Staff Day at Spectacle!

During staff day on Monday, I finally made it out to Spectacle Island! While everyone tossed the football or Frisbee in the field below, I wandered up to the top of Drummond Hill, where I was rewarded with an amazing view of the Boston skyline and the sight of the sun gleaming on the harbor waters. The picture below doesn't quite do this experience justice, so I suggest you find a way to get out to the islands yourself, either with Save the Harbor's All-Access trips or using a ferry pass from the local library or discounted fare through DCR!

I was happy that we ended up at Spectacle because it gave me the opportunity to swim, which is my all-time favorite activity. The water was perfectly refreshing (though a bit saltier than I prefer) and it was great fun to chase after the floating disc of the Frisbee and pose for pictures with all the summer staff. We had plenty of food and a beautiful day to relax, explore, and enjoy one another's company.
It's hard to believe that just a few decades ago Spectacle Island was a flaming trash heap and the harbor waters were clogged with waste! The harbor has become such a special, abundant place to play, fish, and learn, and I'm grateful to have had the opportunity to be a part of Save the Harbor's outreach and education efforts. It's exciting to know that this ecosystem will continue to be a resource for Boston residents and visitors for years to come.

See you on the islands!

~Emily B.

The Last Morning at Blacks Creek

Melanie holds two mating green crabs.

It's hard to believe, but yesterday was our last morning of Harbor Explorers at Blacks Creek! We had a crew of kids who have been with us for a couple of weeks now, and others who have been in and out of programming all summer, so it was hard to say goodbye. Still, we ended on a high note, with the discovery of a pair of mating green crabs, some rousing rounds of Ga-ga Ball, and our first-ever story-time in the sand.
The picture book I brought was a big hit: even the older kids who groaned at the thought of sitting through a story got into the colorful images and clever rhymes of Chris Van Dusen's "The Circus Ship." The story, which I picked out of a Free Box in Cambridge, is set right near the Boston Harbor! When a ship carrying circus animals from Maine sinks on its way to a show in Boston, the lions, tigers, monkeys and other exotic creatures seek refuge on a small island whose inhabitants protect them from the clutches of their former owner, a greedy, corrupt ringmaster by the name of Mr. Paine. I hope that future participants in Save the Harbor/Save the Bay youth programs can enjoy this story as well!
In the next few days, I'll be saying farewell to the Boston area and all the wonderful staff and kids I've gotten to know this summer. I'm grateful to have had this experience to learn a bit about marine science, laugh with young people of all ages, and grow stronger in the sun and the sand!

~Emily B.

A Rainy Afternoon at Piers Park

Happy Wednesday everyone, it's Emily B. reporting back on a beautiful mid-week afternoon. Following yesterday's  drizzly morning and general sogginess, today dawned bright and clear: perfect weather for Ga-ga Ball and crabbing at Blacks Creek followed by Family Fun Night event set-up at Carson! I've come to love the daily rhythms and routines at both of these sites, but it's also fun to have a chance to visit other programming locations, which is what I got to do on Tuesday when I drove over to Eastie for a few hours at Piers Park. There, I met some amazing young Harbor Explorers and worked alongside three very knowledgeable JPA's (shout-out to Amanda, Ari and Cristian) as well as the ever-smiling Raymond (LHE extraordinaire). I felt right at home when I walked into the playground area and found Sean with a group of campers sitting in a dry spot to read aloud the newly released Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. They provided a quick summary for me, then I jumped in to voice Hermione and Harry in Act One, Scene Twelve. We recited just a couple of pages of dialogue before the whole group reconvened in the tent to do some imaginative artwork. Zach, the program leader at Piers Park, brought out paper and crayons and suggested to the kids that they each draw their very own made up sea creature, using information about marine habitats and adaptations that they'd learned that morning. Everyone was hard at work for quite a while, then some of the kids volunteered to explain their creatures! There was the Winged Shark (which can walk on land, swim in water, and fly through the air, making it extremely deadly to humans), several color-changing squid hybrids, and a dangerous deep-sea jellyfish. Some of these sea creatures even had magical powers or body parts!

The Harbor Explorers proudly display their sea creatures.

By the time we'd finished up with presentations, the rain had stopped falling enough to brave the puddles on the dock. We headed down for an hour of fishing, kayaking, and crabbing, and Zach even took several kids out on a sailboat! Using pried-open mussels as bait, we caught a whole slew of green crabs, as well as a red rock crab. I took the opportunity to talk with the assembled Harbor Explorers about invasive versus native species, and then we had a lot of fun releasing all the crabs back into the water.

Gazing into the depths from atop a kayak.

We certainly made the best of a damp day, and I'm glad to have had the opportunity to visit Piers Park!

Discovering Quincy

Mary Read the Pirate gestures out to sea.

This weekend, I finally got to see Mary Read the Pirate (also known as Norah Dooley the storyteller) in action at the Discover Quincy Beach Bash on Wollaston Beach. Along with a bunch of enthusiastic kids and their families, we Save the Harbor staff danced in the sand to tunes played over the speakers by "DJ Butters," raked our names in the sand, and used eyedroppers to create patterned flounder-prints, including a "Finding Nemo" clownfish-inspired ink design by Rusenny. The folks from Discover Quincy had set up some awesome beach games, including giant chess/checkers, big Jenga, corn-hole, adult-sized Connect Four, and a colorful array of buckets. Passerby on a windy Saturday afternoon paused to check out these toys and hear Norah's in-costume pirate tales and sea creature fables. "Mary" even brought some of her loot in the form of coins from faraway lands, and we hid our own real-life treasure: blue marbles for a chance to enter the Jet Blue sweepstakes!

Two young Beach Bash-ers rake their names in the sand.

During the week, I continue to "discover Quincy" on a day-to-day basis while running programming at Blacks Creek. Each day, we have new kids eager to sign up and take part in a morning of harbor exploration. Some of them are a bit shy at first, but soon the search for hermit crabs and the larger green crabs draws them (ironically enough) out of their shells. Recently, we've had a lot of kids excited about building sand castles, which are larger, more elaborate versions of the "crab habitats" from weeks past. I can't wait to see what we create next!

The Blacks Creek crew (silly faces edition).

~Emily B.

Games Galore

In the past week at Blacks Creek, we've been inspired to try out a few new games to entertain, amuse and get kids (and staff) moving after snack time. First was Sedny's contribution, a game called "Blink Killer," which involves a lot of dramatic "deaths" and some serious detective work.

"Victims" of the "Blink Killer"

On Tuesday, after telling our group that day about the jellyfish tracking app, I taught them the repeat-after-me Jellyfish Song (with accompanying dance moves), which was surprisingly popular: "Arms up/Wrists together/Elbows together...Do the jellyfish, the jellyfish, the jellyfish-fish" etc.

But most exciting was the unveiling of Ga-ga Ball, played in a newly built octagonal pen in the upper field. Last week, we saw folks from Quincy Rec constructing the mysterious wooden play structure by the pavilion, and a couple days ago we had our first chance to try it out. Ga-ga Ball is a huge hit, and we've played round after round since then! The rules are as follows (according to the official website of The Gaga Center):

• All players start with one hand touching a wall of the pit.

1. The game begins with a referee throwing the ball into the center of the pit.
2. When the ball enters the pit, the players scream 'GA' for the first two bounces, and 'GO' on the third bounce, after which the ball is in action.
3. Once the ball is in play, any player can hit the ball with an open or closed hand.
4. If a ball touches a player below the knee (even if the player hits himself or herself) he or she is out and leaves the pit. If a player is hit above the knees, the play continues.
5. If a ball is caught on a fly, the player who hit the ball is out.
6. Using the walls of the octagon to aid in jumping is legal as long as the player does not permanently sit on the ledge of the octagon.
7. Players cannot hold the ball.
8. If needed, a second ball can be thrown in the pit to expedite the end of the game. The last player standing is the winner of that round.

~Emily B.

The Food Chain

Hey all, it's Emily B. once again! I've just returned home from a particularly interesting afternoon at Courageous Sailing. We worked with a whole new group of kids eager to cast lines, pull up crab and lobster traps, and chalk sea creatures (real and imagined) onto the pier. Even though we didn't have much luck with the fishing rods, the traps we set yielded a variety of sea creatures, from tunicates to spider crabs. The most exciting moment of the day was when a girl hauled up one of the lobster traps and found―you guessed it―a small lobster! The whole group gathered around to marvel at its coloring and the way it moved, and some of the young fisher-folk spent a while with Daynaja reading information about their catch from the guidebook.

Our next prize was a little flounder, which swam into the freshly baited crab trap that some kids and I had dropped into the depths just half an hour before. We separated it from ten or so ravenous green crabs, and brought our tank up into the shade of the pier so everyone―campers, staff, and other passerby―could take a look. A few minutes passed, then it was time to wrap up, so I took the little flounder down to the dock to release it. After dumping the tank, I looked down into the water, and saw the most amazing sight: A big striped bass swimming up to just below the surface to take a bite!

The harbor is truly coming alive, transforming from previous weeks, and all of the kids we work with are getting the opportunity to witness it! 

"This is Amazing!!!"

Hi everyone! It's Emily B. again, reporting back after a week of fun in the sun and the sand. This was my first week at two new sites: Blacks Creek and Carson Beach. I had a blast playing games and exploring the harbor with many enthusiastic, curious kids and the awesome JPA's and LHE's who work at these sites.

It's so great getting to know the kids who return to Black Creek each morning to continue their search for crabs and "minnows" and participate in nature walks around the park property. One boy brought an awesome book about sharks to share, and told me a great deal about bull sharks versus hammerheads. For example, did you know that bull sharks are highly adaptable, and have been found thousands of miles up freshwater rivers, even as far inland as Illinois (up the Mississippi River)? Some of the kids are already brimming with knowledge about marine life, and they're all eager to learn more.

Then, on Wednesday afternoon, a group of preschool-age campers visited Carson, and I took some of them down to the edge of the water with buckets to search for hermit crabs, periwinkles, and evidence of other life forms on the beach. Soon, though, the kids were wading in and using their buckets to scoop up water and dump it on each other, which is a favorite pastime on hot days at Carson. "This is amazing!" one little girl shouted through the water dripping down from her hair. Her words were echoed out loud by a young boy in soaking wet shorts and t-shirt, and the sentiment behind them was evident on the faces of their classmates.

After a while, all five or six kids turned on me, and I found myself (unsuccessfully) dodging splashes and bucketfuls of cool saltwater. I was quickly sopping wet and laughing: it truly was an amazing time!

New Sites, Fresh Faces

Today was a change of pace for me: I got to work with a great new group of LHE's and JPA's, at Blacks Creek in the morning and then at Carson Beach this afternoon. Though it was hot, we had a good time finding hermit crabs and catching minnows with the kids who showed up for programming in Quincy. They were so happy to spend an hour or so wading in the cool water and discovering the small creatures that live in the shallows! The funniest moment for me was when a little girl looked up from gazing into the water and said matter-of-factly, "I forgot to tell you: I'm crazy," then went straight back to searching for crabs. Other kids piled rocks and shells into their nets, created habitats on the beach, and even tried to pick up and identify the sex of the one small green crab in our bucket. After snack in the shade, we moved to the upper field, where we played Museum and a few rounds of Capture of Flag. I was happy to have Sedny, Edward and D showing me the ropes at Blacks Creek, and I'm excited to come up with more games and activities for the remainder of the summer, and for the opportunity to get to know the kids who return day after day because they enjoy the program so much.

The kids inspect their catches at Blacks Creek.

Kids wade, D crouches, and sailboats sail.

After a sweaty morning, it was great to kick off our shoes and splash around with some of the camp groups that visited Carson. I keep thinking how amazing it is that the harbor is now clean enough to swim in, especially during hot, humid weeks like this one. Carson seems to epitomize a city beach, full of various people enjoying their surroundings, soaking up the sun, and finding some relief from the heat. Our staff did this by dunking buckets of water over one another, and in the process they inspired a number of other beach-goers to do the same!

~Emily B.

An Eventful Week on the Sea and the Sand

Hey everyone, it's Emily again! My past few days with Save the Harbor have been especially event-ful: I had many new experiences and met a lot of enthusiastic kids and adults excited to explore the harbor. On Wednesday evening, I got to visit Carson Beach with a group of staff for Ollie's Family Fun Night, where we donned bandannas and eye patches to assist Norah Dooley (alias Mary Read) in collecting stories from attendees. We also ran a fish printing station and hid blue marbles in the sand for the Jet Blue challenge. Kids loved running around looking for these scattered, real-world treasures!

And then on Friday, wrapping up a hot week at the Children's Museum, Jahari made yet another catch: this time, a striped bass! I had baited and dropped the hook into the shaded waters under the boardwalk, then left the pole leaning against the railing. Jahari, ever observant, sprang into action when he saw the line tug taught, and we were all astonished to see what was on the end. A fisherman from Georgia passing by at the time helped us to reel in and then release the striper―but not before I snapped some photos! The kids and families entering the museum at the time now know for sure that there are fish down there; that the harbor is truly alive.

I thought the week couldn't get much more interesting, but then on Saturday I had the chance to go out on Massachusetts Bay Lines' New Boston for the annual Aquapalooza. Hundred of boats―from kayaks to yachts, piloted by people of all ages―gathered round just off Peddocks Island to hear the live music amplified from our deck and soak up the summer sun. People swam and splashed on inflatable floats all around us (my favorite was a giant swan), and on board everyone danced for hours to various genres by three different bands.

It was great to see so many folks enjoying the harbor in so many different ways!

Harbor Stories

Me taking advantage of "Messy Monday"

My favorite part of being outside the Children's Museum is observing all the different folks who use the board walk: business-people and interns from the Finance District on their lunch breaks, joggers and dog walkers, tourists speaking in an array of languages and accents, and of course families or caretakers visiting BCM with their kids. I like to imagine their stories, and sometimes people take the time to stop and tell me little tidbits of their lives. Today, for example, a well-dressed man who works in one of the skyscrapers across Fort Point Channel spent several minutes leaning against the railing and reminiscing about his own experience of the Boston Harbor as a child of eleven or twelve. Back then, he said, the water was too dirty to yield anything edible, but he fished just the same, with fifty-cent three-pronged hooks that he bought with his weekly allowance and tied to the end of a stick with whatever line was available. He didn't use bait, just waited for schools of fish to swim by under the surface and cast his makeshift rod in their midst. Anything he caught he tossed up onto nearby docks for the gulls, with the exception of eels, which, he told me, tangled in the line and had to be cut loose (an annoying waste of twine) or allowed to unwind themselves. I thought of the eel we reeled in last week, wriggling as we tried to set it free, and felt the bond of shared experience reaching across years and generations. The man, in his suit shirt and tie, pressed slacks and shiny black shoes, smiled as he thought back on hours spent on the harbor. He lingered there for a while before turning reluctantly back toward his office.

Kids as well as adults tell stories of crabbing excursions and fishing trips they've been on, and I continue to be amazed at all of the rich opportunities provided by the harbor. Then there are the kids who have always wanted to try fishing, and are now getting their first chance. I watch as they make new stories for themselves, and cheer when they pull up their line to find a crab clinging to the bait or a sea squirt dripping on the hook. I especially enjoy getting to know kids who return day after day, like the enthusiastic boy who has become steward of our crab trap and was excited to haul in over two dozen crustaceans, including a baby Spider Crab (pictured above). 

These are the memories created on slow, hot days, and I'm looking forward to uncovering more stories as the summer goes on.

Until next time!

~Emily

Reeling 'Em In

Our week at the Children's Museum started off eventfully, with Jenny reeling in a two- or three-foot American Eel. Just a few hours after we had set up the poles and touch tank, Jahari noticed one of the rods bending against the railing and raised the alarm. All the SHSB staff on site worked together to bring the eel up onto the boardwalk, fill a tank with water, and show our catch to gathered onlookers. I snapped a series of photographs in the midst of the action, as the eel tried to thrash its way free and Luke, Bella and Jenny attempted to remove the hook from its throat. Quite a scene for museum visitors and passerby on a drizzly Tuesday morning! Since the eel was so big and active, we weren't able to keep it for long, so we released it back into the water after cutting the line.

Before this summer, I'd only ever been fishing a handful of times, and had never seen anything actually landed. So it was exciting and a bit nerve wracking to watch a creature pulled from the depths, flopping heavily on the transparent line and tugging the top of the pole toward the water. I have a good idea of how some of the young kids who we show things to feel: the sense of awe and strange joy and concern that comes with touching or observing a live crab or just-caught fish. I'm learning so much right along with them!

For the next couple of days, we caught mostly crabs: green crabs, spider crabs, and one particularly disgruntled specimen that we identified as a native Atlantic rock crab. As promised, I've learned to tell and teach the difference between male and female―we even hauled in a couple of green crabs carrying eggs. A few kids have been able to reel up crabs that go after the bait on the fishing lines, which is always a memorable moment for them. And then on Friday, a little visiting fisherman checked the crab trap and found not just a green crab, but also a young perch caught in the net! He was so proud, and we were all pretty excited, too. After some confusion, we were able to get the fish into a tank, rescuing it from the claws of its companion. Thank goodness Bella was there to get that fish free! I was surprised by how beautiful it was, with hints of blue among its brown scales, and I'm feeling inspired to discover what else we can find in the harbor.

~Emily B.

"Spending the summer in the sea and the sand/ is gonna make me a strong woman"

Hi everyone! My name is Emily, and I'll be working this summer as a Senior Harbor Educator at the Children's Museum site. I recently arrived in the Boston area from upstate NY, where I grew up exploring streams, gorges and waterfalls.  In the coming months, I'm excited to get to know the city of Boston, its harbor and, of course, the people who live and play here. I'm interested in making natural spaces accessible and fun for surrounding communities and the broader public, and passionate about resisting harmful exploitation of people, resources and ecosystems through environmental justice.

The team, just after our singing debut.

It's only been a week, but I've already learned a lot about this place, and come to appreciate the unique beauty of the harbor juxtaposed against the buildings and streets of downtown. I loved taking the ferry out to Georges Island on Wednesday of orientation to walk Fort Warren's dark passages and hear the local legend of the Lady in Black. I was so surprised to learn from our guide David that seventy-five percent of Boston is built on man-made land: It's shocking to consider how drastically we humans affect and shape the environments around us, and to think that those before us actually flattened hills to build the ground we stand on today. Imagine all the labor that went into those projects!

Here we are on Georges Island!

It was also a pleasure to get to know all the lead staff, SHE's, LHE's, and JPA's over the course of the week, especially while playing and trying out new activities during Thursday's visit to Carson Beach. Standing on the paddleboard, the world felt so expansive, and I appreciated the chance to splash around in kayaks and hear people's stories during the workshop with Norah Dooley. I'm looking forward to working with Luke, Bella, Jahari and Sarah for the next few weeks, and can't wait to continue learning about marine life, conservation, and Boston's history.