Excited for Another Summer on the Harbor!

Hi Everyone!

My name is Bridget Ryan and I am excited to be back at Save the Harbor for my second summer as the Lead Teacher for the Summer Youth Programs!  It feels like only yesterday we were pulling back into dock the Provincetown II after our last trip to Peddock's Island.

When our summer programs ended last August, I couldn't wait to get back into my classroom and teach my kids about Boston Harbor.  When I'm not on the harbor, I'm the 8th grade Civics teacher at the John D. O'Bryant in Roxbury.  Even though I am not a science teacher, I was able to have my students find current events every other week about the harbor and local beaches, from Nahant to Nantasket.  My students became very aware of how clean the harbor is and the work Save the Harbor has done in the harbor clean up and the surrounding area beaches!  A couple students were stunned at the information they discovered and often asked, "wait, Ms. Ryan, you mean I can swim in the water at Carson Beach??"  And my answer was always, "absolutely!"

During the past year, I was able to see the amazing work Save the Harbor does when we aren't catching lobsters at McDonough or crabs at Piers Park.  From the Metropolitan Beaches Commission Reports to the Cupid Splash and Destination Boston Harbor, Save the Harbor has had a busy year! 

In March, I raised money and prepared myself for a splash into the harbor at M St. beach for Save the Harbor/Save the Bay’s annual Cupid Splash!  The water may have been freezing but the event was an absolute success!  By the end of this summer, between the Better Beaches Program and our community partners, we will have invested more than $1 million dollars to support more than 200 free events on beaches from Nahant to Nantasket!

In June, the Boston Globe ran a front-page article about the Metropolitan Beaches Commission Report; a report produced by Save the Harbor/Save the Bay.  The article was able to articulate the tremendous work that has been done to improve the cleanliness of the beaches and their infrastructure from Lynn to Hull.  The article also explains how these gains are at risk if the state doesn’t reverse the big staffing cuts in the beaches division.  What a great way for an environmental advocacy non-profit to get their word across to the general public!

As much as I loved working for Save the Harbor/Save the Bay this past year, I could not WAIT for the summer programs to begin!  We have a wonderful staff this summer made up of eight Senior Harbor Educators (SHE), six Lead Harbor Educators (LHE), and 20 Junior Program Assistants (JPA). 

Tom, Iris, and I are returning for our second summer while we welcome, Sam Schrieber – our resident artist, Lindsay Phenix – our coach, Kelly Randall – our marine science expert, Sejal Soni – our expert on geological matter around the harbor, and Amy Gaylord – to run our All Access Boston Harbor Programs!

This summer we have hired six college students to work around the harbor with the SHEs and JPAs.  Ahmed Hasson and Vinh Tran come back to Save the Harbor as past JPAs, having just finished their freshman year in college.   We welcome back Candido Barros, who has worked for Save the Harbor three years prior to last year.  The new additions to the LHE family our Maxwell Kennedy Reed and Lucas Crowley and we are thrilled they are with us this summer!  Thi Tran is making her sixth summer appearance at Save the Harbor and is excited to be back working with David Coffin and All Access Boston Harbor!

Last week, the senior staff met for orientation.  We discussed policies and expectations and also gave them a little preview of their summer.  We visited Blacks Creek and Camp Harbor View along with Courageous Sailing and Piers Park.  This week we meet with the entire summer staff to introduce the high school students to our program!  Today, we set sail for George’s Island and some students will learn how to filet a fish for the first time!  

This summer is going to be incredible and I cannot wait to see everyone hard at work on the harbor!

-Bridget

Back at Save the Harbor!

Hello everyone, my name is Juelle Benjamin. Hope everyone had a good summer because I sure did! For the past two summers I've worked for Save The Harbor/Save The Bay  I enjoyed it so much. I met a lot of new people over the summer and made some great friends. 

I am currently a senior in high school at Another Course to College - part of the Boston Public Schools. I also have a part time job right now. I'm keeping myself busy by working and staying in school. This is my last year of high school so I have to make it as fun as possible but also very productive.

Yesterday I spent the day at Spectacle Island, working for Save the Harbor again, and also had a good time.  I was reunited with some Senior Marine Educators and also some JPA's that I haven't seen since August. I missed a few people, so it felt really good to rekindle with everyone. I also enjoyed the hike I took at Spectacle Island, the scenery was so beautiful and peaceful. I have never seen Spectacle Island like this before it was so relaxing. It was chilly but it was definitely worth visiting the island and catching up with some of my co-workers.

Well, it's not bye it's see you later. Until then, everyone enjoy the holidays and have a good year.

Thanks for everything,

Juelle Benjamin.

Farewell to an Amazing Summer

I cannot believe school starts next Wednesday – where did the summer go?!  Oh wait, my summer flew by because of the incredible experience I had working for Save the Harbor/Save the Bay.  As a teacher, many friends questioned why I wanted to work all summer when I was on “vacation.”  They explained that this was the time to explore new places, meet new people, and relax.  What they didn’t know, is that was exactly what I was doing this summer.  I learned more about Boston Harbor than I ever thought possible.  I went on trips to George’s and Spectacle Islands, rode Codzilla, pulled up lobster traps, toured the local fisheries, helped coordinate a beach bash for over 700 children and adults and is just to name a few.

One of the best parts of being the Summer Youth Program’s Lead Teacher was getting to know each SME and JPA that worked for us.  Many of the JPA’s attend Boston Public High Schools and I cannot wait to watch Myriam play volleyball, Hung score goals on the soccer field and Monique hit home runs.   Some of the JPA’s are heading off to start a new chapter of their life at college and I couldn't be happier for them!  Luckily for us, they are all staying within the Greater Boston area – Northeastern, Salem State, UMass Dartmouth, and I am particularly excited to watch Ahmed play basketball at Stonehill College!

School ended late due to ridiculous amounts of snow that pummeled Boston this past winter and delayed my start at Save the Harbor/Save the Bay.  I didn't get to participate in the Senior Staff Orientation nor meet any of the Senior Marine Educators until day numero uno of our "All Staff Orientation."  I was nervous to meet the Senior Marine Educators (SME) but quickly learned that not only were we a diversely, talented group but fun and enthusiastic as well.  This is more than I could have asked for in a summer staff!  Constant communication, laughing, and hard work made this year's summer staff all worth while.

While everyone has their favorite parts of working at Save the Harbor, I would have to say that this summer I really enjoyed…..

1.  The Red Sox Clinic sponsored by Coca-Cola with Save the Harbor staff and some of the O’Bryant Softball team!

2.     Clam Seeding on Thompson Island.

3.     Pulling up the lobster trap at McDonough.

and 4. Visiting Spectacle and George's Island on the All Access Boston Harbor trips.

I cannot wait to see what next summer has in store for Save the Harbor/Save the Bay!

Now back to those 8th graders......

-Bridget

My last Week at STH/STB

In just one short week I will have to leave my STH/STB family and travel to the great beyond that is New York to attend Graduate School. In the 8 short weeks that I have been working here at STH I have had the great opportunity of not only getting to teach, fish, and play with the amazing kids of Boston, but I have also had the good fortune of working with some of the most incredible people I have yet to meet. This has not just been a summer job opportunity, but one that has been eye opening to say the least. I will be obtaining my Masters in Marine Conservation and Policy and this job has certainly helped point me in the right direction as to what I would like to focus on in Graduate School come this fall.

The First Fish Dissection

 I would be remiss if I did not talk about my dedicated co-workers in the post. With the majority of my time spent at Community Boating on the Charles River and Courageous Sailing in Charlestown, I have been very fortunate to have had a steady rotation of Junior Program Assistants that I have been able to get to know and learn a great deal from. From putting up with my horrible sense of direction by getting lost on a weekly basis, to putting up with my demands and high expectations, these JPA's have truly made my summer. With unwavering dedication and their daily flexibility, the work ethic that I have observed from my co-workers is inspiring, and I am confident as they head back to high school or college in the fall that they will be incredibly successful in their endeavors.

The Whole Group

Now on to the Senior Marine Educators, Lead Harbor Explorers, and the rest of the office staff that keep this place running on a daily basis. I have never walked into a job and felt so welcomed right off the bat. They have the amazing talent of making all who enter the doors of the STH/STB office feel comfortable, not to mention having the greatest sense of humor and being able to constantly keep the staff in high spirits. It is not often that you find yourself, after a day of working with the same people, that you want to leave work and continue to spend time with your co-workers. This has been one of those jobs.

Senior Program Staff and Lead Explorers

Lastly I want to talk about the reason why I took this job in the first place: to teach the kids of Boston more about the City and the ocean that I love. Every day held a new experience, filled with kids eager to learn, explore, pull traps, and fish the waters in the City of Boston. My goal for this summer was to spark interest in at least one kid and to have them leave from the program and have a desire to continue to learn more about the ocean or rivers that make Boston so unique. I would like to think that each kid that participated in the STH/STB program learned something about the ocean or river that they had never known before, or had an experience that they have never had, whether it was kayaking the Charles, catching their first fish, or holding a lobster for the very first time. Because of this I can say that I have completed my goal.

Saying Goodbye

 I feel that I can leave this position and head to Graduate School knowing that this summer I have helped make a difference, by thinking locally and acting globally, I pass the torch to the future generation of Harbor Explorers in the City of Boston. And as always- take chances, ask questions, get messy!-Sarah Bailey

Can't hold us...from fishing!

Last Thursday the Save the Harbor/Save the Bay summer staff participated in the 3^rd Annual Fan Pier Fishing Invitational despite the cold, rainy weather!  Everyone arrived to Fan Pier by 7:30am, where they ate donuts, loaded up on hot coffee and headed to the pier to choose their boat for the morning!

Ready....set...fish-on!

This year the fishing invitational was extra special because each Junior Program Assistant was allowed to bring a guest; a parent or guardian, friend or family member.  Unfortunately, many guests were not able to come due to work obligations but of the ones that fished, we knew they had a blast!  Will Conroy brought along his little brother, Jack, who was a fish-catching machine.  Monique invited her friend Dali, while Will Clark's girlfriend hoped to catch more fish than him!  I was lucky to have Karrisha and Anicia's Mom, Marlene, in my boat, while Ahmed and Andy filled their boat with friends and Andy's brother.  Vinh rounded out the guest list with a fellow O'Bryant graduate, Jean.

Even Bruce and the Senior Marine Educators joined in on the fun!

Tom? Is that you? How's the fishing?

Thumbs up to a great day of fishing in the harbor!

As the fishing boats headed back to Fan Pier, everyone was excited to see who caught the biggest fish.  Although some groups had a tough day resulting in zero fish, Vinh caught a 22 inch striped bass and Will Conroy a 15 inch flounder.  Many JPA's on The Belle caught black sea bass but they had to be thrown back just like Vinh's striper because they were not regulation size.  However when it came time to award the fishing prizes, Vinh, Will Conroy's brother, Jennifer and Hung walked away from the invitational with brand new fishing rods from Fishing Fanatics! 

The winner! Wait, where did those stripers come from?

Everyone had a wonderful time fishing in the harbor but this day would not have been possible with out the help of many.  We would like to thank Joe Fallon and Fan Pier for hosting the event and Circle Furniture, Russo Marine and 3A Marine for sponsoring the invitational.  No one would have been able to even get out on the harbor without the different boats and captains that volunteered their Thursday morning to hang out with us - especially Rick and Steve of The Reel Pursuit which I had the privilege to fish on.

But wait, where did those stripers come from?  Sometimes when the biggest fish you catch is a 15 inch flounder, you need to improvise for a group photo.  Thank you Mike Fallon for the stripers! As soon as the photos were taken Tom went to work on fileting the fish.  Who doesn't love fresh fish for dinner?!

Big plans are already in the works for next year.  I will win the invitational.  Mark my word!

Keep on fishing,

Bridget

Super Crew

Me, Karrisha, Bridget, Mark, and Anicia ready to fish!

Hey guys!

Yesterday was so much fun! Almost all of the STH/STB staff came together very early in the morning to go on a fishing trip. We were split into different groups to go on separate boats. My group consisted of Karrisha, Mark, Anicia, Bridget, and myself (Aka best team ever!). Plus, Captain Paul and First mate Steve. I got to meet Anicia and Karrisha's mother, Marlene, who was really nice! 

Unfortunately, nobody on my boat caught any fish. We still had fun, though. We talked and got to know each other a little better. It was a very informative boat ride. Lots of work stories were told and lots of laughs were had. It was a great bonding experience! Karrisha even got to drive the boat for a few minutes. Shh! Don't tell anyone..

It was only 60 degrees out and we were on the water so as you can imagine, we were freezing! Of course we made the best of it. Even though we didn't catch any fish, Bruce was nice enough to give us 2 really big Striped Bass, which Tom was super excited to fillet for us to  take home! I so psyched to eat it and in fact cooked it later for dinner! 

Voila! It was delicious!

The Beautiful Camp Harbor View

Camp Harbor View is absolutely phenomenal.  Where was this day camp when I was growing up?  As stated in my last blog post, Monday was filled with visiting Blacks Creek and Camp Harbor View (CHV).  I had never been out to CHV and I all knew about the site was that it was the furthest point on Long Island.  As I started my trek from Blacks Creek (with a short stop for a turkey sandwich, Slim Jims and bottle of water) I couldn't help but admire the beautiful scenery along the Quincy shoreline.  Thank goodness no one was driving behind me as I drove by the love shack and over the bridge because I was driving about 10 mph looking out at the amazing views of the harbor.

Beautiful view on the way to Camp Harbor View

As I arrived at the camp I was mesmerized.  This camp had everything to offer; swimming pool, a nude beach, rock climbing, fishing, "mess hall", ropes course, sailing, and much more.  It vaguely reminded me of Nickelodeon's "Salute Your Shorts" - probably because I showed up during lunch time.  As a Boston Public School teacher, I could not believe I hadn't heard about this camp before.  Kids between the ages of 11-14 (perfect for the middle school students I teach) sign up for 4 weeks at the camp and only pay $5 with transportation included.  How awesome is that!?

As soon as lunch ended the kids were directed to find their "afternoon activity group" which meant game on for fishing club.  We quickly gathered up our 12 kids and walked to the pier.  This afternoon session was only an hour but the kids searched for crabs on the beach and fished off the pier using the gummy crabs as bait. It's always great to see kid's reactions when they lift a rock from the beach and see five crabs scurry away.  There's always the loud, "Wow" or "Oh my goodness" but these kids were fearless and picked up tons of crabs to show off and put in the bucket.

Looking for crabs on the beach

Once our bucket was full of crabs, Asian Shore Crabs that is, we headed back to the pier for some fishing!  Most of the kids were already pros at fishing while other needed some help.  Will.i.Am, Clark Kent and the Junior Program Assistants sprang into action baiting hook and teaching kids how to cast their line.  I worked with a few kids but mostly played photographer to caputre these great moments!

Manny and Will helping out some campers

I cannot wait to go back and visit Camp Harbor View again! Maybe they will even let me climb the rock wall - fingers crossed!.....But probably they shouldn't because I'm a klutz.

- Bridget

Hey Everyone Im Manny !

very first day on the job

Hey everyone for some of you new comers who are not familiar with me, my name is Manuel Anthony Dejesus. I have been apart of the Save the Harbor/Save the Bay team for about a year now and I honestly love the work I do here for the company. I also like the really fun activities we do for the kids. I still currently attend Fenway high school I am going into my junior year and am really excited for that and the awesome summer about to be shared with all these cool kids. I’m hoping for another fantastic summer once again with the Save the Harbor/Save the Bay family.

Good to be home

Hi!  My Name is Ahmed Hassan, I am a returning Junior Program Assistant at Save the Harbor! This is my third year returning and it feels great to be back. I am from South Boston, MA and an uprising freshman at Stonehill College.  I recently graduated from Fenway High School and am very ready for this summer. I am looking forward to all the thrills my job has in store for me, meeting new people and connecting with friends from last year.

I cannot wait to return to my favorite site, McDonough Sailing Center, in South Boston! I love to go out on the Boston Whaler to catch lobster, fishing off the Fort Point Channel, and kayaking off Spectacle Island. This summer has wonderful things in-store and it will be great. I have high expectations for this summer and all shall be fulfilled.

-Ahmed Hassan

Celebrating Birthdays: Save the Harbor Style

What better way to celebrate your birthday than fishing off the pier at the Boston Children’s Museum!  Yesterday, Mark and I both celebrated turning a year older (and hopefully wiser!) while showing kids the art of crabbing and fishing at the Boston Children’s Museum. 

Birthday twins

Team Children’s Museum has been a crab-catching-machine the past three days.  We have caught 61 crabs along with two fish, a baby Flounder and Striped Bass and cannot wait to get back on the pier tomorrow!  The families visiting the Children's Museum have loved the touch tank filled with crabs and the ability to fish - some for the very first time! 

Rowan excited about fishing for the first time

The Junior Program Assistants (JPA) have been doing a great job educating the kids on how to identify male and female crabs, the different types of crabs caught, and how to hold a crab without getting pinched.  As one of the kids said yesterday, "I don't want that crabby pinching off my fingers!"  Not only are the JPA's well educated in identifying different types of sea creatures, they also know what bait attracts the most crabs.  Veteran Junior Program Assistant, Ahmed, was quick to think of a solution for our absence of crabs this morning: hot dogs.  We purchased hot dogs from a local store and it was an instant success.  We were soon catching more crabs than ever and the kids couldn't believe the crabs liked hot dogs as much as they do!  I mean, who doesn't love hot dogs?!

Nhu showing off the crabs we've caught

Between birthdays and hot dogs things are heating up at the Boston Children's Museum.  Stay tuned to see what we catch next!

-Bridget

Island Fun!

Boat ride to George's Island

Hey everyone, it's Kiki here! 

This is my first year working at Save the Harbor/Save the Bay and I just returned from an adventurous day with All Access Boston Harbor!  Today hundreds of kids came together to explore George's Island. We showed the kids around and took them through the tunnel where, as legend tells, the "lady in black" resides. They really seemed to enjoy themselves. They fished, played kickball, and took in the scenery. Seeing all those excited faces even made ME excited. 

In the morning, when everyone arrived at the Bank of America Pavilion, Kristen and I, another Junior Program Assistant, sat with a couple of kids from the Jackson Mann Community Center. They had so many great questions!  They kept asking us what we were going to do at the island, if the boat was scary, and if they would have fun.  We also colored and got to know each other a little better. 

I cannot wait to see what the rest of the summer has in store for us!

-Kiki

Monday at the Children's Museum

Today was an exciting day for the summer staff at Save the Harbor /Save the Bay. It was the kickoff of our summer 2013 program. This morning our Senior Marine Educators gathered at their various sites alongside their Junior Program Assistants. Every Monday, myself along with the other Senior Marine Educators Bridget and Iris, will be situated along the pier located at the Boston Children's Museum.

Our staff included the Junior Program Assistants sharing a new knowledge of crabs and other marine life.

 Here Bridget teaches what kind of crab she caught to these two children. 

The staff and I facilitated hands-on exploration of living crabs for the visiting children and families. This allowed the children to learn the types of crabs and also difference between a male and female crabs.

One of the Junior Assistants teaches a child how to use a fishing pole. 

 Also we taught the kids how to use the fishing poles as they attempted to catch some fish. We also described  what bait was and why we use it. The children also helped us pulling up and exploring the crabs traps to see if we were able to catch anything.

Here I am showing a child how to use a crab trap

Overall, My fellow staff and I had a great start at the Boston Children's Museum.

Give me that fillet of fish

Yesterday, Save the Harbor/Save the Bay's Senior Marine Educators joined Bruce Berman and our 2013 Junior Program Assistants for a day of fish, fun and sun as part of our staff training week. We started the morning at the Bank of America Pavilion getting to know each other with introductions and a fun-fact ice breaker, thanks to Sarah Chang.

Then we headed outside, overlooking the harbor, to learn how to fillet a giant striped bass that Bruce had caught just the day before.

A beautiful striped bass

We checked out the scales and and the different parts of the fish before Bruce started filleting. A few brave souls tried their hand at filleting as well as soon enough we had 2 big fillets. 

Sarah cuts into the fish, being careful to avoid the spine. 

Filleting the fish

Bruce put some of the fish in a cup with lime juice and ginger and left the fish to cook in the acid--a classic ceviche preparation. We then continued to dissect the fish and learned about its gills, its stomach, its heart and more. It was a little gross and a lot interesting! Finally we got to eat the fish in two preparations: ceviche and sashimi with soy sauce, pickled ginger and wasabi. The fish couldn't have been any fresher!

Sashimi striped bass and ceviche

The whole group at the Bank of America Pavilion 

After this, we walked over to the aquarium and took a short board ride over to George's Island. With David Coffin, our Boston Harbor historian, we got to explore Fort Warren and the island, and imagined what this island would be like on a day with an All Access Boston Harbor trip full of kids. David led us through the dark passages of the fort, told us stories and tricks of the trade--which you can find out if you go on one of our All Access trips! 

Going into Fort Warren

On top of the fort, overlooking the harbor

David Coffin is a great guide and explorer

David challenged us to do something new today and we accomplished that. In the bakery of the fort, we found a giant oven and our smallest member, Bridget, got inside to see if she would fit! 

I hear baked Bridget is delicious

Finally, we ended the day on the beach. We skipped rocks, learned about crabs and starfish, and threw our "Simply Marble-ous" Treasure Hunt marbles into the water. It was a beautiful day and everyone had lots of fun. This is gong to be a great summer!

Exploring the beach on George's Island

--Rachel Frenkil

Communications and Events Summer Intern