Fun And Lunch At The Pop Up

Hello everyone my name is Mark Rose Site Director at Save The Harbor Save / Save The Bay's Boston Harbor Pop-Up

We welcome the community , families and friends to come stop by and learn some new fun facts about the Harbor and enjoy some of the exciting activity's we have for you guys we are located at 226 Causeway Street.

Today me and Jah'Ni got a chance to be a part of the Changing Course Project which is making cool looking fish out of plastic bottles and acrylic paint

 Also Jah'Ni and I would love to share the amazingly delicious lunch we had today which 

was yummy smoked mackerel with some tasty ceviche with a wonderful aroma made by Save The Harbor's very own Bruce Berman 

  bruce@bostonharbor.com

The Summer of the Trekker

One of our first outings with the Trekker on
 Savin Hill and Malibu Beach

It's safe to say that when I chose to intern at Save the Harbor/ Save the Bay the summer before my senior year of college, I had no idea what I was getting myself into. Before I showed up for my first day in late May, I pictured a typical office job that entailed sitting in a cubicle, making phone calls, and typing away at a computer. I turned onto the fish pier on my very first day, and as the ripe smell of fish and ocean hit me all at once, I got a feeling that this really wasn't going to be what I expected. As fate would have it, I couldn't have been more on target with that suspicion. Instead of a cube farm, I was greeted by a small, open office with a group of 5 incredible fellow interns huddled around a small table in the "Intern Room". Instead of a computer screen and a telephone, I was met with a Google Trekker.
The second Bruce Berman uttered the words "Google Trekker Project", I knew that this would be how I was going to spend my summer. Without hesitation, I threw myself into the project, completing the training and watching countless videos and examples to gather as much knowledge as I possibly could about the incredible 50-pound gadget that was set to arrive at our office in just a few short weeks. When it finally arrived, I could hardly wait to put it together and to hit the beach for the first time. I expected the project to be a big hit, but I was quickly overwhelmed by the attention and the enthusiasm that this unwieldy piece of technology brought about. From the hundreds of questions from curious residents of the beach communities, to photos, interviews, and articles from The Dorchester Reporter, Sampan, and The Boston Globe, the Google Trekker project was an incredible experience that gave me a unique prospective on how local people feel about their beaches and the work that we do to protect and preserve them. Through interviews with these reporters and curious inquiries from beachgoers, I began to see a pattern in the type of information people sought from me.

Trekking along the beautiful paths of Spectacle Island

The most common question, as one could imagine, pertained to the purpose and function of the Trekker itself. To my surprise, however, very few people ever asked me why I was using the Trekker to take panoramic photos of their beaches. This may have been due to their initial confusion at the Trekker itself, but in hindsight, I do wish people asked me about the purpose of the Trekker Project more often. From being in the office at Save the Harbor/Save the Bay and witnessing firsthand the behind-the-scenes hard work and dedication that goes into all that we do here, I felt that simply telling people about the technical side of the Trekker Project was only giving half the story. However, experiencing their curiosity and enthusiasm, which stayed constant no matter which beach we went to, reinforced the project's significance not just to us at Save the Harbor/Save the Bay, but to the local beach residents as well. The insight I have gained from this, along with the history project conducted by two other fellow interns, helped to paint a clearer picture of what these beaches mean to their residents, how far they have come, and what work there is still left to do. As I packed up the Trekker for one final time and prepared it for shipment back to Google, I couldn't help but think back to the first day it arrived in our office, and how excited we all were to get started. Looking back on all the adventures that I shared with this colorful, chunky, and truly incredible piece of machinery,

Packing up the Trekker one last time before shipping
 it back to Google

 like when I had to sprint down the North Drumlin of Spectacle Island with it strapped to my back to avoid an incoming storm, and when a curious police officer stopped traffic to let me cross the road at Wollaston Beach in Quincy, I felt a sense of accomplishment and, yes, a little bit of sadness as well, like I was saying goodbye to a new friend, and in a way I was. We would always joke about how the Trekker was like a small child in that it required a great deal of maintenance, was temperamental at times, and needed to be carried everywhere. But at the end of the day, I will miss the Trekker and all the people that I had the opportunity to connect with and work alongside to make this project the remarkable success that it was!

Camp Harbor View Fishing Trip!

And we're back, with another round of Justin's summer blog!

      So this past Thursday we had a special treat for the Camp Harbor View Fishing Club. They got to go on an all day fishing trip with us, on the one and only Belle of Gloucester, captained by the famous Captain Charlie, with a special guest appearance from Save the Harbor's very own Bruce Berman, who happens to be an expert fisherman. We met up with the kids as they got off the ferry to camp. Half my team rushed to get all our fishing rods ready, while the other half made sure we had all of the fishing club ready to go. As soon as the camp ferry pulled away, Captain Charlie pulled our boat right up to the dock and we got all of the kids on board.

All of us waiting on the dock for Captain Charlie

   
      As we sailed out to our first fishing spot, First Mate Sam (a Save the Harbor veteran), helped my team and I put flounder hooks on all of the fishing rods. Then we showed the kids what we would be using for bait...sea worms! They were all pretty grossed out at first, but after we showed them how to put the worms on the hook the first time, they all got over it and started putting the sea worms on the hook themselves. Our first catch came a few minute later when one of the campers hooked a black sea bass. It was too small to keep but we ended up catching two more that were big enough to keep by the end. A couple of kids managed to land some skate, which we also threw back. By the end of the day though, every single camper and Save the Harbor staff member managed to land at least one flounder (mine was way too small to keep though).

Me, CAREFULLY tying a hook to a line.

      Eventually we had to bring the kids back to camp, but we didn't send them back empty handed. Every single camper and their club leader got to take home a whole flounder to cook.

The campers and their fish!

This is Justin Warrener, signing off...come back next week for more exciting stories from Camp Harbor View!

Ahoy There!

Yesterday the Camp Harbor View fishing club teamed up with the Save the Harbor staff stationed there and hit the harbor for a day of fishing. The kids were extremely excited to get a taste fishing from a boat, a first experience for many of them. Unlike me, many of the campers were successful at catching at least one fish and a few caught several. They learned how to secure weights on the fishing line, how to bait their own hook,  and the importance of releasing the fish that do not fit the requisite length for capture-- an important lesson necessary for the growth and success of the various fish populations.

We were fortunate enough to have Bruce Berman accompany us for our fishing trip. He showed us the insides and outs of the fishing world; which bait yields the best results, which hooks are better for hooking certain fish, and how to bait our own hooks. We were mainly using sea worms for fishing bait and Bruce wanted to prove to us that the worms were nothing to be afraid of, irrespective of their hairy legs and retractable hidden pincers. He used me for his example, placing a worm into the palm of my hand and allowing it roam around! I was able to maintain some type of composure for the children luckily, or else I might have found my way off the boat and into the safety of the harbor.

Sincerely,

Maxwilliams Iwuala

Ready For Summer!

Hi everyone!

I am Justin Warrener, and this is my first year with Save the Harbor/Save the Bay as a Senior Harbor Educator. I grew up in Glocester, Rhode Island and they don't call it the ocean state for nothing. I spent my summers all over the beaches and islands of Narraganset Bay. Whether I was swimming, digging for clams, or crawling over the rocks and catching crabs with hot dogs, I was always having fun exploring the coast.

Orientation Day 4: Nora Dooley's pirate show (I'm the one in blue).

These summer beach days really inspired my love of the sea, and when I started college at the University of Rhode Island I pretty much jumped into studying Marine Biology. This ended up providing me even more opportunities to explore the ocean and study the life within it, whether through class boating trips, field studies on the salt marshes and beaches, or SCUBA diving trips. Since my graduation last year, I've had the chance to volunteer with Save the Bay in Rhode Island helping to run a small aquarium in Westerly, RI where I was able to share my love of the sea and the life within it to children and visitors of all ages.

I am super excited for this summer, where I'll be able to explore a whole new harbor and share it with everyone! We are going to have a ton of fun!

Orientation Day 3: The whole Save the Harbor/Save the Bay Summer crew on Georges Island!

Duty Calls..... Time to Return Home

Circa April 15',  Im the tallest in the picture! (Thats a norm for me)

Hey, Guys! My name, if you did not know, is Ahmed Hassan. This is my fifth summer with the infamous Save The Harbor Save the Bay. A little about myself, I recently turned twenty years old (I'm very old), I am a rising junior at Stonehill College, and also the 2014 Boston Harbor Hero! I look at every summer, since my first year, as an opportunity to give back to the city of Boston that does so much for us that we may sometimes look past. I carry a lot of pride in the work our company does for the water quality of the many cities and towns of Mass, and also the children of the urban communities of Boston we serve. I am an eight year resident of South Boston. My neighborhood, West Broadway Homes, is less than two miles from our Fish Pier office, hence why I call my job my second home and not work. It's always a great pleasure to return to Save the Harbor.

During our first week of work we held a full staff orientation, it was such a great time. While learning all the new faces and trying to remember all the new names I found myself stuck. Being the oldest of eight you'd think I could remember names with leisure. This was not the case. I found myself constantly looking to my left and my right to find the "regulars." You know, Bridget, Amy, Kelly, and so forth. But, due to the fact that I am a veteran, I reached out to the few that may feel a little tense during orientation periods. When we went to Georges Island, with the help of John, an SHE, we instructed our crew on the basics of fishing. I believe spiderman says "with great power comes great responsibility" and with this power instead of calling on people who knew how to fish I volunteered the new comers. The outcome was great!

I couldn't be anymore excited for this summer, or could I? We'll just have to wait and find out!

Catch you later!

-Ahmed M. Hassan

Its Been Real

Over the past 6-8 weeks, I had the opportunity to work with some amazing people. These "coworkers" as some would call, are my family. They may not be immediate, but after countless efforts at providing perfect service to the city we are a unit. As these last days approach us, I would like to personally thank everyone that works with us. All the staff in the office, the interns, Bruce, Patty, fellow LHE's and SHE's, etc. This summer has been a great success, we achieved success over certain parts of struggle, and as a unit we prospered.

This Sunday, I depart to school, to continue my personal journey with the intentions of success for the future. Many of the people I work, have offered their insight on life and college, and I have learned a lot. I worked alongside a fellow classmate, the VP of my grade at Stonehill, Maxwell Kennedy-Reid. We are tackling this obstacle, as friends, but brothers after this summer. It was an honor getting to work with him.

I spent countless honors on the beach with the kids, playing double bounce on the Provincetown II, and offering great service to  over 5000+ children of Boston and surrounding cities. This summer has drew me closer to the harbor, everyday I enjoyed work more and more. Bruce always told us at meetings how he enjoyed this summer a lot, and I believed him as it was active, but as the summer has now ended, I could not agree in any other matter. To everyone apart of our team, I wish you the until next time. This summer was good, and next year  I have the intentions to return and make it GREAT (Tony the tiger voice) !

-Ahmed Hassan

The start of a new enjoyment

If it was a swamp or a creek, it would not make a difference for the Save the Harbor crew because we would still be in full affect! This week I went to Blacks Creek in Quincy, Ma. I spent a few days there and it was a great time. The children have minds of their own, and love organizing events for themselves because they know what the other kids would like. It's sort of like having them doing all the work, and you learning, which is an awkward yet awesome thing. Let me be the first to say, I have never swam in a creek, and man was I terrified. Have you ever felt your leg disappear? Take a two minute swim in the creek, head a little while in towards the mud and try to stand, or just ask Tommy or Shane, two experienced campers that can tell you.

This week, just like many others was full of events that were filled with fun, and new memories. Little did I know, I was so tall (one would think they knew this), and kryptonite was my weakness. This was a new game Tommy and Alex made up, when they found a green rock and told me it was Superman's weakness kryptonite. This was even better, it made the kids feel like they were actually in a marvel comic book.


Mave and a few others set out to the water to find minnow and other sea creatures. The kids were very well experienced and knew exactly where to find anything we asked them to look for. Blacks Creek has some of the most active, outgoing children in all of the greater Boston area. They love sports and also love the water, just as much as Bruce. Its been a great start of the week and cannot wait to see what the rest of the week has in store, This is Ahmed Hassan, and I am logging out! Thanks


-Ahmed Hassan

Happy Staff Day 2013

This past Monday was Staff Day here at Save the Harbor/Save the Bay. We boarded the ferry out to Spectacle Island for a relaxing day of kickball, kayaking, swimming, and of course, hot dogs.

 It was a beautiful day at the Harbor Islands, and everyone on staff got a lot of sun. We started our day playing wiffle ball at on top of the hill. Due to the windy weather, we quickly changed our game to kickball. I realized that catching a kickball is a hard thing to accomplish.
For lunch, the Save the Harbor Office Staff grilled, and we ate helpings of hotdogs, chips, and cookies on the dock by Bruce's boat. It was really fun to just hangout and releax with each other.
After lunch, the Department of Recreation led a guided kayak tour. It was my first time kayaking, and it was great! I didn't mind the water has it splashed onto my legs, because it was cold and refreshing. The best part was that I didn't flip over.

We had 30 mintues or so before we left the island, so I decided to swim. We had to wait a while for the next ferry back to Boston, so we were able to lay out, dry off, and even nap a little bit. It was an awesome Monday, and I can't wait until next year's Staff Day!

Stay Sandy,

Iris Ayala

I Think We Are Going To Need a Bigger Boat...

Save the Harbor wouldn't be what it is without it's wonderful staff members and this years celebration to honor them with a fun day out in Boston Harbor was a total success! This year was a continuous day of fun as we set sail at 10:15am for Spectacle Island.   As soon as we made landfall, several of the more athletic staffers walked up the hill and organized a game of kickball. The rest of us hit the beach and took a refreshing swim in the wonderfully clean Boston Harbor. We all worked up quite an appetite for the lunch, which is more like a feast, that Patty Foley and Bruce Berman prepared.  After lunch the fun continued at the beach and there was another very competitive kickball game, thankfully with no serious injuries.

Every year, Bruce and Patty organize a delightful afternoon on Spectacle Island complete with food, fun, and smiles. When Bruce and Patty first started doing "Staff Day" in 2000, there were only 14 staff members who could all fit on Bruce and Patty's boat, Veranda. Now, there's 42 staffers who all have to come out on a much larger boat, courtesy of Boston Harbor Cruises.  I'm sure we will need to have a much larger boat by next year, as Save the Harbor is a growing non-profit and will be a part of more persons' lives.

New Experiences This Summer

During our Staff Meetings, Bruce asks us to share one thing that we've done this summer that we've never done before. There have been many firsts for me this summer. I was surprised when I was chosen to be a Senior Marine Educator, but it has been a great experience to learn while doing and absorb as much information about the harbor and marine life as I possibly can. I really enjoy working with the Jr. Program Assistants at the Children's Museum to provide a great fishing and crabbing program. I've worked with high school students for the past 4 years, and it's never a dull moment.

Children's Museum JPAs

This is also the first summer that I've fished almost everyday. When I was younger, I fished with my father, but my fishing duties were limited to passing him worms to bait. I never complained about my duties, because I was pretty happy looking out into the ocean view with my pink Barbie fishing pole. Since then I've learned how to bait a line and what type of bait to use, how to tie a weight and hook to a line, how to cast, and how to catch the small blue fish, herring, and pier fish in the channel by the Children's Museum. I've learned a lot in a month.

A Great Catch at the Children's Museum

This is my first summer as the Better Beaches Coordinator, so when I'm not at the Children's Museum, I'm busy scheduling events and signing up our Summer Staff to work on the weekends (I call it a leadership opportunity). I've been able to work at the Revere Beach Sandcastle Festival, South Boston Neighborhood House Family Literacy Night, Friends of Lynn/Nahant Kids' Event and Concert, and many others. From my previous work with Americorps and City Year, I am really eager to be in different communities and learn how they function. Since I'm a Boston transplant, I've learned a lot about the coastal communities and about the culture of the city.

Summer Staff at South Boston Neighborhood House 

Even though there's only about 3 weeks left of our summer programs, I hope to still have many firsts.

Stay Sandy,
Iris Ayala

Frisbee fun!

Ahmed showing the kids a lobster

What's up, guys? Kiauna here. 

Today was quite an enlightening day at Courageous Sailing. Another JPA, Amhed, taught the kids lots of fun facts about crabs. The kids were really smart. They knew all about what kinds of crabs live in the water. From Green Crabs to Red Rock Crabs. They knew it all. I wasn't very surprised that they were pretty familiar with Mr. Krabs, from Spongebob. 

  After we had great conversation about crabs, the kids got to hold a few. They even got to see a lobster! For some of them it was for the first time so they were kind of nervous. Most of them were brave and held it. They sure are braver than I am! Especially Emily. She held it twice! 

  

 It wouldn't have been Save The Harbor style if we didn't do something with frisbees. Of course we played a game with an official STH frisbee. Ahmed and I walked to the field and set forth in our game. He had a system where he threw the frisbee and the person who caught it had to tell a fun fact that they knew about a sea creature. Supposedly a shark is likely to watch me undress. I'm not sure how much truth there is to that theory but, hey! We did not discriminate about what kinds of facts were thrown into the mix.

Stay golden,
Kiauna Peete

Ps. Shoutout to Bruce Berman. I know how much he enjoys reading about frisbees

Pps. Ahmed and I did all of the above while drinking milkshakes. McDonough may have sully's but look out! Tedeschi's is catching up! That is a big bonus about being at Courageous. Tedeschi's now has a smoothie/milkshake maker! 

Only $2.99!

Yummm!

               

Rain, Rain Go Away!

At Save the Harbor we love sunny days, rainy days, foggy days, even windy days, but - enough is enough!
It has been raining for more than a week here on Boston Harbor - and we simply want it to stop.

One reason we prefer dry weather, is
that even a small summer rain can close a beach.

Still, rain didn't stop our team of Senior Marine Educators from visiting sites from Charlestown to Quincy, including Community Boatng, Courageous Sailing Center, Black's Creek in Quincy and Camp Harbor View.

We were lucky to have a celebrity join us again this year. Larry the Lobster did a cameo appearance at our program site at Camp Harbor View - and we hope to see his friends and relatives in our traps this summer.

Larry the Lobster joined us briefly at Cam Harbor View

It usually rains one out of three days here on Boston Harbor during a typical summer. The rainy weather is expected to continue for a few more days. By my calculations, the next month should be dry and sunny. Hope to see you on the Harbor soon

All the best,

Bruce

Treasure Hunt - Part II

In October we found this porcelain head during Save the Harbor's

late season "Treasures of Spectacle Island" cruise.

 

Porcelain doll heads, feet and hands are not uncommon finds at Spectacle Island, which served as the city's dump until the 1950's. However, after a little detective work, we determined that the artifact was actually a carnival cane top. This particular piece was made in Japan for the US market between 1900 and 1930, and was a popular prize at the traveling carnivals and amusement parks across the nation until the late 1950's.

Here's a nice collection. You can see the one we found in the front row.

Here's a close up.  

Here's a typical "cane game" or "ring-toss" from a carnival of that period.  

Here's a collection of carnival canes evaluated by Gary Sohmers of Antiques Roadshow:

You can findthe whole interview from Antiques Roadshow here.

Carnival canes were popular prizes at arcades and amusement parks like those at Nantasket Beach and Revere Beach - which as you can see were popular destinations for the region's residents.

My dad went to law school at Boston University around 1950, and visited has some great memories of visiting Nantasket Beach with his roomate. It is easy to imagine him returning from a day trip with a carnival cane as a souvenir, and just as easy to imagine how that treasured item became trash.

It's always a treat to hunt for treasure on Spectacle Island - or any urban beach. However,  the real treasure hunt begins after I discover something that I want to learn more about. 

Sometimes its involves researching a shell, a stone, a piece of flotsam or jetsam or beach glass or pottery. Sometimes it is simply discovering a story - and sharing a bit of history - with my Dad.

For me, that's a real treasure.

Bruce Berman

Nemo Tosses Tons of Clams on Boston Area Beaches

When "Nemo the Nor'easter" blew through the region last week, it left residents of the region's coastal communities to cope with the the impacts of pounding surf, coastal flooding, 50 mph winds and up to 40 inches of snow.

The worst blizzard to hit new England in decades also left an unexpected bounty on the region's public beaches - tons and tons of clams.

According to Revere resident Kathleen Heifer, who sent us these images,  Revere beach was "literally littered" with quohogs, littlenecks and cherrystones, as well as seed clams, scallops, crabs and juvenile lobsters. There were so many clams on the beach that the seagulls ate their fill and then just sat on the beach, seeming "to full to fly". (We will post a link to her video here as soon as we can.)

According to Save the Harbor / Save the Bay's BayWatcher Bruce Berman,  Nemo's strong winds pounded the region's beaches from Nahant to Nanatsket with waves to 30 feet. The surf tossed clams on the beach hundreds of feet above the typical high tide line, where frigid temperatures quickly froze them solid, killing tens of thousands of the tasty creatures.

"It is an unexpected bounty for the seagulls" said Berman. "But it may be bad news for diggers and shellfish lovers, who could find clams harder to come by this year."

 With snow emergenices, school closures and parking bans still in effect in many communities, there are two bright spots. First, it should be a great year for treasure hunters. The same conditions that tossed the clams on the beach have also deposited a fresh crop of flotsam, jetsam, beach glass and other historic artifacts for beach goers to discover. Second, Berman predicts that Nemo will have no impact on this year's Harpoon Helps Cupid Splash pledge fundraiser to support free beach events and programs this summer, .scheduled for Saturday, March 23 2013.

Hopefully things will have settled down by then!

A Spectacular Find

 

Hello friends, Save the Harbor's photographer/videographer Mike Murowchick here again! On Saturday, October 27th, over 400 people registered to join us on our final cruise to Spectacle Island of the season. This is the 3rd installment of a four-part series of short interviews aimed at capturing the many faces and stories of Spectacle Island. Parts 1 and 2 can be found here and here.

In the afternoon, the tides finally began to recede, exposing the beach and countless pieces of sea glass and other historic artifacts. Dozens of eager treasure hunters flocked to the beach to see what they could uncover. Common finds usually include sea glass of all colors, pottery, and fine china, and rarer items include marbles. However, today we found something none of us had ever found here before. At first we thought it might be a porcelain ventriloquist doll's head, but upon further investigation we learned it was actually a top piece of a circus cane, long-detached from its wooden shaft.

To see what it looks like, check out the video!



Mike Murowchick
Policy Intern / Photographer / Videographer
Save the Harbor / Save the Bay

BEACH PARTY 2012 !!

 

Hey everyone on August 17, 2012 the Save the Harbor/ Save the Bay staff enjoyed a day with all the camps of kids that we have taken on All Access Boston harbor with us this year. We were just celebrating the time that was spent during the summer together, what we have learned, and having such a BLAST ! This was my first beach party with Save the Harbor / Save the Bay and it was quite an experience considering all the things we had to do to prepare to cleaning up at the end of the day. I was put at the Art Station with Thi and Carly. We had so much fun watching everyone soak up the sun while we had the only shade on the whole beach. The kids had a chance to write their names on a scale to put on the big fish we drew out and to see how many of them actually participated was incredible. After that was done we got to color and hang up the artwork whether it was finished or not. We learned that the kids really enjoyed themselves and that it was another experience they can say that Save the Harbor / Save the Bay actually did an awesome job with if I may say so myself. Despite it being so hot that day was fun to resist the erge to get in the water or cool off anyway until Bruce announced the big SPLASH ! The splash was a huge relief. 

By: Brianna Charles