It's Not Goodbye, It's See You Later!

Well my friends, the time has arrived. As summer programming comes to an end, I find myself on this last day reminiscing about the past 2 months,  and also wondering what lies ahead! This summer has been a great one, and being given the opportunity to spend every single day outside has been incredible. I think my favorite part about this summer has been watching the kids' faces when they discover something new and exciting, and sometimes unexpected!

Each day, I began my mornings by arriving at the Boston Children's Museum. The beautiful skyline greeted me across the Fort Point Channel, and overall sunny skies were present for the majority of this summer!

The entrance to the Boston Children's Museum

For the most part, we had different visitors stop by the touch tank everyday. I would say about half were locals, while the other half were visitors from overseas, which always made conversation fun and enjoyable! Hearing all of the different accents reminded me of what an attractive and desirable city we Bostonians get to call home, as families and individuals from all over the world come here to explore the city and surrounding areas. In addition, there were also a handful of returning faces that I loved to see -- kids with their parents, grandparents and babysitters who would stop by at least once a week!

This explorer visited 3 times in one week!

My afternoons were spent up at Community Boating Inc. along the beautiful Charles River. Despite providing a calm and relaxing environment, the Charles also carries with it this vibrant energy that easily draws one in. C.B.I. never got boring, as there was always something to do! We were fortunate enough to be placed with a sailing instructor from C.B.I., who helped us throughout the summer and had access to the kayaks and sailboats! The kayaks were a great mode of transportation to get us up and down the river, and allowed the kids to explore their surroundings and any creatures that lie above them in the trees, in the plants along the river bank, or even below them in the river itself! On some days, we let the kids bring a few fishing poles right out on the sailboats as well. The kids loved this, and especially loved the opportunity to show off their sailing knowledge and skills to all of us. However, fishing was the kids' favorite activity by far. Despite not catching a carp, the kids' patience was awarded with plenty of sunfish, a couple bass and even a perch! It was always interesting to discuss the concept of carp cookies to new faces. For the most part, the kids were crazy about getting their hands dirty with the flour, water and sugar combination! C.B.I. was a great way to end my day everyday, and I'll miss being there everyday for sure.

Memories from Week 1!

Fascinating eels!

Spending this summer with curious young people and a great high school team has made it an exciting one, and it's crazy to think that Labor Day is right around the corner. I want to say Thank You!!! to everyone at Save the Harbor for giving me this opportunity this summer, and especially to the junior assistants who I had the pleasure of working with everyday. It was really nice getting to know each of you, and I wish you all the best for the future! (Or for next month, whether it be school, a new job, or some other exciting adventure!). My only parting advice is this -- be ADVENTUROUS. Find the desire to explore; to see new places and meet new people from other communities/cultures. Boston may be wonderful (trust me, it is my favorite place to be and to call home!), but other new and different places are out there. Basically, what I'm really trying to say is don't be afraid. I like to view life as an adventure, but in particular one that always involves the sea!

-Ashley Wakefield, Senior Harbor Educator at Boston Children's Museum and Community Boating

Our Catch of the Day at the Children's Museum!

Today, for the second time this summer at the Boston Children's Museum, something very exciting and unexpected was discovered in our crab trap. All morning, we had been pulling up tiny, young green crabs, but this time as Andrew pulled the trap up, a fair-sized lobster greeted us! This lobster was unfriendly to say the least, but nice enough to allow the green crabs to crawl all over its back and along its claws -- much to the delight of the kids and adults who visited us. Lobster expert Candido impressively and effortlessly held its claws together to let all of the kids touch the lobster's back and side, and other Bostonians passing by commented on what a nice size lobster we had caught.

The Lobster!

 The lobster was not the only feisty creature that we dealt with today. Some of the captured green crabs were undoubtedly ones that we had also caught the day before, and they did not seem happy to find themselves back in our touch tank! One crab seemed to go into panic-mode the second he escaped from our crab trap and onto the harborwalk. As one staff member reached in to grab him, he immediately voluntarily let go of two of his legs -- quite the site to see. The fact that crabs can regrow their limbs is always a popular fact with the kids we meet, for good reason! As we wrap our summer program up at the Children's Museum, I look forward to ending this week on a high note!

-Ashley Wakefield, Senior Harbor Educator at the Boston Children's Museum

A Day In Southie!

For the second time this summer, I got to experience a different site from the one I'm used to. To wrap up our last week of summer programming, I was given the opportunity to spend my Monday afternoon down in Southie on Castle Island, meeting new kids over at the McDonough Sailing Center! Not only was it a ton of fun, but I also got to watch the kids catch creatures that I normally do not see on a typical day. After fishing for a bit off the dock, we all decided to take a walk down the beach with a small pail in case anything was caught! After about 30 minutes, the kids admired their findings. The favorites included comb jellies and hermit crabs -- they found well over 10! Another very noticeable aspect of that afternoon was how high the tide was. The director at the sailing center remarked that he had never seen it so high before -- in fact, we couldn't even spot the buoy signaling the lobster pot in Pleasure Bay! Overall, the kids made this afternoon a great one. What truly stood out to me was just how outgoing the kids were at this particular site. They definitely were not afraid to be loud and say exactly what was on their minds, but this was what made the experience so great. On our walk back down the beach to the sailing center, a couple girls and I immersed ourselves into an intense sea glass hunt. We found beautiful green, clear, and aqua pieces, but also an unexpected purple gem that the girls loved. By that time, everyone else had already gone home for the day. Although we could have used more time, we were all happy to end the day on an exciting note!

Fishing isn't the only activity at McDonough!

Fishing!

 

 

-Ashley Wakefield, Senior Harbor Educator at the Boston Children's Museum

The Best Beach Bash In Boston!

Yesterday was arguably the most fun day of the entire summer. Not only did I get to end my day over at Constitution Beach in East Boston for a Better Beaches event, but I got to begin my day by arriving at the Curley Recreation Center in South Boston to help set up for our end of the summer beach bash! This incredible event invited our summer youth participants down to the beach to help us celebrate a successful summer with activities including kite flying, fishing, sand castle sculpting, art, swimming, sports and an unbelievable lobster touch tank! All throughout the day, you could see and hear nothing except for smiles and laughter coming from the kids, and seeing them have a day full of fun and excitement was the perfect way to end summer programming. I personally thoroughly enjoyed the day, getting to spend the majority of it directly in the water, helping the other lifeguards monitor all of the swimming! Kids continuously swam up to me through the afternoon, asking questions such as "Are there sharks here???!!," and "Will a crab bite me?!" I find it really hard to express in words what the day meant for everyone, so hopefully the photos below will help sum the day up!

-Ashley Wakefield, Senior Harbor Educator at Boston Children's Museum and Community Boating

Wiffleball in the sand!

More fun!

Ready to dive in?!

King of the water!

Friends and partnerships!

Fun in East Boston!!

Two years ago, I lived in the Orient Heights neighborhood of East Boston, right across from the big blue bridge that leads to Constitution Beach. I honestly never visited the beach there very much, but loved the views when I did decide to visit. After all, how many people can brag about the fact that their beach is less than a mile from an airport runway? Especially at night, watching the planes take off under the stars is quite a site -- factor in the moonlit water, and you have yourself in a spectacular place. Last night, this wasn't the only amazing occurrence happening on Constitution. The East Boston YMCA, along with the DCR and Save the Harbor/Save the Bay held another DJs and Dancing night on the beach, where families from East Boston gathered for savory smores, dancing, a lobster touch tank and more fun! Myself, along with Delilah and Andrew had a seriously fun night, and watching the kids check out the lobster and bucket full of treasures (seaglass, shells, crab shells, etc) made my night -- and hopefully the kids' nights too!

The kids that stopped by our station were adorable -- and very impressive with their existing knowledge about shells, crabs and marine life in general! One girl proudly told me the difference between boy and girl crabs, while another boy pointed at each item in the treasures bucket, telling me exactly what he was looking at. In addition, several adults commented on how great it was to have Save the Harbor at the event, and I couldn't agree more. East Boston is such a vibrant community, and watching the kids (and adults!) have fun dancing and toasting smores was quite the site to see. I am proud to say that I once lived across from this fantastic beach, and hope to have the chance to attend these very events in the future!

Excited explorers investigating trash vs. treasure!

Roasting marshmallows on the beach!

-Ashley Wakefield, Senior Harbor Educator at Boston Children's Museum and Community Boating

A Nice Change

On Monday, I was given the opportunity to do something very exciting -- to fill in at not one, but two different sites for the day. Don't get me wrong; I love spending my day at the Children's Museum and down on the Charles River at Community Boating, but a change for just a day is never a bad thing! I began my day a little earlier than usual, and as I stepped out of Maverick Station in East Boston I was greeted by the magnificent Boston skyline to my right. Arguably, this part of Eastie has the best views one will find of our city. The quick walk down to Piers Park was an enjoyable one, and reminded me of how much I enjoy East Boston. Everything was different at Piers Park -- especially the age group that greeted me!

View of the city from Piers Park!

From helping a boy tie his shoes to helping zip up lunch boxes, the morning was a pleasant surprise, and vastly different from my normal routine. This was especially true when the kids pulled up the traps. Two large lobsters awaited us, with just a couple crabs. The kids even got to experiment with using new bait -- mussels from the dock! Although no fish were caught that day, the lobsters provided enough excitement for everyone.

Next, I transitioned to Courageous Sailing Center -- on a boat! Definitely a nice change when one is used to riding the T everywhere, everyday. Even better -- yet another lobster awaited the kids in one of the traps! In addition, simply being over in Charlestown was quite enjoyable. All in all, Monday was a great day, and a nice change of pace. I'll miss the kids I met that day, but now it's time to get back to the sites I've called home since July!

-Ashley Wakefield, Senior Harbor Educator at Boston Children's Museum and Community Boating

Another Amazing Day On Spectacle!

Today, Save the Harbor/Save the Bay held its annual staff day out on Spectacle Island. With temperatures in the mid-80s along with bright blue skies, we all had a fantastic day. The day started off at the Bank of America Pavilion where a group of kids ready to go out on our All Access boat gathered to learn the history of Spectacle Island, and to prepare for a fun boat ride over. Once we docked at the island, I had a chance to go exploring with Andrew and Karrisha. We decided to take the path that boasted beautiful views of Boston's skyline, and then headed down to Bruce and Patty's boat for another delicious lunch. Despite the food that was begging us to eat even more, we all could not help but sense the desire in the air to start an intense game of capture the flag on top of the island. Although the game had to be cut short in order to make our boat that brought us back to Boston, the game was fun and intense nevertheless, and I can't wait to see what our staff beach party day holds for us!

The path on Spectacle Island!

Low Tide!

Karrisha and I on the boat

-Ashley Wakefield, Senior Harbor Educator at Boston Children's Museum and Community Boating

The Most Exciting Day Ever!

Something quite unexpected occurred at the Boston Children's Museum this afternoon. You see, in the Fort Point Channel, our main visitors to our crab trap and lobster trap come in the form of green crabs, and the occasional spider crab. Now don't get me wrong. This isn't a bad thing by any means, but in the back of all our minds our team couldn't help but wonder -- will we ever catch any other creatures? There must be something else lurking around the bottom of the channel, right?
Well my friends, TODAY was the day. The day that we caught a LOBSTER, in our crab trap of all places. The excitement was high, and this great group of kids from Metco was beyond pleased by our new friend.

The lobster!

The girls, fascinated by the lobster

This afternoon was by far my favorite one yet of the entire summer. Not only were the kids insanely excite about the opportunity to touch/hold the green crabs, and to touch the astounding lobster, but they also got the chance to try fishing -- something many had previously never done. This is one of the best aspects about this job -- giving someone the chance to try something new. A mother from Atlanta commented to me today on how rare it is that her family gets to do this kind of thing because of geographical constraints, and I am pleased that I get to play a small role in making this all a possibility at the museum, and down on the Charles River. I already cannot wait for next week -- perhaps this lobster was just the beginning?!

-Ashley Wakefield, Senior Harbor Educator at Boston Children's Museum and Community Boating

The world... from a kayak!

At Community Boating, the youth participants are very, very lucky! In addition to activities such as fishing and setting eel traps, we also get the opportunity to go on kayak adventures a couple times every week. And when the focus is on the environment and the water in particular, kayaks are the perfect way to view our natural surroundings. Even better, the kids have a huge area to explore. Boundaries for C.B.I. extend from the Longfellow Bridge, all the way down to the Mass. Ave. Bridge. In addition, we often make use of the calm waterway running along the main Esplanade walkways, where we can see fish, ducks and lily pads for starters!

Friends on the river!

The waterway of exploration and adventure

Happiness at the river

Another cool thing about the Charles River is that another boat is usually skimming the waters to pick up any trash/marine debris the crew finds, and the work definitely pays off as the waters we glide through are often clean and trash free. However, this does not mean that the waterway is completely trash free. Earlier this week, as we paddled alongside the lush plants growing along the river bank, we all could not help but notice the plastic bottles, bottle caps, plastic bags, etc. stuck on a lily pad or in the bushes. This is never a pretty sight, but our next idea was a great one -- we will utilize the kayaks to help us pick up this trash, and to further understand just what type of trash ends up in this particular environment, and why littering is never a good thing! This group of kids was definitely supportive of the idea, and I can't wait to see what we collect when this trash pick-up takes place!

-Ashley Wakefield, Senior Harbor Educator at Boston Children's Museum and Community Boating

Blue, Orange and Green Crabs!

At the Boston Children's Museum, Save the Harbor's biggest attraction is the crabs that we catch and put in our touch tank. While several of the kids who visit our tank are familiar with crabs, several are not aware of the many cool facts about them. For instance, asking the kids whether or not they think legs and claws can grow back always results in wide eyes when you surprise them and say, "Actually ... crabs CAN re-grow their limbs!" Another fact that throws kids off is that not all green crabs are green. In fact, many of them are a dark reddish-orange color. Fortunately, by the time the crab discussion ends, kids walk away from it being able to at least tell how to identify a green crab, and how to tell whether a crab is male or female.

Crab expert Manny showing kids a green crab

Today, our touch tank had two special guests. The first creature was spotted laying on the dock at the Museum. Although it was not alive, the Asteriid Sea Star we found was a hit with the kids in our tank. In the biggest group of visitors, almost every kid wanted a turn holding the sea star as they were fascinated by its rough skin and purple coloring. The second guest came courtesy of Bruce, a nice cooked blue crab. Again, the kids did not seem to mind that our friend was no longer alive. In fact, they were fascinated by this new crab, and we even had a couple of the young girls remove the crab's legs so that they could check out what it looked like inside.

Our newest guests -- the blue crab and sea star

On top of all of this excitement, we also pulled up 33 green crabs and one spider crab for the day. Hopefully in the days to come, the kids are able to explore ever-changing creatures with us!

In awe of the sea star

-Ashley, Senior Harbor Educator at the Boston Children's Museum and Community Boating

A Robot That Picks Up Trash? You Bet!

Yesterday on the Charles River, we had yet another iffy-weather day, but that did not stop the kids from learning something new and very exciting! Community Boating had a special guest yesterday -- the crew from the Rozalia Project was in town to show off their amazing "robot" that swims underwater to pick up trash! Straight from their website, "Rozalia Project is unique and action based taking trash out of the water, rather than just pointing at it, and operating nationwide from docks and shorelines and throughout New England from the record-breaking circumnavigator and Ted Hood 60’, American Promise. We connect people of all ages to their underwater world and inspire them to be part of the solution by using underwater robots (ROVs) and sonar as well as nets to locate and remove marine debris. We are committed to accurate data collection and working with stakeholders (sailors, fishermen, boaters, citizens, schools, town leadership and more) to clean up and forward solutions to the problem of marine debris..."

The amazing underwater robot

Hillel and Tommy admiring the collected debris from the river

Recording the mysterious findings!

A sample of the debris

Watching the robot on the computer screen "swim" underwater was fascinating, and the kids loved watching the crew try to navigate the robot's claws to pick up the pieces of trash/marine debris.  The crew even allowed the boys to help them record the findings, along with using the net to capture the debris from the robot's claws!

Along with the excitement over the Rozalia Project, we ended this week at the river on a high note, by catching lots and lots of sunfish! One of the girls decided to try something new for bait -- sliced ham, that she brought from home. Fortunately, the fish bought in, which was good news for the kids. Next week promises to bring even more exciting adventures full of eels, sunfish, crabs ... and perhaps even more ham bait?!

-Ashley Wakefield, Senior Harbor Educator at Boston Children's Museum and Community Boating

An Interview with Two Terrific Kids!

At Community Boating, whenever a storm rolls in, all participants and staff must take cover inside the boathouse. Yesterday, the rain came rolling in fairly quickly, and I decided to take the down-time to interview two of the coolest kids in our program at C.B.I. Carlos and Sebastian have known each other basically their whole lives, and they also happen to live across the street from one another. Despite all of this interaction, the two of them are fantastic friends, and readily agreed to take part in this interview!

Sebastian and Carlos!

Me: How old are you, and where are you from?
Carlos: 10, Malden
Sebastian: 11, Malden

Me: How long have you been with Community Boating?
C: One month
S: 1.5 years

Me: What's your favorite thing to do here?
C: Kayak and fish!
S: Sailing with friends

Me: Have you ever participated in the environmental class before this summer?
C: No
S: Yes

Me: What do you like about it?
C: I get to meet new people
S: Catching and touching eels!

Me: What do you think of the special days here at Community Boating, such as Pink Day (to raise breast cancer awareness), and Pirate Day (dress like a pirate!)?
C: I like them because we get to dress up in costumes!
S: Pink Day is a good cause, and Pirate Day is a day to have fun!

Me: What is the coolest thing that has happened this year?
Both: Kayaking under the walkway connecting to the dock!!!!!

Me: What do you want to learn about, or do?
C: I want to learn what makes boats float with so much weight on them. Also, I'd like to have a party on a yacht!
S: I want to learn how to windsurf!

Me: Any parting thoughts?
C: Having this opportunity [to participate in Community Boating programs] to pay only $1 is awesome!!
S: I like spending time hanging out with friends and going boating!

View of the Charles River from the Esplanade

Having this opportunity to spend half of my day everyday at Community Boating has been a blast. The kids are amazing there, and we never run out of things to do! Stay tuned for more updates from the river...

-Ashley Wakefield, Senior Harbor Educator at Boston Children's Museum and Community Boating

Riding the Waves of Sound on SoundWaves

Blues music floated across the waves as the "New Boston" made its way to Spectacle Island on its annual SoundWaves event, sponsored by Save the Harbor. The musical journey was bursting with dancing and joy and created a fun atmosphere for the entire dock at Spectacle. We, Ashley and Liz, stayed for a bit to watch people dance and tap their toes to the beat but eventually headed off to Patty and Bruce's boat from Save the Harbor.  


Enjoying the music from their boat and eating a delicious meal was a great start to the afternoon, and we eventually decided to explore beautiful Spectacle Island, including the “treasure beach.” Frist we climbed to the top of the island to view the beautiful city of Boston as well as the other islands. Though it was quite a hike it ended up being worth the view. 

Next we sauntered on over to the "treasure beach" and hunted for unusual colors of sea glass. On our hunt we found some bright green and light purple glass that, in the overcast sky, highlighted the beach. As beautiful as all the colors were that couldn't keep us from noticing the dark storm clouds rolling in from all sides of the island. We immediately headed back to the safety of our bustling boat of blues and enjoyed the tunes till we departed. 

As the story goes with rain clouds, it began to pour buckets and buckets as we floated through the harbor. Unfortunately the rain didn't let up by the time we docked at Rowes Wharf and we both had a long journey home awaiting us. Luckily, there just happened to be a warm café across the street from the Boston Harbor Hotel where delicious hot chocolate awaited us. 


From sun shine to rain, the SoundWaves cruise was a blast all the way through. We both met some great people and enjoyed the wonders of Boston harbor. Take it from two girls who just recently moved to Boston, if you haven't gotten out this summer to enjoy the harbor and it's beauty then you better get on your way! It's right at your fingertips! 

-Liz Allen & Ashley Wakefield 

Competition on the Charles!

After a stormy day yesterday, the kids were back in action today at Community Boating on the Charles River. Although only two kids attended programming today, that did not stop them from encouraging all of us to hold a fishing competition! We decided to try a new fishing spot today as well. Normally, all of us would head over to the public dock near the boathouse. Today, we decided to set up camp along the bank of the river inside the main path, where it is much quieter, cooler and mysterious! Our sunfish-catching master Alex was skeptical of the idea that we would find any fish at all in this area, but luckily, after some assurance he agreed to check it out.

Testing the waters at our new spot

Our newest friend at the river

Alex and Josh -- our fishing champions

For the competition, we all split into pairs. For the bait, we relied on our always-successful carp cookies. Time limit? Unlimited. Right away, the sunfish began biting. We were also lucky enough to be joined by a large group of ducks, with one baby who became the star of the show, waddling right up to us! As the competition winded down, we said goodbye to the sunfish and ducks for the day, but we will certainly be returning to this spot shortly!



-Ashley Wakefield, Senior Harbor Educator at Boston Children's Museum and Community Boating

Eel Sushi, Anyone?

After the first three days at the Boston Children's Museum, myself, Annie, Tom and Alie were sure of one thing -- that the Fort Point Channel is loaded with crabs. Today alone, we pulled up 29 green crabs, and two irritated spider crabs, annoyed with us as we pulled them out of the crab trap. Around noon, as three of us gathered around the touch tank to show off the crabs to some kids, we looked up to Tom as he slowly pulled up the crab trap with a puzzled look on his face. "Guys, we got a really big fish..." As we ran over, we all became speechless. There in the trap sat a HUGE eel, over 2 feet long and quite wide, squirming around, most likely enjoying digesting the bait we had set in the trap, which was now inevitably in the eel's belly. As perfect timing would have it, 2 tables full of little kids were next to us witnessing this entire event, delighted with our catch of the day. After snapping a few photos, we let our newest friend back into the sea.

Crabs everywhere!

Our surprising catch!

Much to my delight, the day of eels continued once I transitioned to Community Boating for the afternoon. Yesterday, the kids and I had the opportunity to be taken out in a sailboat on the river to set a couple eel traps. Today, via kayak, we discovered that the traps had worked! In one trap close to the shoreline, we pulled up two medium size eels. The kids could hardly wait to touch them! We then kayaked to the opposite side of the river where the other trap had been set -- right by the bridge. This was even better, as we discovered six smallish, squirming eels ready to jump out and free themselves. Because of the excitement surrounding all of the eels today, we decided to put fresh bait inside both traps today and went out again to set them up in two new locations, to be checked on tomorrow! Stay tuned, as our eel saga is sure to continue...

-Ashley, Senior Harbor Educator at Boston Children's Museum and Community Boating

A Sunny Start to Summer!

Yesterday marked our first official day of summer programming, and I was reminded of how wonderful it is to get to spend the day outdoors. I started off the day at the Boston Children's Museum, alongside fellow Senior Harbor Educators and a handful of amazing junior assistants. We all quickly learned that this site is quite different from the others, and the high level of energy required to interact with the public non-stop! Because of its location right on the beautiful Harborwalk, combined with the flow of families visiting the museum, I had the pleasure of educating a large number of kids and their families on the differences between spider crabs and green crabs. Seeing and holding a spider crab for the first time was just as exciting to me as it was to the kids, and they seemed to love feeling the bumps and hairs on its back. Today specifically was a day for green crabs, as we pulled up numerous ones that got caught in our crab trap, fascinating the kids. One kid in particular could not pull himself away from fishing with Alie, as he excitedly told us about how he's in Boston all the way from Los Angeles, and that his next stops are Miami, Paraguay, back to Miami, and then finally back home to L.A. I love hearing stories from kids who have been fortunate enough to travel throughout their young lives, as I know it is benefiting all of us to have them experience different cultures at such early ages!

Alie assisting our young world traveler on the Harborwalk

Each day, I transition from the Children's Museum up to Community Boating on the Esplanade along the Charles River -- one of my personal top 3 favorite spots to enjoy in the city. Most of the kids there today were there yesterday on our first day, and it's great to hear how many different communities they come from including West Roxbury, Malden, Medford, Newton, Chinatown and Cambridge. One thing they all have in common is that they absolutely love fishing, even when the fish don't seem to be biting! One of the kids got extremely lucky today, and caught 24 sunfish just by himself. Our bait is not traditional, rather, we make what we have named "carp cookies," small balls of dough consisting of flour and water, then rolled in sugar. The best part is that the fish go crazy over this concoction, and a couple of the girls love making the dough. With assistance from one of the staff members at Community Boating, our group also had the opportunity to head out onto the river in one of the sailboats. Tomorrow promises to be equally exciting, as eel traps were the talk of the day today, along with more fishing for tomorrow!

Alex, the Sunfish-Catching-Mastermind

Glenn and Carlos showing off their sunfish

-Ashley, Senior Harbor Educator -- Boston Children's Museum & Community Boating

Three islands, the Charles, and the ocean. Week 1 complete!

Never before have I experienced such a fun and exciting first week of training for a job -- until last week, that is! Last Friday concluded my first week with Save the Harbor, and I could not have asked for a better week.

View of downtown from Piers Park in East Boston

Our team started off the week by jumping on a ferry to head out to the Boston Harbor Islands -- Spectacle and Georges to be more specific. I had been to Spectacle a handful of times in the past, but was excited to return as the island is easily one of my favorite parts about Boston. Not only are the views incredible, but it also reminds me of where I was raised in the sense that it is quiet and serene, and the sounds of birds chirping and a breeze blowing through the grass flow through my ears. We spent our time there combing the beach for anything interesting, whether it be sea glass, marbles, marine life or artifacts. Luckily, our team discovered all four things, and as hard as it was to leave the sea glass gems where we found them, we understood that it was necessary. Our next stop was at Georges Island, where we explored the dark and spooky tunnels of Fort Warren while learning some great stories to tell the kids in the process! Despite the skies opening up as we ended our adventure, blue skies greeted us as we set foot back in the city.

View of the Charles River from the Esplanade; Home to Community Boating

The following days proved to be equally adventurous and exciting. Our team got to visit the majority of the sites we partner with including the Quincy Recreation Department at Blacks Creek, Camp Harbor View out on Long Island, Community Boating on the Esplanade down on the Charles River, Courageous Sailing Center in Charlestown, Piers Park in East Boston and the Boston Children's Museum. In the process, I got to learn new things such as how to tell the difference between a male and female crab, the fact that the green crab can also appear orange and black in color, the different compartments of a lobster trap, and how to fillet a fish. Despite my initial hesitation when it came to slicing the pollock open, I gained confidence as I held the fish down, learning precisely where to slice it to end up with the perfect piece of fish!

Our team ended the week by practicing fishing off of Children's Wharf on the Fort Point Channel, and it brought me right back to my fishing days as a child. Growing up on a lake offered me the chance to interact with fish and water almost everyday, and it reminded me of how much fun I had as a kid just relaxing out on the dock, and fishing almost every chance I got when I wasn't in the water swimming. This was the perfect way to end our week of training, and our first week with Save the Harbor/Save the Bay. Our first day at our sites is on July 9th, and I cannot wait to see what the day, and the summer as a whole brings!

-Ashley, Senior Harbor Educator