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.

Is It Really Over Already?

It’s hard to believe that summer is already over! It seems like just yesterday I was cluelessly wandering the Boston Fish Pier trying to find the elusive Save the Harbor office and telling myself that I would eventually get used to the intense fish smell (not quite so). But alas, time flies when you’re having fun, right? Over the course of these short weeks I have had the opportunity to explore unique parts of the Boston Harbor, work with some of the best and most dedicated coworkers, catch more crabs than I had previously thought humanly possible and meet some of the most curious and inspiring kids from the different Boston communities.

I came to Save the Harbor with the hope of sharing my enthusiasm for the environment and I can confidently say that I achieved that goal. Seeing all our Harbor Explorers show up early every single day (even on those gray and rainy ones) ready to get their hands dirty was incredibly rewarding and inspires hope for future generations of environmental conservationists.

Each day brought new experiences and my list of favorites from the summer would be endless. But, here’s a quick list of things I am already missing:

1.     Crab Races

2.     Sharks and Minnows

3.     Starting the day with the amazing view from Piers Park

4.     Shoreline walks with Southie kids

5.     Lobstahssss

6.     Impromptu dance parties on the dock

7.     The unconditional love for Save the Harbor staff

8.     Spending the day with goofball kids

A special shout out to my JPAs - Jazeel, Monique, Nhu, and Vinh. The summer would not have been the same without you guys. Thanks for showing up every morning with smiles on your faces. The East Boston and Southie kids (and me!) will never forget their summer with you.

Until next time,

Sarah C

J

A Day of Firsts

Even though Wednesday was the last day of the summer youth program, it was still a day full of firsts for me. With all the Harbor Explorer programs finished, I got to join the All Access Boston Harbor crew and boarded the Provincetown II (for the first time) and headed out to Peddocks Island (another first!). It was really foggy on the water and it felt like we were traveling through the mist towards the end of the world. Suddenly, out of the clouds appeared a giant wind turbine followed by sightings of land. The fog moving over the island gave it all a very surreal look.

Into the unknown

Upon landing, we had a quick lunch break in the shade and then headed to the grassy field to play some Frisbee golf. I learned that aim is not a strong point of mine. Later, I went with Iris, Juelle and Jennifer to explore the island. We found a great scenic overlook and the yurt campsite. The yurts were adorable and each one was equipped with bunk beds, table and a skylight. A camping trip to Peddocks will definitely be on my to-do list for next summer.

Gettin' their frizz on

After touring the island, I headed down to the shoreline to do some fishing with a few of the families that joined us for our last AABH trip. Unfortunately, we caught mostly rocks and seaweed. But, all our young fishers were in good spirits and had just as much fun flipping rocks to find Asian Shore Crabs. It was a lovely day exploring a new corner of the Boston Harbor with my wonderful coworkers and our AABH participants – all in all, a great way to close out the 2013 summer youth program.

-Sarah C

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

Food Fight!!

Ready for action.

After spending the last seven weeks getting to know the kids at McDonough Sailing Center, I expected to close out the summer with nothing less than utter insanity. And they did not disappoint! The Save the Harbor staff and I were informed that every year the kids celebrate the end of the summer with an Ice Cream Sundae Toppings Food Fight followed by everyone jumping off the dock. The days leading up to the event, all the kids were doing was some serious strategizing: “whipped cream is fun, but chocolate syrup is better because you can shoot it from a distance,” “caramel sauce is the best because its really sticky,” “sprinkles are only good if the person you throw them at is really covered in chocolate.” Needless to say, everyone, including the Save the Harbor staff, was eagerly counting down the seconds until the 1pm Food Fight start time. At 12:50 you could see kids moving anxiously towards the dock, syrup and whipped cream at the ready. With the sound of a horn, sheer chaos broke out. It was a mass of nearly 100 kids of all ages squirting chocolate syrup, strawberry sauce, whipped cream and caramel on everyone and anyone in their path. Sprinkles and maraschino cherries were flying through the air as everyone turned into human sundaes. It was all over in about 15 minutes and by the end of it, kids were covered to the point that they were unrecognizable.

Sundae Topping Madness

The aftermath

 After all the syrup and whipped cream bottles had been thoroughly emptied, there was a mass ocean plunge as everyone jumped off the dock into the freezing water. There was so much sundae topping everywhere that even after cleaning the dock (three cheers for power washers!) the place smelled like chocolate syrup, even in the water. It was my first sundae toppings food fight and I hope it won’t be my last! With all of its silliness and camaraderie, it was the perfect way to close out the summer at McDonough.

Save the Harbor Sundaes!

-Sarah C

New Visitors

Shrimp, up close and personal. 

After being at site for about seven weeks, I was feeling confident in my ability to predict the types of sea critters we would catch. The usual day at Piers Park is composed of catching green crabs, red rock crabs, lobsters, and on a few occasions, spider crabs and sea stars. But, this week brought a few new visitors to our East Boston site. The first new catch was a shrimp! Our normal hotspots for baby crab catching are mussels pulled up from the side of the dock; however, this time our net came up with a European Shrimp. It was a new find for a majority of the Harbor Explorers and the summer staff, and led to some good questions about shrimp biology and facts. This particular species is actually a non-native species in the Massachusetts Bay, and it provided a perfect opportunity to talk about other non-native species that we find more commonly.

Jellyfishing

 Our second set of visitors appeared suddenly and in large numbers. When we arrived on the dock Tuesday morning, one of the Harbor Explorers pointed out a jellyfish floating near the surface of the water. As we scanned the surrounding areas, we noticed that there were actually a good handful of jellies swimming around. We managed to catch one and put it in a Tupperware for a closer look. Using our hand-dandy field guide, we decided that it was most likely a type of comb jelly (a non-stinging animal). The kids were disgusted and amazed by how gelatinous the jellies actually were and they loved trying to pick them up.

Jellyfish invasion! 

The following day, we were welcomed by an even larger presence of jellyfish – this time a mixture of comb jellies and moon jellies. And now they were everywhere! No longer worried about any potential stings, the Explorers courageously hung over the side of dock and tried to nab any passing jelly. I think that if it had been an option, our Explorers would have stayed there all day catching jellies. A couple of the Sailing Center staff members told us that every once in awhile they see jellies in the water, but its not too common and they don’t know what causes these random outbursts.

Just goes to show that you never know what a day on the Boston Harbor will bring!

-Sarah C