Finally a Skate!!!!!

The campers very first skate

A Skate!! We finally caught a skate. Last year we used to catch skates by the dozens however this year it seemed as if all of the skates disappeared from Camp Harbor View. Personally I was shocked when Ty the LIT caught the skate, I saw his rod bending and him yelling "I got a fish" but I just assumed the line was stuck on a rock (since that his been happening a lot recently). After about minute you could see the skate being pulled through the water, all the campers started gathering Around Ty yelling "We got a fish", Ty made sure to correct them and announced "No , I got a fish." Still the Campers were all excited and Ty of course was just as excited.

Ty finally works up the courage to hold up his skate.

Once we reeled the skate up to the pier, it was Prestons turn. The hook was stuck in the skates mouth, and we had to release the hook from the skates mouth and throw it back into the water as fast as possible. This time everyone was gathered around Preston and it was his turn to get to work. After a few minutes of the fish squirming and the campers saying "that's disgusting", the fish was finally freed of the hooked and thrown back in the water.
Wednesday was a huge success, considering we caught a fish on the very first day of fishing club. And we all hope everyday could be like Wednesday.


Until Next Time, Abel

Back for part 2!

Hey everyone! So on Tuesday it was the start of session 2 for camp harbor view and it was very exciting. As the new group of kids got off the bus, they all came with smiles on their faces waiting to see what this summer has in store for them. When we got on the boat, there were a lot of "I missed you's!" and "I can't wait to's" which made me smile because it showed how much more of a family CHV is rather than just any old summer camp. Despite the hot scorching sun, the kids were full of energy and ready to explore.

Since it was the first day, we didn't do any fishing unfortunately, but we did get to do the intro activities with the kids to get to know them better. We played a bingo game where the boxes had characteristics for example "someone who dislikes chocolate" or "someone who has a twin"  and you had to find someone that fit that category and write their name. It was really fun and it helped me learn a lot about some of the kids and they also learned a lot about me.

Towards the end of the period when the kids were done playing bingo, we decided to verse each other in games of tic-tac-toe which of course was kind of an epic fail because I'm not really good and the kids had skills! It was a really nice relaxing day and I had a lot of fun getting to know the kids and playing with them. 

                                                              See you soon! Rusenny

LobsterMan!

Admiring the lobster.

         Tuesday was a rainy and somewhat frigid day at Camp Habor View, but once again the weather did not stop us. For the first time this summer we caught a lobster! This was very exciting for me, the other Save The Harbor Staff, and the campers, considering most of us had never caught a lobster. Once we caught the lobster we got bands and placed them over the claws to prevent them from pinching. Then we added the lobster into the bucket, along with a couple of red rock crabs.

Another shot of our catch

          The campers were filled with questions and curiosity when they saw the lobster, and at first most of them were scared to hold the lobster or even look at it, soon enough though everyone was playing with the lobster, and picking it up. It was great to see the campers get out of their comfort zone, especially because Tuesday was "courage day" at Camp Harbor View.

The last couple of weeks at Camp Harbor View has been filled with poor weather and lack of fishes, however when we do something like catching a lobster, it brings back the energy and excitement Camp HarborView needs.

Until Next Time, Abel Yohannes

Fish For Everyone!

Admiring the catch.

The first fishing trip of the summer was a huge success! We caught 4 fish that were legal size, a few skates, a couple of crabs, and some tiny fish. We left the dock near the World Trade Center at 9:15, and preceded to head out towards the Boston islands. After about 15 minutes we docked the boat, hooked up some sea worms as bait and then started our fishing. Within the first couple of minutes Captain Charlie got a massive Black Sea bass, and then announced to the campers, "you see guys, there are fish here."
       This first catch pumped up all the kids and gave them the motivation to go and catch fish. And soon after one of the campers caught a fish, his first fish of the summer! The camper held his prize up high and everyone gathered around to see the colorful choggie.

One of his many catches of the day.

       The campers braved the cold and the rain and started to catch fish one after another. They added their layers, put on their hats and hoods and dropped their lines into the water. Even though the weather was less than ideal the campers were full of energy and were eager to be the next person to catch a fish. Our next fishing trip is in a couple of weeks with the next session, and hopefully we can have another fun day filled with laughter, fish, and hopefully better weather.
See you next time, Abel.

        On Monday we finally got the crab traps from the office and placed it in the water where the dock is, at Camp HarborView. This provided for more excitement and activities for the campers, along with the precense of a sea animal to make up for our lack of fish catching. When we first arrived at Camp HarborView the first thing we did was place the Traps in the water and when we went to go check it out with our first group of campers we happy to find that there were about six or seven crabs in the trap. The crabs ranged from big ones to small one, and from rock crabs to spider crabs. These crabs were also massive and made me wonder if they were these big last summer.

Fishing and Crab Catching at CHV

Hello again fellow adventurers!

As the summer winds down, I'm beginning to reflect more and more on the summer. Out of all the sites I visited this summer, I would have to say Camp Harbor View has been my favorite. I think it's awesome that Save the Harbor is allowed to play even a small role in the daily activities that go on out on Long Island. No matter how long I've been working here, it still puts a smile on my face when I see a child's face light up when he or she sees a fishing rod and realises they are going to get to use it.

Gon' fishin'

Camp Harbor View has proven to be the best site for fishing, at least in my experience, over the past few years. I have been in attendance for two stripers and three or four skates this summer, which is by far the most that I have ever seen caught at one site. I'm sure I have the same surprised look on my face as the kids when we reel up a striper, because they have seemed to elude me throughout my time here with Save the Harbor. One thing we don't have any trouble catching at CHV is rock crabs. The trap we have at the end of the dock is always filled with crabs when we pull it up, and every time is a new adventure.

Showing off Crabby the crab

Until next time, keep on exploring!

-Luke

Coming Back to CHV

Hello again fellow adventurers!

Look at all those excited campers!

After some time apart, I was finally reunited with Camp Harbor View this week! Although I had to sacrifice some beauty rest, getting out on the harbor with a boat full of eager campers and watching the sun rise over the Boston skyline makes the morning commute well worth it. After breakfast and the morning announcements, the kids and staff were released onto the island to begin another day of fun activities. We did meet with the usual fishing club kids in the afternoon, and we even caught ourselves a striped bass! The real excitement didn't come from a day of fishing however, because it was amazing race day on the island!

Instead of running fishing in the morning, we were assigned a station or "leg" of the race. When teams of counselors and kids came to our station, we gave them the task of finding two shells, a crab, a piece of trash per team member, and a piece of a brick. Once all of these had been found, the group received a clue to their next location. Although there was no cash prize for the winning team at the end, the amazing race taught the contestants many valuable lessons along the way. At our station, we were able to stress the importance of maintaining the harbor by keeping it as clean as possible. By picking up any trash you see, you're only helping the entire ecosystem down the road, as we continue to keep the harbor in pristine condition since the start of our mission twenty years ago. Hopefully after our little exercise, these kids and counsellors won't think twice about picking up stray trash next time they're on the beach!

The Amazing Race!

Until next time, keep on exploring!
-Luke C.

The Great Catch

Welcome Back !

I hope you have been waiting for this weeks follow-up to my previous blog. Well first things first, I owe you all an explanation of our experiment. I hope your excited. The purpose of our experiment on the rocky beaches of Camp Harborview is to see if we can get sand to return to the beach. That is the catch to last weeks conclusion of my previous post. In our cut off area (pictured to the right) we ask the children, with our assistance, to remove all periwinkles and Asian shore crabs to see if the sand will return in that designated area. Asian shore crabs are invasive and accompanied by periwinkles they are a formula for disaster. It is a long term experiment but we hope to soon have sand back in that portion of the beach and hope to find a solution to obtain sand all across the beach.

Success is better when shared with those who were right by your side

Also, we caught a Striped Sea Bass. Say it with me STRIPED SEA BASS (WOOO!). Atlantic regulations state that the sea bass has to be above 28" in order to keep it. Unfortunately our bass was well below the threshold but watching our phenomenal fishing club work collaboratively to reel in the fish was amazing. The three campers accompanied by their group leader caught their first, collective, fish ever! A great start to the week none the less. 

Its been a great start and now we hope for a great ending. Stay tuned for more amazing stories here for the rest of the summer.

In due time,

Ahmed 

The Great Catch

Welcome Back !

I hope you have been waiting for this weeks follow-up to my previous blog. Well first things first, I owe you all an explanation of our experiment. I hope your excited. The purpose of our experiment on the rocky beaches of Camp Harborview is to see if we can get sand to return to the beach. That is the catch to last weeks conclusion of my previous post. In our cut off area (pictured to the right) we ask the children, with our assistance, to remove all periwinkles and Asian shore crabs to see if the sand will return in that designated area. Asian shore crabs are invasive and accompanied by periwinkles they are a formula for disaster. It is a long term experiment but we hope to soon have sand back in that portion of the beach and hope to find a solution to obtain sand all across the beach.

Success is better when shared with those who were right by your side

Also, we caught a Striped Sea Bass. Say it with me STRIPED SEA BASS (WOOO!). Atlantic regulations state that the sea bass has to be above 28" in order to keep it. Unfortunately our bass was well below the threshold but watching our phenomenal fishing club work collaboratively to reel in the fish was amazing. The three campers accompanied by their group leader caught their first, collective, fish ever! A great start to the week none the less. 

Its been a great start and now we hope for a great ending. Stay tuned for more amazing stories here for the rest of the summer.

In due time,

Ahmed 

Here we go, CHV

We went fishing!

From left to right
Derrick, Javon, Dallis, Cori

Today, as always with the marvelous CHV crew, we embarked on our second fishing trip. Man was it a blast. This time around our fishing club was slightly slammer than last as the first session of CHV summer fun comes to an end. Some returners, Cory, and many new returners were excited as always to enjoy some time away from Long Island and on the water with Save the Harbor.

Irinna's Flouder (Nice Smile Cpt. Charlie)

It was a slow start to the day as we departed on the Belle at around 8:45. We sat down and went over guidelines, basics, and other essentials for the day as we enjoyed the tunes of Captain Charlies music playlist. Before we knew it as we moored in the harbor Irina made her first catch of the summer. A beautiful 14” flounder. Shortly after, Bang, J.D catches a skate.

The day continued with much success and leisure. All of our campers were delighted with the trip. Even the scorching hot sun couldn’t stop us from carrying out a great day of fishing for our partners. I think it is fair to say that today was a success!

-Ahmed 

Hey, Spider Crab !

Let me get right to it.

Normally I'd give you a run down of some sort but this time I am choosing to get right to the accomplishments of this week. You saw what I did there? Haha, you may have noticed I indirectly still gave you a run down your attempting to understanding by now. Do not be frantic its just a little fun.

Kye's 'Awe' face

On a serious note, our new session started today. It was not the easiest of days but definitely one well worth it. Many of our new campers apart of our fishing club can actually be considered novice fisherman. Not that were professionals or anything of that sort. SIKE. We at Save the Harbor are excellent fishermen/women. Just in our first day we landed two skate, tons of red rock crab, a couple sea bass bites and so much more.
The most impactful moment of our day though was watching our new friend, Kye, become so eager to understand what a Spider Crab was. He starred at it closely observing all of its legs and pincers with a face only describable by one word, awe. He had so many questions and we had all the right answers. Unfortunately after telling him he could not keep the crab, he assisted us in releasing it and the other catches of the day.

If today does not scream success I truly do not know what does.

-Ahmed

No Fish? That's BANANAS!

Hey y'all!

So, if you've been keeping up with any of my blogs, you'll notice a trend. Every single cool thing I've talked about has happened at Carson Beach. I mean, everything that happens at Carson Beach is exciting so can you blame me? But in reality, until yesterday (Wednesday), it was the only site I'd had the pleasure to work at. Early this week, when I heard that there was another fishing trip for Camp Harbor View, I volunteered to go. When I was told yes, I was beyond excited not only to work with some staff members I do not get to very often, but also engage with new faces and do new things! We don't really fish at Carson, and halfway through the summer, I was dying to give it a go!

After collecting the campers and getting ourselves together, we made our way to Captain Charlie and Sam's fishing charter. The kids were clearly excited, and it was awesome to be able to see the kinds of bonds they'd made with the Harbor Explorers prior to that day. Well. We get going, heading out into the depths of Boston Harbor. I was a little hungry. I say to Kristen, "Hey, do you think it would be weird if I just ate a banana while we're heading out there?" She laughs and says, "No go ahead!" So I take my banana out and begin eating it. I then hear Sam say "You are NOT really eating a banana right now, are you?!" I stared at him in shock and said, "Yeah." He tells Charlie to turn around. Captain Charlie sees me, rolls his eyes and yells, "Peel overboard!" I say, "Wait, really?" and Sam says, "Yes. Really. Otherwise we won't catch anything." Well I whipped that banana peel SO fast over the side of the boat and could not stop laughing. I think Kristen and I had tears in our eyes.

Fast forward to us anchoring in our first (of over a handful) fishing spots. I watched Sam bite the head off of a seaworm and spit it out before showing everyone how to bait the hook. Gross. I dropped my line and waited. I moved to several spots around the boat, as I did not want to either get tangled with another line, and also, I wanted all the fish for myself! Well. The only thing I managed to catch all day was a huge chunk of seaweed and a missing seaworm via a crab! Sigh. But the others' luck was not much better. Only two flounder for keeps, among some skates and some flounder that were not big enough to keep and had to be returned to sea. On the ride home, sitting with my friends and fellow explorers on the bow, Kristen and I recounted the banana story to all. We decided that although that may not be the real reason we had an unsuccessful fishing trip, it was sure a great story to tell! And, if hanging out with new friends and faces and laughing is an unsuccessful day, then count me in!

Catch you at Carson,

Bridget

Did you do something new?

To keep a heightened level of attentiveness and positivity here at Save the Harbor we try to live by a simple mantra: do something today that you've never done before. At the end of the day either a LHE or SHE (and occasionally Bruce) will ask what have you done that was new. For me this was going fishing with the CHV Fishing Club.

On Thursday morning we started our day off differently than we do the other days we gear up with the CHV staff. Instead of boarding the Provincetown II, we went on a voyage with Captain Charlie and former Save the Harbor Staffer Sam on The Belle. This experience was new for most of our children and for myself. The day started off really slow but with the expertise of Captain Charlie, Bruce, and Sam - its was not long before each cast landed a fish. It all happened so fast. One. Two. Three. One would think this was some form of magic or witchcraft the way flounder, black fish and other species of fish were becoming attached to our bait. The boat was filled with awe and excitement.

We are all so happy - showing off the fish we caught

Being the first, and thankfully not my last fishing trip, I can gladly say the trip was a success. We learned a ton about the fish we caught, got a few filleting lessons, and even how to understand weather forecasts as we watched beautiful Boston become hostage to the downpour of mother nature as we finished our day. It was a great day for a great day.

Peace and Blessings,

Ahmed 

Crazy Camp Harbor View

Hello again fellow adventurers!

 This past week had the opportunity to do something I had not done in the past two years of working at Save the Harbor: I got to spend a day at Camp Harbor View! From the beginning of the day to the very end, the campers and counselors of Camp Harbor View are overjoyed at the opportunity they have to attend camp. With bright shining faces and loud chants, the campers arrive in the morning ready to discover new and exciting things they've never seen or done before.

The Grand Crab Hotel!

One of the biggest conundrums at the camp in past years has been how do you keep the sand on the beach? While this may seem like a weird question, Long Island has had trouble with erosion and the recession of the beach. In order to combat this phenomenon, Save the Harbor has developed a couple hypotheses to test out this summer. The first is that by clearing a small section of beach of all periwinkles and Asian shore crabs, hopefully algae will collect on the rocks and eventually act as holdfasts that will prevent recession of the sand on the beach. With the help of some of the campers, every day we will be removing these organisms in order to test our hypothesis. This past week the campers were a great help! But of course, all work and no play makes for dull campers, so the campers came up with a creative way to relocate the crabs and periwinkles. A group of campers constructed a "crab hotel" out of rocks, complete with a pool, rooftop hangout, and even rooms for each crab we found.

The day ended on a high note when the fishing club joined us on the dock. Having been placed underwater days earlier, we pulled up our crab traps to find a slew of rock crabs and one giant spider crab! It was hilarious to watch the kids' and even counselors' looks of terror as we pulled the crab out and passed it around for everyone to touch. The real excitement came a few minutes later, when one of the kids who was fishing on the dock landed a Striped Bass! While it wasn't a keeper, it was as exciting for me as the kids because it was the first time I've helped catch a striper! I'm confident that there will be many more striper to be caught this summer, and I'm hoping one will be a keeper!

The first of hopefully many more to come!

Until next time, keep on exploring!

-Luke 

Good Bye CHV Session One

     This week at Camp Harbor View was bitter sweet. It was the last week of the first session, meaning that the kids that we have been with for the past weeks here are going to be changed. It's pretty sad to know that I probably won't see the kids that I made a connection with for these last three weeks. I was hoping to see them one last time on Friday, but because of MLK I will not be able to have that chance. Although they were young, they were still a good time and made the days at Camp Harbor View go faster. 

     These three days at the camp we did beach walks with the campers during the first two periods. We even had a competition between light houses as to which one of the teams could get the most Asian Shore Crabs. The first team, M Dot, which may have been my favorite team because it was where I talked to most of the campers and staff, had gotten 166 crabs. I thought no one would beat them, until the very next period was able to get 171 and then took the lead. The next day the first was not really into the crabs so they only had gotten 34. But the fourth team was on their game and caught 370 crabs, which I feel was amazing. The last team caught 206. So in three days we got rid of almost 1000 Asian Shore Crabs. We then used them as chum in order to call more fishes to the dock where we fish from. I don't know if the chum worked or not, but we were able to catch a skate today.

Sincerely,

Ivan

Second Session Startup

The second session at CHV started up last past Tuesday. This meant a whole new group of kids; some with fresh faces, and others that I had met last year - all eagerly anticipating a summer of fun out on Long Island.

Because it was the first day much of it was spent getting the kids into the clubs they wanted, and showing the new campers what and where things are at the camp. While this would seem like a tedious endeavor for nearly 500 kids, the exceptional staff at CHV know how to make even the most routine moments fun.

For my team and I, the day began at the club fair, where club leaders display their club and try to get kids to sign up. As usual Save the Harbor put in a strong showing to get kids to join our fishing club. Our sign and props were attention grabbing. Priceless looks erupted from the faces of campers when we acted as though our prop lures were alive. I can't even imagine the ruckus that would have been raised if we had brought a real fish, but to be fair to the other clubs and ensure that they also had some campers, we had to hold back. Needless to say, we had plenty of customers looking forward to wetting a line and hopefully fighting a fish.

After that the campers headed out to different areas of the camp to find out what kinds of activities happen at each site throughout the summer. SHSB runs through the camp's Knowledge Is Power program so we headed up to the KIP building for our presentations.

On the way over, Bob, the head groundskeeper, grabbed my attention and told me that a lobster had made its way into our trap. Fantastic! Nothing better than a fresh lobster to get the kids asking questions and wondering about what else Save The Harbor has planned for the summer. After a quick run down to the docks the team and I were on stage with a cooler full of freshly caught crabs and lobster.

Holding a lobster for the first time.

The lobster worked like a charm - striking aw and sparking discussion. We left that day with many campers eager to come down to Shell Beach and explore The Harbor with us.

To new explorers and stewards of The Harbor,
Tom Rebula

Haul Away Joe !

Haul Away Joe ! Haul Away Joe ! Haul Away Joe ! . The sailors chant
rung in my head soon after reciting my verse for the song . " It's

Some campers singing their verse

pretty catchy !" Tom added and I agreed . Haul away Joe , Haul Away
Joe ! I don't usually sing out like that , but man oh man was I proud
to say that I had accomplished my goal and sung In front of 300+
people on a boat that day . We then announced the Haul away Joe
competition in which any group of campers could sing their own verse
to Haul away Joe ! And the best singer gets FREE ice cream . At first
no one dared to stand up to the challenge of group did their verse ..
But what really caught my eye was this little girl with a soft
voice who asked if she could recite her version . She wasn't with a
group nor could i believe this , I had to ask twice to make sure what
I was seeing matched what I was hearing . She asked once more and I
turns on the mic and gave it to her . I could tell she was a bit
frightened and It reminded me of myself and without warning or second
thought I began to sing along with her . " Haul Away Joe ! " we sung
out together , and then the applause . I did not feel proud of myself
because I was too caught up in how brave and courageous she was . To
some it was just a song but to me it was more than that. It was a new
experience. I wanted to sing with her and follow in her foot steps .
It made me open up my mind to try other things to get me out of my
comfort zone . I was more ambitious and daring after that sing along
, and I appreciate her courage a lot more than she may ever realize .

- Chemar David

The Final Goodbye

This week was sadly my last week with the first group of kids at Camp Harbor View.  It was pretty sad to realize that the children I had become so accustomed to seeing everyday at fish in club were no longer going to be there anymore.  No more crab catching and fishing and occasional skate catches. I was no longer going to talk with Niya about Lacrosse and I was no longer to see Kendrick and listen to all of his rap jokes.  But I did realize the one positive and that is that these guys are growing up and we had a chance to have an impact on their life, which I consider to be a positive one.  

Towards the end of Thursday, which was our last day together, they had a talent show, which showcased all of the kid’s talents, which included singing, dancing and even some poetry.  I was proud to see some of the more shy children go up and still perform in front of such of a large group of people.  I remember when I was their age, and I know I didn’t have that sort of courage.

The fantastic talent show

Catching crabs with the kids

 

The occasional catching of the skate

Camp harbor view even made a slideshow of all of the children and all of the events and great memories they had shared over the past four weeks together.  Some of the girls began to cry and hug each other realizing that this was it, but as sad as it was, it was beautiful to know they had made friendships which will last them a lifetime.

- Maxwell Kennedy-Reid

The slideshow of the past four weeks at Camp Harbor View

Flounder Pounder

This Wednesday I had the pleasure of going out on the first of this summer's fishing trips that Save The Harbor charters for the campers at CHV.

The morning started with a quick run out to Long Island aboard the Belle, with Captain Charlie at the helm. Upon arrival at the CHV docks, we loaded up the kids from fishing club. They were eager to get started, and had high hopes for the day. I knew, of course, that these wishes would not go unfulfilled, as Capt. Charlie is very knowledgeable, and has put me in the right spot every time that I have been on his boat. 

Within a few minutes of leaving the dock we had reached our fishing destination and dropped anchor. Rods were quickly baited with sand worms, and dropped over the side. It did not take long before we had our first hit, a nice sized flounder fit for the cooler. I knew this was a good indicator for what was to come. Sure enough the day only got more exciting, with flounder after flounder being pulled over the gunwales. I counted at least 13 on the day, but keeping track was hard, and it may very well have been more.

Uno

Dos

Tres

While the flounder kept the action going throughout the day, the most exciting moments were when Greg, the lifeguard, hooked into a striper. While much too small to keep, it still put up a great fight, and had the whole boat clamoring to get a view. It also provided quite a nice photo opportunity for the group.

Charlie, the kids, Moby the Mop and a striper.

Of course it wouldn't be bait fishing without skates.

As time wound down, Charlie and I began cutting up the flounder. A nice stack of beautiful fillets, on ice, and ready to be sent home with the campers, was the result. A few opted to take their catch home whole as this is how their parents preferred to cook it. An awesome day out on the water to say the least and plenty of fish to show for it. Many thanks to Capt. Charlie and the kids who made the trip so fun.


- Happy to be catching,
              Tom Rebula

On the Boat

During Wednesday we faced one of the hottest days yet it was high 90’s with some humidity and there was not an ounce of shade to be found, luckily this was the day for our boat trip!  So we were out on the water and the hot 90’s felt like a high 80’s due to the lovely breeze out on the water which cooled us down.  Charlie found one of the greatest fishing spots for the kids because we were able to catch about 15 fish that day and the children were able to bring it home to their families, which is always nice to see because fish can be quite expensive these days and is a special treat to many American families in these economic times.  The looks on some of our first time fishers faces when they caught their first fish was priceless.  It was a mix of happiness, shock and fear.  They were happy because they caught the fish, shocked because they actually caught it and in fear because its was flopping on the deck.  It is also always a tradition for someone to catch a skate and try to keep it.

getting the fishing rods ready for the kids

skate catches are the best catches

It was one of our better days because normally when we are at Camp Harbor View we catch a lot of crabs and skates but when we were able to bring the kids on the boat they were able to catch a lot of fish and see that they were all phenomenal fishermen.  It was also an amazing day because we were able to hang with Charlie, one of the funniest, kindest most helpful fishermen I have had the chance to meet

Captain Charlie