George's Sea Stars

One of my biggest goals this summer is to find a living sea star out on the Boston Harbor Islands. I had heard rumors of sightings from other colleagues who had gone out and seen some on George’s Islands. The weeks we have been out on George’s I’ve searched feverishly for the five-armed echinoderms, but have come up with no luck. You can imagine how envious I was when I found out the group at the Courageous pulled some up with their crab traps.

A large group of kids were exploring the water line on Thursday and I joined them in one of my favorite activates. As they looked for sea glass and crab claws, eagerly showing off their findings to their camp mates, and myself I was keeping my eye out for a star. While I was talking to one girl another girl came running but to me “Look what we found! What is it?” In her hand was a sea star! On closer inspection I saw that the sea star was not alive but was the endoskeleton of a sea star that was bleach white. Even though it wasn’t a live sea star it was the first evidence I have personally found of sea stars in Boston Harbor. The founders of the white sea stars promptly decided that the sea star skeleton was less interesting than the shiny, colorful sea glass and tossed it back into the sea.

The hunt will have to continue for the elusive sea stars in two weeks when we return to George’s for the last time this summer. Hopefully this time the search will be more fruitful!

-Nora D.

Crab, Crab, Crab...Lobster!

It's no secret that All Access has had a productive summer on the fishing side of the program. Every time Andrea casts a fishing line into the water, she is pulling a skate or a bass up! With Andrea busy being the Queen of Fishing, Kharliyah and I have taken the gauntlet in crab catching.

We have found an abundance of rock crabs, Jonah crabs, spider crabs, and green crabs. We have found so many almost every kid who has gone out on all access with us knows the differences between all four species and how to tell the difference between male and females.

On our last day at Spectacle we had a surprise visitor in one of our crab traps. As I was pulling up the trap for one of the last groups of the day, I excitedly exclaimed that we had caught a lobster!! Our excitement spilled over to all the kids on the pier when they saw what we had in our trap. It was a welcome change to all the crabs we had been catching all day. Everyone crowded around to get to touch and take a picture with the lobster. Kharliyah did an excellent job balancing the crowd and holding the lobster at the same time!

After we were done showing off our celebrity of the day we returned him to the water. It was a great way to send our last groups of the week at Spectacle off! It was another great week on All Access and great way to continue the good vibes into George’s next week!

-Nora D.

What Mysteries Do Sea Glass Hold?

 On Wednesday, David Coughan and I took a small group form the Saint Ann's camp to explore Spectacles rocky shoreline. The girls were thrilled to be finding small treasures between the rocks. These treasures were many, many pieces of sea glass! Spectacle has hosted many things in it's life before becoming a state park. It once had hotels, a plant, and was the city's garbage incinerator for a span of time. All the glass found on the beaches are a result of the island's past. As tempting as taking these sea jewels back on the boat with you, all glass must remain on the island because it is part of the national park system.

As we slowly made our way down the beach, faces completely focused on the ground trying to find glass better than the last piece of glass we found. Whenever one of us found something unusual or out of the ordinary we could stop and call the group over. One camper loved finding porcelain piece and another found a large royal blue piece that was absolutely stunning. I tried finding little blue, aqua, and soft green sea glass because I love those colors. The most common colors we found were browns and greens. My unique find of the day was a turquoise bead. It was the only one we found on the beach.

David happened to have a good eye and found a rare color of sea glass, pink! We all oooh'd and aaaaah'd as David held it up in the light. The girls were jealous they had not found this rare treasure to add to their large collections that were now overflowing in everyone's hands. David encouraged us all to think about were this pink piece of glass came from. A vase, a perfume bottle; there could be some many possibilities given the history of the island. Was it valuable? Was it very important to some one at sometime?

Til the next sea glass adventure
-Nora D.

Firsts During The First Week of Summer

If I wasn't already excited for summer, I am even more excited after our first two days out on the islands. This first two days, we embarked the Provincetown II to reach George's Island. We might have started a new tradition of playing "Quackadilly" on the boat ride over. Both rides over Carlos made it to the final two but was beat out by Andrea the first day and by Cristian on the second.

Our first day on George's, we were met by high heat, a hot sun, and little to no shade. The groups we came to the Island with found salvation in Fort Warren's cool and dark tunnels. Though we had few participants to brave the heat with us, we had great day for ourselves. Kharliyah and I started the day exploring the tide line. I had heard rumors of seastars in the tide zone and was eager to have success in finding some. Though we were unsuccessful in finding seastars we found a killdeer and her two chicks. They were so tiny when I tried to take a picture, they didn't show up! I also saw a pair of ducks with ducklings which were also adorable!

Andrea set the bar high for fishing this summer at SHSB. She helped kids catch not one but five striped bass! This has never happened before at George's Island or any other site. We also caught Red Crabs on the second day on George's. It was fun to talk to kids about what kind of animals crabs are and how to tell a male and a female apart. Rock Crabs are also a native species that have been recently outcompeted by Asian Shore Crabs and Green Crabs, so it was great to catch many of them instead of invasive species.

My favorite part of both days was the boat ride home. Not because the day was over but because it showed the connections the AABH team made with kids. Kids were coming up to us asking to play "Quackadilly" again, talking to the boys about sports, asking questions about the harbor, or seeing a few kids fall asleep after a very active day.

I'm excited to see what the rest of the summer holds!

Nora

New Scene For The Summer

Happy Summer 2016 everyone! I am back for my second summer as a Senior Harbor Educator and could not be more excited. A quick refresher about myself. I grew up and currently still live in Dorchester. I love everything about Boston, from the Seaport to Fenway Park. I migrated north for college where I majored in Environmental Biology. I become overly enthusiastic about birds and constantly carry a bird guide with me at all times. I enjoy swimming and hiking whenever I have free time.

Digging for Clams at Carson!

Between Summer 2015 and 2016 I did a lot of traveling. I spent time in Ireland, France, Italy, and Germany. It was amazing to see the diversity of culture and people we have in our world. My two biggest highlights of the trip were swimming in the Mediterranean and see the Cliffs of Moher.

Horseshoe crab!

  Last year I worked mainly at the Carson Beach site. As much as I will miss the clams, kayaking, and soccer events, I will be changing sites this summer. I will be working on the All Access Boston Harbor trips three days a week. I am looking forward to many boat rides, fishing stores, and tide zone explorations. The fishing scene at Carson is very sparse, I am hoping we will be getting a lot of bites out on the islands! Spectacle Island is one of my favorite islands; you can swim there which is definitely needed after a competitive kickball game! I can't wait to see what I learn this summer at All Access. I have an awesome team working with me that is going to make the summer a fun one!

Until next time,

Nora

New Scene For The Summer

Happy Summer 2016 everyone! I am back for my second summer as a Senior Harbor Educator and could not be more excited. A quick refresher about myself. I grew up and currently still live in Dorchester. I love everything about Boston, from the Seaport to Fenway Park. I migrated north for college where I majored in Environmental Biology. I become overly enthusiastic about birds and constantly carry a bird guide with me at all times. I enjoy swimming and hiking whenever I have free time.

Digging for Clams at Carson!

Between Summer 2015 and 2016 I did a lot of traveling. I spent time in Ireland, France, Italy, and Germany. It was amazing to see the diversity of culture and people we have in our world. My two biggest highlights of the trip were swimming in the Mediterranean and see the Cliffs of Moher.

Horseshoe crab!

  Last year I worked mainly at the Carson Beach site. As much as I will miss the clams, kayaking, and soccer events, I will be changing sites this summer. I will be working on the All Access Boston Harbor trips three days a week. I am looking forward to many boat rides, fishing stores, and tide zone explorations. The fishing scene at Carson is very sparse, I am hoping we will be getting a lot of bites out on the islands! Spectacle Island is one of my favorite islands; you can swim there which is definitely needed after a competitive kickball game! I can't wait to see what I learn this summer at All Access. I have an awesome team working with me that is going to make the summer a fun one!

Until next time,

Nora

Afternoon Fun With The South Boston Boys & Girls Club

A camper, Bella, Preston, and I trying to jump rope together

The staff at Carson got to spend a lovely afternoon with a small group from the South Boston Boys and Girls Club on Monday. Usually after lunch time, the beach and sand become very hot and it is difficult to stay on it for a long period of time. Good thing we were able to come up with some creative alternatives for our friends! Some kids braved walking down to the mud to cool off in the water; one girl even found her own Quahog! The others not so brave found sanctuary under the shade of the bathhouse. A few girls brought a jump rope which every one really enjoyed. Bella and Andrea were probably the best jumpers from the SHSB staff. I even tried jumping in a few times; it brought me back to my school yard days. We also played a few hand games like Stella Ella Ola, Slide, and Ninja. We even tried a game of Ride That Pony but it was sadly short-lived.

I always feel good when groups have to leave and kids and staff alike are sad to part ways. We love seeing familiar faces at Carson, they always brighten our days down the beach!

Keep adventuring!

Nora

The Quahog Queen!

An Incredible End of the Week at Carson

This last Thursday and Friday was the largest amount of kids Carson Beach has hosted this summer. Thankfully, we were prepared with many activities and events for all the kids to make lasting memories. Thursday morning started with soccer with America SCORES and swim lessons with the Dorchester YMCA. Everyone in the water was happy to escape the heat and everyone playing soccer made sure to hydrate and wear sunscreen. The highlight of the day was Norah Dooley coming and telling her story of Mary the Pirate. All the kids loved listening to her fantastic storytelling. At the end of her story she tested the kids wits with riddles and true or false questions.

On Friday the main activities were fishing, kayaking, and more swimming, The BASE kids had a great time kayaking for the first time on Carson. All the kids were also excited to try out casting a fishing pole for the first time. The kids also got to work with DCR. The women from DCR led an activity with a sand net to try and capture any marine organisms. Luckily Joe our photographer was there to capture all the wonderful moments.  Until next time! Nora

Paddle Boarding on a Windy Day

Kayaks fighting the wind

This Friday I learned that paddle boarding and a strong head wind do not mix well. I am relatively new at paddle boarding and got a little too ambitious. I set my goal to reach JFK Library from Carson because it would have been the farthest I've gone out on a paddle board. The water seemed rather calm from the beach so I did not think I would have any difficulties. Lindsey and Kristen also decided to take paddle boards out while everyone else took out kayaks. Getting out to JFK library was easy, the wind pushed me out so I had to do a minimum amount of work. Once I reached JFK, I knew I was in trouble. The water was very choppy and I was having to balance myself m
ore than usual. Everyone else was also having difficulty moving in the wind. We all turned around to head back but any time we advanced, a large gust of wind blew us back to our starting points. We battled our way against the wind, giving it our all. The kayaks got in first, but Lindsey, Kristen, and I took longer. We found it easier to sit or kneel on our boards than to stand, making everything more balanced. We finally made our way back to the beach and were happy to be on dry land. We all definitely got a good work out in! I might stick to kayaks next week!!

Talk to you again next week!

Nora

Keep on Kicking & Clamming at Carson!

This Tuesday at Carson we had a boat load of kids on the beach but had more than enough room for activities. The morning started off with a few rounds of corn hole provided by America SCORES and the New England Revolution. Some people, like Carlos, found a natural rhythm to the game. A few games got pretty close; there was even a comeback by Carlos and Dexter, who were down 6-0 but were able to rally and win the game. Following corn hole, kids were split up to do different soccer games and activities. Soccer games can get very competitive, but it's always good to see kids cheering on or celebrating their fellow campers.

The kids who did not want to participate in soccer, made their way down to the beach. They spent the day swimming, digging for clams, and hunting for hermit crabs. Kids are always fascinated by how a clam works and ask a lot of questions. Some are even overwhelmed with how many they can find by just digging one hole. This Wednesday, we had similar reactions from a group of kids who also took on the challenge of digging through Carson's thick mud during low tide. Soft-shell calms have been the most abundant on Carson, ranging in size but we always manage to find something amazing. Today our find was a small surf clam! The one I found was extremely small but still an awesome find on Carson! Now including the surf clam, we have found six different bivalve species while exploring the intertidal zone.

I'm looking forward to keeping everyone up to date on more of our finds at Carson!
Nora

A Week's Worth of Clamming and Painting at Carson

On Monday, I had my first ever fish printing experience. Lindsey brought a flounder, caught at a different site, to create the print. Making a fish print is rather easy, you simply cover the fish with the desired color you want, place a clean sheet of paper over the fish, and very lightly press the paper so all the parts of the fish are visible on the paper. We did many fish prints with the kids, and each one came out unique and different. Carson always has an opportunity to release your creative outlet. America SCORES leads activities in poetry and painting and yesterday a sand sculpture was being built on our beach. I can't wait to see how it came out!

When we are not letting our inner artist out at Carson, we are busy digging for clams. On Tuesday, we seemed to have hit the clam mother-load. It started with finding small clams and escalated into reaching down into the sand and finding huge soft-shell clams. Staff and kids alike were amazed by how many clams we were pulling up! You could not take a step without seeing the squirts of water popping out from the sand. As an added bonus, a camper found a razor clam in the water, which is always really exciting! Carson has not failed once to bring on the ocean fun!

Til next week,
Nora

Clams, Mussels, and Oysters, Oh My!

        The coolest thing about Carson is the wide variety of mollusks you can find during low tide. The past few days Arianna, Preston, and I have been tirelessly digging and searching with our young explorers to find these treasures.
        Wednesday was our biggest day of clamming. We were able to find many quahogs or hard-shell clams, as well as soft-shell clams while digging. Young explorers also found mussels during low tide and it was really fun showing them the differences between all the different bivalves. The best creature we found on Wednesday was a huge razor clam! I had just warned some kids to watch out for any sharp broken clamshells when one girl found a live razor clam!! The coolest part was putting the razor clam in the water and watching it come out of the shell. All the kids were amazed but it and were asking a lot of great and interesting questions about the clams and how they develop and function.
Thursday we were able to find more soft-shell clams and a few quahogs but the best find of the day was an oyster! The girls who found it were convinced that there would be a pearl inside and wanted to take it home. We explained to them that taking the oyster away from the beach would be taking it away from its home, and they agreed to keep it on the beach.
Hopefully in the coming week we will find enough clams to send to other sites to use for fishing bait. I can’t wait to see what we dig up next!
                                                                                                                           -Nora

Testing the Waters at Carson

Learning from the ballnastics master

Carson Beach is starting its maiden voyage as a Save the Harbor Save the Bay site this summer. The last three days we have worked with different organizations that provide great opportunities for kids on the beach. The groups we have been working with are America SCORES, the Dorchester YMCA, and Boston Boating.

America SCORES has had us running around all over the beach with high-energy activities. Each morning we start with a pacer test to see how long we can run between two points under a certain amount of time. The first day I made it to 18 laps, and the second day I made it to 21. Hopefully by the end of summer my endurance will be higher and I’ll be up in the 60s! America SCORES also led a lesson in “ballnastics”, where you learn how to maneuver the ball in many different ways. Needless to say, my legs have been very tired and sore after work!!

America SCORES also provides some enrichment activities. The activity we did on Tuesday was similar to capture the flag but with a balloon. Once your balloon was popped, you had to read the poem that was inside the balloon. We also had to write our own poem about balloons. We all shared our poems to each other and everyone did a great job!!

Some of our finds!

Arianna digging

On Wednesday Boston Boating joined the Carson group. Boston Boating provided kayaking and paddle boarding with the youth groups that came to Carson today. While some kids were out on the water, we took the other kids down the tide line to go clamming. While clamming we found mussels, razor clams, and quahogs. Along with clamming we did a lot of crab hunting. We were able to find Asian Shore Crabs and Hermit Crabs. The best part of the day was when we were all able to take out kayaks. I opted for a paddle board because I have never gone paddle boarding. The key to paddle boarding is balance, and I was lucky enough to not fall off! Out on the water it was a bit windy so it made it difficult to direct our boats.

Back from our first boating trip of the summer

I’m looking forward to updating everyone on the progress of Carson. I believe it will be a great site with many opportunities to have a great time.

Nora

Nora the (Lead Harbor) Explorer!

Hey everyone, my name is Nora Doherty and I will be a Lead Harbor Explorer at Save the Harbor, Save the Bay this summer! This is my first summer here and I’m super excited to dive into everything this program has to offer!!

Growing up in Dorchester, I was lucky enough to be steps away from Malibu beach. I remember days of running in the water to celebrate a big softball game win or just simply going down to the shore line to find hermit crabs and horseshoe crabs with my friends.

Though events like this instilled my love for the ocean, I found my true love of the ocean on the southern tip of Nova Scotia. Visiting my Nana is Shag Harbour, NS is the closest you can get to the ocean without being a marine critter. These maritime people eat, sleep, and breathe the sea. I spent my days down the wharf, watching fishermen unload their weekly catch; gulls flying overhead, and seals bobbing in the near distance, or sunbathing on rocks. Arriving at the beaches at dawn and not leaving the water until sunset was an ideal day.

Starting college at Plymouth State University I was pulled away from the ocean and landed in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. Here I hiked, skied, kayaked, swam, and explored as often as I could. Receiving a degree in environmental biology, I gained a knowledge ranging from ecology to cell biology. My senior research project focused on comparing fossil and modern corals and how changes in their environment affect their skeleton isotope composition.

Last summer I spent time away from the ocean when I had the experience to work in Orlando, Florida. Here I worked hands on with Florida panthers, bobcats, alligators, crocodiles  and tropical birds. 

I hope to bring all my experiences and knowledge to Save the Harbor Save the Bay this summer! The past week we have had orientation and the entire staff is very excited to work together! Have a great summer!