It's a Photo Finish!

Hey Everyone!

It's Senior Harbor Educator, Briana, with the scoop on our first week of programming!

Eric leading our Crab Chat

This week has been an eventful one at Blacks Creek in Quincy. We had a huge turn out for the races, a total of 28 crabs were caught in one day! We began our crabbing curriculum by teaching our Harbor Explorers about crab traps and how they work. We buckled our life jackets up and headed over to the dock. We allowed our explorers to pull the trap out of the water and onto the dock, revealing the numerous crabs we caught. After placing each crab into a bucket we brought them to the touch tank on the beach and circled the kids up for a Crab Chat. During our chat we taught our explorers all about crabs; the difference between a boy and girl crab, how to hold a crab without getting pinched, and even about the moulting cycle of a crab. We also discussed why some crabs may have fewer legs or claws than others.

"And they're off!"

After our Crab Chat it was time to get our creatures that we learned so much about back to their habitat. One of our favorite pastimes at Save The Harbor/Save The Bay is crab racing. We started out by drawing a line in the sand and grouping explorers into pairs. Each pair got one crab and was able to properly hold it until we were ready.

"On your mark, get set, go!!" Group 2 came out of the gates quick but was the first to hit a wall. It was a photo finish for two groups and ultimately it came down to a rigorous game of  Rock, Paper, Scissors to make the final decision. In the end, the girls from group 3 were victorious.

Eric commentating the final competitors

At the end of the day we all celebrated our valiant efforts in the races and our 100 degree exploring with some Gaga Ball in the shade. Despite the exhaustion from the heat, spirits were anything but low. Both Harbor Explorers and staff members were playing and enjoying the game. Everyone had a great time, even when someone got out they stood on the side lines and cheered on the remaining players.

It was a blast!!

Now, I'm off to the races! See ya next time!
Briana

Friends of Wollaston Beach KidsFest.

This weekend I had the privilege to head down to Wollaston Beach in Quincy to help with the annual KidsFest, hosted by the Friends of Wollaston Beach. Upon arrival the crew and I received a warm welcome from the volunteers there, in particular from Neil McCole who heads up the fantastic organization.

Setting up at KidsFest.

As the event got underway families streamed onto the beach to take advantage of all the awesome stuff provided for them free of charge. Friends of Wollaston beach had organized for moonbounces, a duck hunt, sack races, hula hooping, jump roping and many other fun activities for the kids to participate in. On top of this they also brought a truckload of prizes to be handed out throughout the afternoon.

Our touch tank was also a hit.

Perhaps my favorite event, and the one with the best prizes, was the duck hunt. Rubber duckies were placed in the ocean and the kids were gathered at the top of the beach. At the sound of a horn the kids all rushed down into the water to grab a duck, all of which looked slightly different from one another. Some of the lucky kids who managed to grab a duck holding a football were given brand new boogie boards. Everyone else got to take home the duckies they had grabbed and were certainly privileged to get other prizes over the course of the event. Indeed, due to the generosity of the Friends of Wollaston Beach and their partners, no one went home empty handed. 

Coming from the water with a captured duck.

Afterwards the beach-goers went on a hunt for the blue and white Jet Blue marbles, with three or four being found. Finally as the sun set the team and I helped handout mass quantities of glow in the dark gear to help fuel the kids dance party, an event furthered by the exceptional DJ skills of Neil, despite the modest opinion of his own talent behind the booth.

Overall it was a fantastic event that got a lot of families out enjoying a spectacular beach. I cant imagine a better way to spend a Saturday afternoon... well, maybe besides fishing on said beach.

- Tom Rebula

A Bountiful Day

Monday was a day marked by landmark catches at both of my program sites. 

At Blacks Creek one of the campers was surprised to pull up a net full of sea weed and find what he believed to be an American eel, a species that our Blacks Creek Explorers have become very familiar with. When he brought the contents over to me to help him remove the slender creature, I was thrilled to see that, instead of the an eel it was a common pipefish. This was the first time that the kids or myself had encountered one of these interesting cousins to seahorses at Blacks Creek. The kids, as usual, were thrilled to have found something new and were interested to hear about the mating habits of the species.

Taking the pipefish from the observation bucket for release

Our luck at Blacks Creek carried over to fishing club at Camp Harbor View. The bluefish that are beginning to show up in Boston Harbor graced our rods with a few nibbles and one of the campers was lucky enough to hook up. While it was just a small one, the camper who caught it was still proud of his first fish. Hopefully we can get some bigger ones to bite before the summer closes out.

A fisherman with his catch.

Close up of a toothy maw.

Additionally, the small minnow trap that we have hanging off of the side of CHV's dock managed to capture the smallest flounder that I have ever seen. While both of our catches during club-time were diminutive in size, they both served to excite the kids in the club for the prospect of catching more fish and for the upcoming fishing trip that we will be taking with them. 

Flounder (reduced to reflect actual size)

- Hoping for good times and tight lines, Tom Rebula

Fun Games with Fun Friends !

Matt and Shavya checking out the contents of their nets

Hey everyone, Manny here! Just wanted to share this awesome picture of my friends Shavya and Matt closely examining the the tiny minnows they caught on there exploration around Blacks Creek. Some of the kids were lucky enough to catch other aquatic creatures such as crabs, small American eels, shrimp and muscles. Matt in particular had a sharp eye for catching minnows, which was surprising because of how small they were and how fast they move in the water. 

Luckily other kids found other interesting things such as shells of odd color and shape and even a bunch of clams! The day went by very smoothly and everyone had caught a bunch of stuff before it came to an end. The kids enjoyed themselves a lot, especially Matt and Shavya. They even told there parents to recommend Save The Harbor/ Save The Bay to their friends and family! It was a very remarkable day indeed for the Save The Harbor/ Save The Bay team and the young harbor explorers of North Quincy! This is only the beginning to what the save the harbor staff have in store for the bright children of blacks creak ! 

FISH ON!

Today was an extraordinary day at both of my program sites.

The morning started as usual at Blacks Creek, with the first session of kids going through and fully enjoying the activities in which we normally have them participate. As the second group came in we realized that staffers from the Quincy Rec. Sailing Center had placed our crab trap out the previous evening. When we pulled it in, I was thrilled to find that a two foot eel had made its way inside, most likely to feed on the many crabs that had also been trapped.

 

Trying to get a hold of a slippery fellow.

The kids loved feeling the slimy skin, and a few of the more adventurous ones even tried to hold it, a task comparable to grabbing a fist full of air- those suckers are just so darn slippery. Besides delivering boundless entertainment for the kids, the captured eel also provided an excellent opportunity for me to explain the biological characteristics of a species that our Blacks Creek Explorers had yet to see. Not sure if they understood my discussion of the Sargasso Sea or the journeys that American eels make between fresh and saltwater, but it was still a valuable experience. They may have just been too captivated by the eel itself.

With such a fantastic start to the morning I would have been surprised if the rest of my day at Camp Harbor View would be as full of novel experiences and room for teaching, but surprised I was.

After our block with fishing club the campers at CHV had a performance to attend, leaving my team with a small amount of downtime before we would receive groups of campers again. I, naturally, went fishing, and as luck would have it hooked into a decent sized striper after only three or four casts (I believe this marks the first striper of any SHSB employee during work hours this summer. Prizes?). 

 

First striper at SHSB and first fish at CHV (now we just need to get a few on the end of campers rods)

After landing and measuring, I decided to keep the fish for educational, as well as, culinary purposes. When the next groups came around they exhibited a level of excitement and interest, equal to, or surpassing, that of the kids at Blacks Creek, and I was more than happy to share the knowledge I had. 

Grabbing hold of the monster

Words cannot express how glad I am to be in a place and position where this type of opportunity is commonplace.

 

- Thanking our bountiful Harbor, Tom Rebula

Wollaston Beach Discovery Day 7/13

The Department of Conservation and Recreation hosted Wollaston Beach Discovery Day this past Saturday on July 13th. They provided informational material about testing water quality at Wollaston and even provided a water quality test kits for kids to use. Friends of Wollaston Beach and the Aquarium also had informational tables and touch tanks available. The kids learned how to test the amount of bacteria and oxygen in the water.

Annie Adams from Save the Harbor/Save the Bay testing the water quality at Wollaston Beach

Informational Poster about Water Quality by Emily Ostroff from DCR

Despite the overcast weather, Quincy community members brought their families to the beach and enjoyed building sandcastles, throwing frisbees, and hula hooping. They had the opportunity to see the animals that live in the ocean water, what types of shells are commonly found in the sand, and how to keep their beach clean and healthy. It was not a bad way to spend a cloudy Saturday afternoon. 

Until the next Better Beaches event stay sandy,
Iris Ayala

Treasure Hunters Have Plenty to Be Thankful For

Five treasure hunters from Greater Boston had something special to celebrate this Thanksgiving, as Save the Harbor / Save the Bay announced the winners of their "Simply Marble-ous" Treasure Hunt, sponsored by JetBlue Airways.

Bridget of South Boston shows off her marble!

More than 1,000 people took part in the treasure hunt, including participants from Chelsea, Dorchester, East Boston, Hull, Lawrence, Lynn, Melrose, Milton, Nahant, Peabody, Quincy, Reading, Revere, Somerville, South Boston, Stoughton and Winthrop.

The five lucky winners were chosen from the more than 100 beachcombers who found a cobalt blue marble on one of the Boston Harbor region's public beaches. Each received 40,000 TrueBlue points that can be redeemed for flights to any of the 45 nonstop destinations JetBlue serves from Boston’s Logan International Airport. 

This year's winners were Bridget McGrath of South Boston, Susan Hardiman of Dorchester, Michelle and Caitlin Cooper of Dorchester, Helen Anderson of South Boston, and Michael Long of Savin Hill, who 

found his marble on Malibu Beach.

Susan and Vanya of Dorchester share their marble!

Caitlin proudly displays her discovery!

Helen shows off her marble on the beach

The "Simply Marble-ous" Treasure Hunt began in June when 100 JetBlue crewmembers and volunteers from Save the Harbor hit the beach in South Boston for an early season cleanup.  Working in teams, they helped the Department of Conservation and Recreation remove trash, weeds, stray sand and debris from Carson Beach.

Michael with his totally marble-ous find!

After the cleanup, each of the participants “released” a single blue marble in the sand at the water’s edge. To spread the fun around the region, Save the Harbor also "released" 100 additional marbles
on the region’s public beaches in Nahant, Lynn, Revere, Winthrop, East Boston, South Boston, Dorchester, Quincy and Hull. The one-inch tempered blue glass marbles were both beautiful and environmentally friendly. They are made of recycled glass, which was made from sand.

“We have a long-standing relationship with Save the Harbor and with the community in Greater Boston, home to our 2,000 crewmembers, who mirror the company’s philanthropic efforts with their own volunteer work locally,” said JetBlue’s Regional Marketing Manager Ronda Ivy McLeod. “A beach cleanup and treasure hunt is right in line with our fun value and our commitment to the city that chooses JetBlue more than any other airline out of Logan.”

More than 100 JetBlue employees gather with Save the Harbor staff before starting the beach cleanup and kicking off the "Simply Marble-ous" contest in June!

"We really want to thank JetBlue Airways for giving something special back to our community," said Save the Harbor's spokesman Bruce Berman. "They are great partners, and we really treasure their support."

We hope you will take a minute to watch this short video
about this year's "Simply Marble-ous" Treasure Hunt.

Congratulations to all of our winners and many thanks to all of our participants,
and a special thanks to our friends and partners at JetBlue Airways!

Three islands, the Charles, and the ocean. Week 1 complete!

Never before have I experienced such a fun and exciting first week of training for a job -- until last week, that is! Last Friday concluded my first week with Save the Harbor, and I could not have asked for a better week.

View of downtown from Piers Park in East Boston

Our team started off the week by jumping on a ferry to head out to the Boston Harbor Islands -- Spectacle and Georges to be more specific. I had been to Spectacle a handful of times in the past, but was excited to return as the island is easily one of my favorite parts about Boston. Not only are the views incredible, but it also reminds me of where I was raised in the sense that it is quiet and serene, and the sounds of birds chirping and a breeze blowing through the grass flow through my ears. We spent our time there combing the beach for anything interesting, whether it be sea glass, marbles, marine life or artifacts. Luckily, our team discovered all four things, and as hard as it was to leave the sea glass gems where we found them, we understood that it was necessary. Our next stop was at Georges Island, where we explored the dark and spooky tunnels of Fort Warren while learning some great stories to tell the kids in the process! Despite the skies opening up as we ended our adventure, blue skies greeted us as we set foot back in the city.

View of the Charles River from the Esplanade; Home to Community Boating

The following days proved to be equally adventurous and exciting. Our team got to visit the majority of the sites we partner with including the Quincy Recreation Department at Blacks Creek, Camp Harbor View out on Long Island, Community Boating on the Esplanade down on the Charles River, Courageous Sailing Center in Charlestown, Piers Park in East Boston and the Boston Children's Museum. In the process, I got to learn new things such as how to tell the difference between a male and female crab, the fact that the green crab can also appear orange and black in color, the different compartments of a lobster trap, and how to fillet a fish. Despite my initial hesitation when it came to slicing the pollock open, I gained confidence as I held the fish down, learning precisely where to slice it to end up with the perfect piece of fish!

Our team ended the week by practicing fishing off of Children's Wharf on the Fort Point Channel, and it brought me right back to my fishing days as a child. Growing up on a lake offered me the chance to interact with fish and water almost everyday, and it reminded me of how much fun I had as a kid just relaxing out on the dock, and fishing almost every chance I got when I wasn't in the water swimming. This was the perfect way to end our week of training, and our first week with Save the Harbor/Save the Bay. Our first day at our sites is on July 9th, and I cannot wait to see what the day, and the summer as a whole brings!

-Ashley, Senior Harbor Educator

Save the Harbor / Save the Bay Awards Over $25,000 in Better Beaches Grants

Save the Harbor Save the Harbor / Save the Bay awarded more than $25,000 in grants to 12 groups to support 30 free public events in nine beachfront communities from Nahant to Nantasket at an awards breakfast at our office on the Boston Fish Pier on Saturday, June 23^rd.

Recipients of this year's Better Beaches grants with representatives
from Save the Harbor / Save the Bay, Harpoon Brewery and JetBlue Airways

This year’s “Better Beaches” events include sand sculpting competitions, beachfront concerts, environmental education programs, family fun nights, reading programs, and beach programs.

“The region’s 19 miles of sandy public beaches have the power to connect a million people with the Harbor we have worked so hard to restore and protect,” said Patricia A. Foley, President of Save the Harbor / Save the Bay. “We are proud to support our partners in the city's waterfront neighborhoods and beachfront communities as they work to bring the regions kids and families to their beaches and the harbor.”

In addition to the grant, Save the Harbor / Save the Bay also gave each group 22 one-inch diameter blue marbles to scatter on their respective beaches. Anyone who finds one of these marbles between now and the end of the summer will be entered into a drawing to win one of five prizes of 40,000 TrueBlue points from JetBlue Airways. Click here for more information about this "Marble-ous" summer treasure hunt.

Save the Harbor's "Better Beaches" program was launched in 2008 in partnership with The Boston Foundation, whose early support helped make it a success. In the past four years, local community partners in Nahant, Lynn, Revere, Winthrop, East Boston, South Boston, Dorchester, Quincy, and Hull have leveraged $116,500 in small grants from Save the Harbor with $403,500 in cash and in-kind donations from local government and small businesses for a total of $520,000 to support 130 free beach events and activities for everyone to enjoy.

Funds to support this year's grants came from the 2nd annual Harpoon Helps Cupid Splash and the more than 500 “Splashers” who plunged into the chilly ocean water to support their beach. Additional financial support comes from Save the Harbor's "Better Beaches Program" funding partners at Harpoon Brewery, JetBlue Airways, National Grid, Comcast Massachusetts, the Harold Whitworth Pierce Charitable Trust, Russo Marine and Legal Sea Foods, as well as our in-kind supporters at the BCYF Curley Community Center and the Department of Conservation & Recreation.

About Save the Harbor / Save the Bay

Founded in 1986, Save the Harbor / Save the Bay is the region’s leading voice for clean water and the restoration and protection of Boston Harbor, the waterfront, our region's public beaches, the Boston 

Harbor Islands and the marine environment.

To find out more about Save the Harbor / Save the Bay’s Better Beaches Programs, visit our website at http://www.savetheharbor.org.

2012 Better Beaches Grant Recipients

Community	Group	Event	Amount
Lynn & Nahant	Friends of Lynn & Nahant Beach	2012 Red Rock Summer Concert Series	$2,500
	Friends of Heritage Park	World Folk Festival	$500
Revere	Revere Beach Partnership	National Sand Sculpting Festival	$5,000
Winthrop	Friends of Winthrop Beach	Family activities on the beach	$1,000
	Friends of Belle Isle Marsh	Educational activities on the beach	$1,000
East Boston	East Boston YMCA	Summer Food Service Program and Campfires	$3,500
South Boston	South Boston Neighborhood House	Family Fun Night on the Beach	$2,500
	City Point Neighborhood Association	Beat the Summer Sizzle at Pleasure Bay	$1,000
	BCYF Curley Community Center	Summer Youth Programs	$3,500
Dorchester	Friends of Savin Hill Shores	Beach Festival Family Movie Night	$2,000
Quincy	Friends of Wollaston Beach	Kids Fest	$1,000
	Quincy Beaches and Coastal Commission	Pumpkin Fest	$1,000
Hull	Friends of Paragon Carousel	Museum Projects and Reading Program	$1,000
	Hull Nantasket Chamber of Commerce	Endless Summer Waterfront Festival	$1,000