Visiting Blacks Creek and Camp Harbor View

This week I got the chance to visit Blacks Creek for the first time this summer. From the beginning all of the kids were excited and ready to start exploring the waters. The environment and the animals there are so different than what you find at the other sites so it was really fun checking out the area with the kids. Together, they caught buckets full of minnows and shrimp along with hermit crabs, green crabs, and snails.

building the crab castle

The kids got the most excited about catching Mummichogs, a fish I had not even heard of until visiting Blacks Creek. They are a small fish that mostly populate salt marshes, and shallow, muddy channels, and their name is derived from a Narragansett term that means "going in crowds". It was really cool to see so many of these little fish for the first time. Once the kids had all gotten their fair share of creature catching, they built a castle out of sand and drift wood for the crabs.

In the afternoon we visited Camp Harbor View where I got to know some of the campers while fishing with them on the pier. I also got to venture up to the light house when I participated at a checkpoint at the camp's version of  The Amazing Race. At the lighthouse, the kids had to create a two line, rhyming poem, and it was really fun to hear what they came up with. All the kids had a blast running around during the game, and it was a great way to meet some new faces.

Overall, it was a great and exciting day at both Blacks Creek and Camp Harbor View!

-Hallie Fox

Fishing at CHV

Last Day at the New Home

Fun With the Crabs

Hey Guys and Gals,

Blacks Creek Crabs

I was moved back to All Access for my last week of work, but as most readers know, All Access only runs from Tuesday to Thursday. So I enjoyed my last day at Blacks Creek and Camp Harbor View to the fullest. The kids at Blacks Creek were full of energy on that day so I was glad I had enough caffeine to keep up with them.  We played kickball and caught about 30 crabs, 20 minnows and 2 eels; over all a pretty good collection. Since we use the crabs as bait for Camp Harbor View kids, we left them in the bucket but the minnows and eels were released back into the creek. The crabs didn't have such a happy ending. No one wanted to be put on a hook and dangled in the water for possible fish to munch on. Unfortunately no one caught any fish, the lobster trap was lacking a lobster but there were crabs in the traps and a starfish that all the kids got to touch. We named him/her Shelby. After fishing club concluded we went on two beach walks. Lucky for us by the second beach walk the tide had gone down a considerable amount so there was more beach to explore. The kids found small green crabs, dead crabs, a spoon, sea glass and many pretty shells. Exploring Blacks Creek and Camp Harbor View have been a blast but I don't think I'll get to return to the sites this summer. School is starting in a week and Blacks Creek is finished for the summer. I wish the kids at Camp Harbor View the best of luck with their fishing. On a happier note, I am at All Access for my last week of work which is exciting.

Fishing Club

Still then,
Ruth S.

My Interesting Welcome to Blacks Creek/Camp Harbor View

Hello all, 

Uncle Sam: Popular Game at Blacks Creek

I have been moved this week to Blacks Creek in Quincy and then Camp Harbor View for the second session on Long Island. I learned that a lagoon is very different from the Harbor that I'm used to. Though it leads into the ocean and is saltwater, the harbor is probably my favorite of the two. I'm not saying that Blacks Creek is great for exploring the banks, but the current can be dangerous. I'm a strong swimmer and I wouldn't test currents. Nevertheless there are hermit crabs, minnows and other fun little creatures. I also got to play my favorite game of Save the Harbor/Save the Bay: Kickball. The kids at Blacks Creek are a little younger than those on All Access but they were just as energetic to play the game. After the kids at Blacks Creek I was exhausted. From now on I will sleep at least 12 hours a day because the kids at Camp Harbor View were dying to get out on beach for walks and discovery. Unfortunately we were only recruiting kids for the fishing club so there wasn't a lot of time for a walk. Nevertheless a trip out to the pier concluded that there are a lot of crabs in this part of the Harbor. More than I ever expected there to be; the lobster in the trap was female so no one had a lobster dinner tonight but I'm sure there will be more. 

The Crabs You Find at Blacks Creek

It was nice to meet new staff members from Save the Harbor/Save the Bay. I've never been to Long Island and this is only my second time out at Blacks Creek. The new experiences were good, so I think I'll enjoy the time I have here. Never leave a stone unturned!

Till then,

Ruth Scott

A Very Dichotomous Day

This past Thursday, was the last day of the first session at Camp Harbor View. Far from the normal schedule, the day was filled with fun events to culminate the session, and send the kids off into the rest of summer.

Our time there today started at the lunchtime barbecue. All of the tables from the great hall were pulled out into the fields out front. Hotdogs, hamburgers, ice cream and snow cones were all made available by the staff. Music was playing, leading to a whole lot of lively dancing and fun. While this type of cookout happens every Friday at the camp, the significance of the last one could be felt, and everyone danced and sang just a little bit harder. As the rest of the day would be filled with activity, lunch hour provided us the last real opportunity to say our goodbyes to all of the campers that we had come to know over the session.

Me and one of my friends from the last two years.

Being an individual in a camp of over 500 likely doesn't leave a whole lot of room for personal recognition, but the days next event would give any willing kids the opportunity to show their skills. From singing and dancing, to Capoeira and miming, this talent show had it all. It was not only fantastic to see what talents the campers had to offer, but also to witness the massive outpouring of support for everyone who put them on display.

The crowd at the talent show.

After the exceptional showing of talent the camp headed down to the great hall for the days last event, a slide show of photos from the session. Despite the upbeat nature of the slide show, an air of sadness hung in the air. You could tell that campers and counselors alike did not want to part ways. Still, it was great to see all of the awesome stuff that the campers had done over the course of four weeks.

As the slideshow drew to a close campers began saying their final goodbyes to the friends and councilors that they had shared so much fun with. Tears came to more than one set of eyes at the thought that this chapter of the summer was closing. The friendships forged at CHV will last a lifetime, and I am sure that the kids will find ways to keep in contact throughout the year despite going to different schools and living in different areas of Boston and its surrounding cities.

I know that I have said this before in some of my previous blogs, but I feel it prudent to reiterate that Camp Harbor View truly is a special place. The opportunity to form such deep and meaningful friendships in such a perfect setting, located in the heart of Boston Harbor is unique. The love and appreciation for this opportunity can be seen on the faces of each camper as they say farewell, at least until next summer.

- To life long friendships,
                     Tom Rebula

Where are the big ones?

Today marked a momentous occasion at CHV. We caught our first lobster! While I am quite familiar with lobsters both in the wild, in other traps, and on the plate, this was the first time that I have caught one at Camp Harbor View.

A small, but handsome fellow. 

Last summer, despite having both a crab and lobster trap out in the water everyday, we pulled in no lobsters. Employees from previous years have also reported similar luck with Long Island lobsters. This could have been due to various factors including, but not limited to, the sandy beach that had been installed at the camp to provide a nice swimming area. Unfortunately for the camp, this area of The Harbor was never meant to hold a nice sandy beach and mother nature saw fit to return the area to the way it once was, as is often the case for man made things that try and contest with nature. This process had been happening gradually over the last few years, but this past offseason a large storm likely rolled in and claimed all of what remained.

With the beach gone it appears the lobsters have returned to the immediate area, as proven by our small catch, and the plethora of lobster traps dropped right near the shoreline and docks at Harbor View. Hopefully we will be pulling more, and larger specimens in as the summer progresses.

Also on the upswing at CHV, is the fishing. This year in fishing club has been marked by numerous catches, though to date, they have all been skates. A little foray on my part showed that the stripers are there in numbers and more than willing to take lures both on and below the surface. Regrettably, these fish were caught in an area too hazardous to take the campers, I however plan to make a return trip on Tuesday during fishing club and hopefully send the kids home with some fresh fillets.

Just a baby, but there are lots of them.

- Happy to be catching,
                Tom Rebula

A Second Coming

The second week of the summer has begun and after a recap of last week I realized I have no real clue on what to expect when it comes to working at Blacks Creek and Camp Harbor View. I never know what I might find during the two hour long beach walks, what fish are at the other end of the rod, how big the crabs will be while the cages are slowly reeled in, or what new cool science facts the children have to share.

Monday brought me a few new surprises. One of the first things that caught my attention is that the sky was a bit grey. The air was humid and sticky and the mud seemed to be as deep as quick sand. As I walked over to the beach I saw that there were really only about five kids, but despite the small amount, we found a lot more sea creatures than we usually do. We also went a bit further around the creek since there were a only a few kids with us. We spotted a bunch of seaweed and decided to start our search for life there. Nets were swinging back and forth through the green foggy water. Hermit crabs hid inside of their shells, crabs ran off, and minnows sped off in all directions. Eventually, one camper yelled, "I found crabs and eels!"All of the kids screamed for joy.

- Chemar David

Exploring

At Camp Harbor View we take the kids out to the beach and go exploring. We would go over a couple of big rocks and after everyone is over the rocks they would pick up some rocks and try to skip them on the water.  We walk and look at different kind of stuff like anything in the the sand or anything in and under the rocks.  For example there were two girls who found a bone stuck right between two large rocks. Some of them also found little bits of building structures that were knock down many years ago. These building structure had water in them, rocks, algae, and some crabs!

"Crabs, Crabs and Oh Yea, More Crabs!"

"Eww, what is that?!" and "Cool!" were a few of the different reactions the children at Camp Harbor View had when they first encountered the harbors beautiful and unique species of crabs.

Asian Shore Crabs covered the rocky beach like a snowy blanket in the winter time. Shells of oysters were being smashed and dismantled. Loud crunches followed each step. After walking a bit we decided to stop and look around the area, the hunt was officially on.

Flipping rocks at Long Islands tide pools

Rocks wrapped in barnacles were being flipped left and right, crabs were in the hands of every camper there. Even those who declared earlier that they would not touch anything on the beach found the crabs to be interesting. Kids were helping each other lift bigger rocks to find the biggest crab they could find. Hermit crabs, spider crabs and Asian Shore Crabs popped up faster than I could ever imagine.

A camper and I with a cool spider crab.

The curiosity about the crustaceans' filled me with joy. I love teaching children about marine life and the importance it has on the Boston Harbor. Their engagement and undivided attention only made that love for teaching that much more rewarding. They were really listening and never sat down for one second. I was telling them to slow down with the questions as there was no way I could answer them all at once. However, the enthusiasm did make me smile and kept me going. We walked on and on. Continuing to flip rock and dig deep in the clear waters and muddy sands. After forgetting the time, we realized we were almost 10 minutes over the time and weren't excited at all to have to leave this group.

- Chemar David

A Week Full of Suprises

The kid who found the old military button

This week I got an amazing opportunity to go out to Camp Harbor View for the first time. It was an amazing and interesting experience. We walked around the beach and found things hidden under sand, rocks, and large pieces of wood that were washed onto the beach from Spectacle Island. There were many old broken kitchen essentials such as; plates, bowls, and forks. One of the kids actually found an old military button, which I found to be pretty awesome and cool. All of the students there were energetic, had an abundant amount of questions, and of course they were ready to explore. Oh, and the beaming hot sun couldn't stop us from continuing!

The huge surprise

Another site that I went to for the very first time was Community Boating. When the Save the Harbor crew and I arrived we decided to pull up the eel trap and found a huge surprise! Lots of eels. Many people were shocked to find out that they were captured right out of the river that they sailed in. Many people were intrigued. I was also shocked myself, due to the fact that it was my first time seeing eels at any of the Boston Harbor sites, it was also my very first time touching an eel! Today we had a pleasant surprise, and I am most definitely looking forward to many other surprises.

Putting the largest eel that was caught back in the eel trap because it was large and smart enough to escape the touch tank.

Catch you later, 

Nhu

Island Treasures

Today was an awesome day on Shell Beach at Camp Harbor View. Over the course of the afternoon we had the privilege to take out two groups of campers, leaders and LITs for some beach combing on Long Island's beautiful western shore. While the sun was hot, the refreshingly brisk water and a string of interesting finds helped us push on.

Among some of the more interesting finds was an old US military button. While it is hard to put an exact date on the button, because the makers-marks and distinct characteristics have corroded away in the saltwater, similar designs that I could find date from the late 19th and early 20th centuries. This puts it among the oldest finds I have seen (and can actually estimate a date) during my time at Save The Harbor, and certainly makes it deserving of the term historical treasure.

Its hard to make out, but the button has a a distinct and large 'US' stamped on it.

Needless to say the the camper with the sharp eyes was proud of his awesome find.

Of course, the day was also filled with plenty of biologically oriented discoveries. Each group managed to find their own dead skate, which provided an opportunity for me to discuss the species and plenty of awe-factor through their bizarre looks and 'ripe' smell. 

No beach walk on a rock strewn shore would be complete without a handful of ever present Asian Shore Crabs.

- To more great finds,

             Tom Rebula

Ready, Set, Summer

The kickoff of summer programming this year was a great one. The day was filled with excellent finds, and lots of thrills for all the kids who spent time with us.

Our morning started at Blacks Creek with our partner sailing program run by the Quincy Rec. Department. I was happy to see a lot of familiar faces returning from last summer join us for games and exploration in this wonderful estuary. Even more exciting was the growth in size of our program at the site, made evident by the presence of so many newcomers.

Horseshoe Crabs are always a big hit.

After finishing up in Quincy, the team and I headed out to Camp Harbor View on Long Island. This beautiful harbor island is a special place, and the camp at its end is a true gem. Run by The Boys and Girls Club, it offers all the opportunities of the finest summer camps, but offered to the children of Boston for a mere 5 dollars per four week session.

Live skates provide excellent opportunities for brief bio lessons

The day there started at fishing club, where we managed to catch a small skate, leading a lot of excitement on the docks. Even more well received was the 38in Striped Bass provided to us by Bruce Berman. Filleting and dissection of this behemoth went over particularly well, and the kids were ecstatic to be able to take home some delicious pieces.

A camper holding a monsta'

-To many more perfect days,

                        Tom Rebula