Second Day Out in The Harbor

Today was another wonderful day at Georges Island, which I doubt there will ever be any bad days at Save The Harbor/Save The Bay.  As always we started the day off drawing with the kids that came from different places.  After we got down to the boat and loaded all kids in, we got ready for the excitement to begin. 

         At Georges Island me and my group went down to the beach, skipped some rocks. and then went to check the crab traps.  My favorite part of the day was that I taught a kid how to skip rocks.  Even though it took a little while to grip right, we managed to get at least 3 skips, which I think was the coolest part of the day!  I feel accomplished thit at I got to help one kid do the one thing he never did before.  After, we went down to the dock to catch some crabs, that was kind of a fail because we didn't any bate to put in the crab trap. better luck next time I guess.  

Rock Skipping Champs

   All in all it was great ending for the week for Save The Harbor/Save The Bay. I look forward to many more. 

Crabbing our way to the top!

       Thi here!
       On the last day of the week at George's Island, after a great downpour in the morning of and during the boat ride out to the island, a couple of the Junior Harbor Explorers and I decided to go crabbing since fishing wasn't very successful. After lunch, Karrisha, Manny and I went to the rocky shore to catch some crabs and were joined by the Paige Academy! Some of the kids were new to such an environment and were so amazed to see crabs and living animals in the salty ocean water.

       Some of the kids, including Nivea and Gizelle, had never held a crab before and worked up their courage to hold a smaller Asian Shore crab and not the aggressive green crabs. What I noticed was that there were many Asian Shore crabs along the shore and not that many green crabs. We then moved to the new dock. But I had forgotten to bring the bait!! I had prepared the pollock all morning and filleted it and skinned it. I was so sad that I had made such a huge mistake since I had so many kids ready to catch huge crabs with no bait.

     I had another plan though!! With the invasive crabs on hand, I told the kids that I had to kill them to help out our native crab species and although some were very sad, they knew it had to be done. After dropping the crab trap into the water and waiting a few minutes, there were so many large green crabs!! They were even almost 4 inches across it's carapace.

I had so much fun this week and I can't wait for next week on Spectacle Island!

Thi Tran

Kickball, Crabs, and Fish! Oh My!

Yesterday I had the privilege of accompanying the All Access staff and three amazing groups from the Boston community on an All Access Boston Harbor trip to George’s Island.  I spent a great summer day playing kickball and enjoying the weather on the island (well once it stopped raining).  The chance to get out of the office and hang out with some great kids while enjoying Boston harbor has definitely become the best part of my week.  Last year I went on a couple All Access trips to Spectacle Island, but I had not gotten the opportunity to see all George’s Island has to offer. 

The kids get the opportunity to learn about many different kinds of marine life

George’s Island allows kids to not only enjoy the beautiful view of Boston Harbor, it gives everyone there a chance to explore the historic Fort Warren, learn how to fish, catch crabs, explore or just relax on the beach, and play sports with our youth staff.  For many of the children that accompany us on these All Access trips it is their first time on Boston Harbor and sometimes their first time on a boat!  The goal of these trips is not only to show how accessible Boston Harbor can be, but also to demonstrate how much enjoyment it can provide to people of all ages.

There was a lot of success catching crabs

Yesterday I spent most of my day on the field at the center of Fort Warren playing sports with the children and counselors from Paige Academy.  It was so amazing being able to play wiffle ball and kickball at work.  Best job ever!  Things got pretty heated during our epic kickball match.  Both teams had a lot of talent and were pretty evenly matched.  Unfortunately, our team ended up losing by only two, but the kids barely noticed because they were having so much fun playing.

Although my team did not win in kickball, I did have on major victory during the day. One main goal of most staff member on All Access is to get trash in David's bag without him noticing. This is quite a difficult task. However, while David was pitching in kickball, I seized my chance. He was focused on the game so he didn't notice me sneak over to my bag and grab my granola bar wrapper and put it in a pocket of his bag. At the end of the day, I waited for David to get to his car so celebrate my victory. It was quite an exciting ordeal. Overall it was a great day on All Access, but then again, it always is.

A wonderful day

This is the best team

Yesterday was a rainy day, but while we arrived at the George's Island it stop raining. My internship  was successful. We walked around the island, then we went to the tunnel, the children yelled and the voices echoed. Thi is my co-worker, she caught a crab, some people that went on the ship went into the ocean. We went around the ocean, the ocean is clear, the wind made us feel comfortable. We had a lot of fun. The children saw the new things and they knew more information abut the island.

There have a big field on the island, we played some sports, we played baseball and had really good time. We also played kickball  with the childrens from Roxbury, we divided into team of seven people. The childrens like to play kickball, they had fun while they were playing the game. The game was tied 15-15. That game was amazing. I have a really good time playing with the childrens and my co-workers. That was a wonderful day.

All Aboard All Access!

Hey there, Bridget here!  I am a rising senior at Hamilton Wenham Regional High School and back for my second summer at Save the Harbor / Save the Bay.  This year part of my job will be focused on one of my favorite aspects of our summer program, All Access Boston Harbor.  Every morning I join the All Access staff to welcome the groups, and every thursday I am lucky enough to go out on an All Access trip.

Over 200 kids from Idiil Learning Center excited for their day on the Harbor

Save the Harbor’s free All Access Boston Harbor program is extremely unique and important in that it allows children the opportunity to explore and learn about the harbor, a chance that might not otherwise be presented to them.  Each of the different groups is shown how much fun the Harbor can offer everyone and how important it is to the Boston community.  Every outing offers kids amazing educational and fun experiences that improve their perception of Boston Harbor.

Kickball is only one of the many fun things to do at George’s Island

The day begins with every group meeting at Boston’s Bank of America Pavilion to get ready for their fun and exciting day of exploration.  Then the entire group makes its way to the Provincetown II for a scenic boat ride to one of two harbor islands.  All of the groups will either spend their day at Spectacle Island or George’s Island.  On George’s Island, kids are presented with the opportunity to explore the historic Fort Warren and explore the shore, looking for sea creatures.  Spectacle Island allows the children to hike and explore the islands beautiful landscape, spend the day playing in the water and on the beach, fly kites, and even search for artifacts and sea glass on Treasure Beach.  

Some treasures found at Spectacle Island

By the end of the day all of the kids have learned so much about the harbor and many can’t wait to spend another day exploring it.  Last year, Save the Harbor was able to bring over 6,000 kids out on the harbor with these amazing excursions! I’m looking forward to another successful year.

Intro!

    Hello everyone! I'm Juelle Benjamin, I am a senior and attend school at Another Course to College in Brighton, MA. I am a returning staff from last summer. This will be my second summer working at Save The Harbor/Bay. I had so much fun at All Access the previous summer and met so many great people with crazy, fun personalities! My goal this summer is to learn more history about the beaches in the Greater Boston as well as learn new things to walk away with something positive and fun. I'm looking forward to having an awesome summer with working new staff, meeting

awesome children and making a difference in their lives.

Playing in the Rain

Not even a little rain could dampen the spirits at Piers Park Sailing Center! After a few intense games of Sharks & Minnows, our fearless Harbor Explorers decided to brave the rain, don their life jackets and head down to the dock to check out the lobster and crab traps. Unfortunately, aside from a few crabs, the lobster trap came up empty. The crab traps, on the other hand, were a success! The kids were so excited about our excellent haul and the impending crab race that we didn’t even notice how soaking wet we were all getting.

Daniel, Jack and Shane posing with our fresh bait,
courtesy of our friend, Bill of Leading Seafood (Boston Fish Pier).

Crabs galore!

Eventually, Mother Nature won out and after some sounds of thunder, we retreated to the covered tent area. But the fun continued and things got pretty silly during a marine animals guessing game. Things learned from today’s adventures include: Vinh is the most intense Sharks & Minnows player ever; Jack is fearless when it comes to touching fish innards; and, Christine is the strictest crab race referee in all of East Boston.

Trying to guess their marine animals based off clues from their friends. 

Even though we had a lovely rain day, a little sunshine wouldn’t be so bad…

-Sarah C

Making the Most of a Rainy Day

At Community Boating on the Charles this morning, we met the kids and ran eagerly to the eel trap that had been left soaking all night with several smashed clams inside. Slowly the trap was pulled up, and just as the trap reached the surface it was clear that it teeming with living things bubbling around inside! Within a matter of minutes we had filled our bucket with a dozen american eels and we were the hit of Community Boating! A new game of "grab-an-eel" was played, and even the sailing instructors got in on the action as the squirmy eels were covered in a coat of mucus making it near impossible to catch. The kids described the bucket as "a bucket of moving spaghetti and only a few victors emerged from this new game.

Lively game of Grab-An-Eel

Finally a victor, our very own Andy!

Soon after the rain began to fall and we quickly made our way indoors, where we were able to talk about the anatomy of a fish, and even got to play a little hangman with our newly formed vocabulary words (lateral line was a favorite!). As the rain let up we headed on over to Courageous Sailing and were very happy to see the sun! The highlight of the day was pulling up the lobster traps that had been set out overnight to find them full to the brim with several types of crabs, a lobster, and tons of sea stars.

We even put some sea stars on and pretended to be Sheriffs of the Dock!

Helen demonstrating that many hands make light the work

At the end of the day our arms were exhausted from pulling up trap after trap when Helen got a bunch of kids together and thought it would be a good idea if we worked as a team to pull up the last of the traps. It worked like a charm and we all realized that the more people that helped the easier lifting the traps became! I can't wait to see what other lessons we will learn as the summer continues!

A Courageous Day

Hello all! Kiki here again.

Monday was a fun filled day at Courageous Sailing. We taught kids how to fish, showed them the proper way to hold a crab, let them hold sea stars, and taught them how they can tell what the gender of a crab is. At first I was nervous because it was the first day, but after I got into the swing of things, it was great! The kids were so eager to learn. A lot of them had never gone fishing before so I thought it was pretty cool to be the one to give them that experience! 

Just cruising. Look at that view!

The kids had some interesting questions, and it felt pretty cool to know almost all of the answers. Then, one of them asked me, "Are we going to catch a shark?" They're so cute with their crazy ideas. Of course we didn't catch any sharks. We really didn't catch any fish at all, to be honest, but there's always another day. Everyday holds a new adventure for us. We did catch crabs and sea stars, and that seemed to suffice! It's difficult having to start all over with getting to know new kids everyday, but the pros outweigh the cons. It's still fun to see new faces. The challenge is exciting.

Manny and the kids waiting around for fish.

Sarah Bailey is very focused on hooking that fishing rod.

My Senior Marine Educator, Sarah Bailey, was SO fun to work with. She knows almost everything there is to know about sea creatures and practically all things "ocean". Part of the reason I was able to answer the kids' questions is because of HER. I had relatively the same questions during orientation as the kids did at Courageous. The best thing about this job is that if someone asks a question that you don't know the answer to, most likely someone else from STH/STB knows the answer. I guess it's true what they say. You really do learn something new everyday. 

                     
 - Kiauna Peete ("Kiki")

The Best Thing Since The "Dream Team"

Team FLEX

Today I had an amazing day on Georges Island, being on a different site again was a little frustrating but hopefully this is my final stay. I built a strong team relationship alongside my coworkers today and with the children. Some would say playing wiffle ball at work is lame but hey, I enjoyed it especially pitching and showing off my Kevin Youkilis stance when batting. It was all fun until I had to show my inner strengths! Tagging alongside Paige Academy, we created the ultimate team.... TEAM FLEX!

Team Flex was founded while playing wiffle ball and Paige Academy student Ricardo came up to me and asked to play kickball and we created the greatest team since the Dream Team! It was a lot of fun playing with Team Flex especially me being the founder because we live off the basis' of not losing, we were down 3-0 until we came back and did what we had to do which was winning at the end with Ricardos home run to bringing a couple bases home.  At the end of the day we won a lot to a little, also known as 15-13 in the last inning. It was a great day and a wonderful way for me to start All Access and bond with the kids because next week I shall swim with the kids from Revere Public Schools who did not get a chance to enjoy the fun times of Team Flex!

-Ahmed Hassan

Crabbin' Like Nobody's Business!

I am happy to report that the Boston Harbor Explorers Programs are in full swing at the Piers Park Sailing Center (East Boston) and the McDonough Sailing Center (Southie). It’s only been 2 days and already the kids at both sites are crabbing like pros! At Piers Park, with just a handful of hauls, we managed to catch 20+ green crabs and red rock crabs of various sizes (including a few egg-bearing females)!

Looking for bait to use in our crab traps

The girls show off their new crabby friends, "Teenie Weenie" and "Smallie Ollie"

Over at the McDonough Sailing Center, crabs were being caught by the minute with multiple crab traps being hauled in simultaneously. By the end of the day we had a bucketful of medium to large sized green crabs and spider crabs. In addition to the above water fun, we attached our nifty underwater camera to the inside of one of the crab traps so the kids could actually see the crabs entering the traps and going after the bait. Excitement was had by all! And, of course, no day of crabbing is complete without a final crab race back to the water!

Southie kids show team work: the boys monitor the trap via
underwater camera and the girls haul up the trap

Striking a pose with a spider crab

Can't wait to see what else we can catch this summer!

-Sarah C

Third Summer back!

Hi, my name is Vinh Tran. I am eighteen and this will be my third summer with Save the Harbor/Save the Bay. I am a recent graduate of the John D. O'Bryant School of Mathematics and Science (Class of 2013!). I will be attending University of Massachusetts Lowell this coming fall majoring in business management. I have lived close to the water my entire life so this job is very fitting for me. I am currently stationed at the Piers Park Sailing Center in East Boston in the mornings and at the Harry McDonough Sailing Center in the afternoons. I really enjoy working at these two sites because I have worked at them extensively previous summers. It is very rewarding to be able to return to a site on the first day of work and having a couple of kids recognize and remember you. I am very excited to be returning because over the past few summers I have developed close bonds with many of my coworkers, as well as with the sites I have worked at.

Overall I hope that this summer will be an amazing one. Despite this summer being my third I still hope that it will be a learning experience nonetheless. There is still much that I have to learn, such as determining the gender of any lobsters that I may encounter, or even dealing with day to day conflicts that may arise. It is a pleasure to be able to work the kids that are so enthusiastic day after day, regardless of the weather. I genuinely believe that the kids I grow up will have a deep appreciation for the harbor and everything that it provides through our programs.

Mark's back To Save The Harbor!!!

Hi everyone my name is Mark Rose, I just turned 19 and I'm currently a senior at Phoenix Charter Academy.  This is my fourth summer back here at Save the Harbor/Save the Bay and I'm very excited to be back and working on the harbor.  I've learned so much since I've started here and I'm looking forward to learning much more and also teaching those new to Save the Harbor, what I already know.  I look at this job as a great opportunity for kids and young adults, like myself, who come from the inner city to experience and discover a new enviornment. My goal for this summer is to have fun and continue to learn more about the Boston Harbor.

Hopefully I can take all the things I have learned for this job and use it to reach my dream, which is to become a Marine Biologist in the Navy. Its always a pleasure to come back every summer and be able to work with a great group of people. I'm praying and hoping to catch lots of fish and lobster this year but the main thing is to have fun and enjoy the summer!


Mark Rose 

A Little About Me

     Hi, my name is Chris DiMaggio and this is my first year with Save the Harbor, Save the Bay and I am very excited.  I am currently working at the Children's Museum then going to the McDonough Sailing program in South Boston.  I love the water and want to keep it as clean as possible.  The children keep the team and I on our toes as we continue to catch and show crabs and fish to them.  I am determined to be the first person to catch a fish at the Children's Museum.   Not only for the prize but because I quickly became hooked on fishing.  I love showing children crabs because I teach them about crabs and they teach me too.  The Children's Museum is a great site because there are so many children that walk by and are amazed by the crabs.

Helping the Children

     Work is only part of my day.  I live in South Boston at the house my family has owned since the early 1900s.  My family is very Italian.  We make homemade meatballs and pasta.  My great grandfather is originally from Sicily and did not speak a lick of English when he arrived in Boston.  My father is the third generation of Vincent Robert DiMaggio.  I would have been too if not for my mom.  My mother's family is all Irish.  My mother's family is like fire and my father's family is like ice.  Even though they are different, they get along very well.

Chris DiMaggio

First Day of Saving the Harbor

Hey fellow readers! It's Anicia here!

I am a resident of Boston, MA, I go to Hingham High School and I'm turning fifteen on July 31st. It is my first year here and my current position is  a Junior Program Assistant. I am so excited to be working here because I adore animals and the environment.

On my first day my team and I caught one baby Flounder and one baby Stripper and about twenty Green Crabs! the children at the Boston Children Museum were extremely attentive and curious--their positive energy encouraged me to have more enthusiasm.

I am on the upper left hand side (holding the fishing rod)

Besides having fun, saving the harbor is not an easy job-- fishing rods needs to be set, crab traps needs to be prepared, and bait needs to be ready. By one p.m and after all the gear is put away and the deck is cleaned, I am exhausted! Whoever said said saving the harbor and the bay was an easy job, doesn't do it like us!

                                                        Peace, Love, and Happiness,
                                                                             Anicia Gillespie

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

Week One and Done

Hi, my name is Myriam Annie Desir, and I am from Save the Harbor, Save the Bay.  Yesterday, Sarah, others staff members, and I went fishing with kids.

lifting the lobster trap with kids

making differences between the green the others crabs. <3

The kids enjoying fishing, talking, asking questions and touching the creatures that we caught earlier; beautiful starfish, different kinds of crabs, different types of fish, and lobsters. We helped the kids by showing them how to fish as well as identifying the different types of fish and crabs that were caught. At some point, we knew that the kids liked fishing and they also liked spending time with us. Anytime you all want to come enjoy fishing with us do not hesitate to come.
   

crabs race

                               
So far, we caught 25 crabs in the crab trap which the kids called Crabs Reunion, including 1 big crab whom the kids named Mr. Crabs. We proposed a crabs race between the green crabs and the red rock crabs, each kid picked up one crab to enter in the race, and the winner was determined by which ever crab made it from the dock to the ocean first. It was a close one, but the green crabs made it to the water for his freedom.
   

fishing with the kids

so far, it was a great summer fishing with kids .We hope you stop by and fishing with us.
see you there!

Thank you bye.

  Myriam Annie Desir.

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

First day out

And I got them all looking!

Hey guys its Manny, second year returnee :)

First day out in George's Island was by far the best time I have had.  I made new friends, had lots of fun and made lots of smiles.  Being this my second summer with Save the Harbor/Save the Bay I feel like this summer will be more  adventures and awesome than the last. What we did today  before we left for Georges island we were interacting with the kids.  One of the fun things we  did with the kids was drawing and coloring. I can tell they were really excited for the fun to begin. I like to say the group of kids I was interacting with were story tellers. The reason I say this is  because  it seemed like every one of them had strories on top of stories to tell. Which by the way they were all interesting stories. Aside from all of that, the other cool activies we did was going to Georges Island. The lucky ones came to play kick ball , soccer and play with the hollahoops with my colleagues Davis and Hung. All an all today was great day, looking forword to more of it. deuces