forums, take place every other Friday during July and August, and provide an opportunity for all 650 Summer Scholars to get together. This summer’s Forums are paired with Everfi’s Commons curriculum, which centers on civics and civic engagement. To complete the Everfi course, Scholars will write an Op-Ed piece on an issue affecting their community—and one Scholar’s piece will be chosen and published in the Boston Globe! This is just one way in which the Hancock MLK Summer Scholars program provides amazing opportunities for the teens taking part in the program.

Andrea spends time with Woburn YMCA campers.

I also spent this Tuesday on Spectacle Island for the first day of the All Access Boston Harbor program. We brought 358 youth and teens from six different organizations in Braintree, Dorchester, East Boston, Jamaica Plain, and Chinatown out with us on the Provincetown II for an afternoon of fishing, kickball, beach combing, and swimming. I look forward to greeting groups from many more neighborhoods as the summer continues—seven more weeks of All Access to go!

-Amy Gaylord

Happy Summer!

Hello everyone, and happy summer! My name is Amy Gaylord, and I am a full-time staffer at Save the Harbor/Save the Bay. One of my main responsibilities at the office is preparing and planning for the youth environmental education program, which means that I look forward to summer all year long! This will be my second summer at Save the Harbor, and I am excited to say that our staff this year is better than ever—ready to share the harbor with youth and teens from all over Greater Boston. 

Our busy orientation week concluded today after an engaging storytelling workshop with storyteller Norah Dooley, a fun-filled trip to Georges Island with harbor historian David Coffin, and plenty of time to get to know each other as a staff. This summer we have a large number of returning Senior Harbor Educators, Lead Harbor Explorers, and Junior Program Assistants ready to share their knowledge and experience with new members of the team. 

I look forward to getting the program underway at all of our sites, new and old, this summer—including All Access Boston Harbor, my main outreach responsibility! I book groups on the weekly trips to Spectacle, Georges, and Peddocks Islands, making sure that youth groups from different neighborhoods have the chance to experience the Boston Harbor Islands during the summer. 

If you work with a youth organization that would like to take advantage of this free opportunity, reach out to me for more information by email or phone: Gaylord@savetheharbor.org or 617-451-2860 x1008.  Looking forward to a great summer on the harbor!