Fish Guy

Welcome all to my first blog post in ages!

My name is Raymond Chai and this is my first summer with Save the Harbor/ Save the Bay! I am a rising Junior at Boston University studying Mechanical Engineering. You guys may be wondering, why is this guy with Save the Harbor/ Save the Bay? I have a passion for animals!  I grew up watching Animal Planet and one of my heroes are Steve Irwin the crocodile hunter. Similar to how Steve Irwin lived courageously around huge alligators, I am going to be courageously handling sea animals and crustaceans! 

I had a blast meeting the crew! During orientation at Black's Creek we spotted a horseshoe crab casually walking along the banks! It was my first time visiting the site and to find such a neat sea critter within the first 10 minutes of visiting the site, it blew my mind! The few of us that went kayaking connected a bunch of the boats together to make what we called at the time a "make-shift-island" and one by one, each of us took turns going overboard (some more gracefully than others)! In our defense we were laughing so hard and enjoying ourselves on the water so much that we lost balance on the "kayak island" and fell overboard! This was a great first week, and I'm ecstatic to work for Save the Bay this summer! Live through my posts! I'll show you a glimpse of what it's like seeing kids go crazy over crab traps, fishing rods, grass and water!

By Raymond Chai

New in from southie

Hello my name is Joe Sheehan. This is my first year with Save the Harbor Save the Bay. I am nineteen years old, and was born and raised in South Boston.  I am stationed on Carson beach in this summer. I am an upcoming senior at Boston Collegiate Charter School.

I love the beach and I am excited to see what the summer has in store. I previously worked as a camp counselor at the Joseph P Tynan School, so I have experience engaging with children. I have a feeling that this summer will be even better than that, because I get to spend it outdoors on the beach, informing children that this harbor is alive! Most of all, I can't wait to go fishing and teach kids from all over Boston about the harbor and what live in it's waters!

It's going to be a good summer!

- Joe

First Summer at Save The Harbor

My name is Cristian Berlioz, I’m 16 years old. I live in Dorchester but I’m originally from Honduras. I'm an upcoming junior at Brighton High. I moved to Boston in 2011. I play soccer. My favorite team is Real Madrid from Spain. This is my first summer at Save The Harbor Save The Bay. I'm really excited about this program because every day I learn something new about the environment that's around me. In just one week I learned a lot about the Harbor and the islands that are in it. I have a feeling that this is an experience that I'll never forget because this is my first official job and I'm doing the things I like such as being outside, meeting new people and having fun.

I was debating about if I should work or just try to have fun during the summer. When I heard about this program I thought about giving it a try because I would be able to do both things at the same time. I think I made the right choice because I'm having fun instead of being home, being on my phone, and watching TV. I'm working with kids which is something I enjoy. I'm learning new things about the different topics, going to places I never thought existed before, and fishing which is something I only did once when I was younger. I'm really happy and exited about being part of this.

~Cristian

My name is Cristian Berlioz, I’m 16 years old. I live in Dorchester but I’m originally from Honduras. I'm an up gracing junior at Brighton High. I moved to Boston in 2011. I play soccer. My favorite team is Real Madrid from Spain. This is my first summer at Save The Harbor Save The Bay. I'm really exited about this program because every day I learn something new about the environment that's around me. In just one week I learned a lot about the Harbor and the islands that are in it. I have a feeling that this is an experience that I'll never forget because this is my first official job and I'm doing the things I like such as being outside, meting new people and having fun.

I was debating about if I should work or just try to have fun during the summer. When I heard about this program I thought about given it a try because I'll be able to do both things at the same time. I think I made the right choice because I'm having fun instead of being home doing absolutely nothing than just being on my phone and watch TV. I'm working with kids which is something I like and enjoy, learning new things about the different topics, going to places I never thought they existed before and Fishing which is something I only did once when I was younger. I'm really happy and exited about being part of this.

Eels, Crabs, and Paddleboards!

Hello to everyone who is reading my blog and thank you for actually taking in the time to read it! My name is Jahari Crosby and I am a new employee of the organization Save the Harbor/Save the Bay. Our orientation at Carson Beach was absolutely amazing. I learned how to canoe and paddle surf for the first time ever, which I hope to get to do again soon. We played football, Frisbee, we traced things in the sand with big sticks. We also did this story-telling activity that helped all of us new incoming employees come out of our shy shell a little! So pretty much we just did activities to get to know each other better for when we work with each other later on. Nothing else says summer more than a bright sunny day on the beach doing fun activities with some new friends that you make!

So we have had two days of work so far, real work, and I am already in love with the job to be fully honest. So what we do is fish in the harbor in front of the Boston Children's Museum and show people whatever we catch anytime people do pass by and want to look. We even let the people fish if they would like! So far what we have caught out of the two days of work were some green crabs, spider crabs, tunicate, and surprisingly an American Eel that was about three feet long that I caught! The eel was actually the first thing that I have ever caught out of all the other three times I’ve been fishing! Save the Harbor/Save the Bay is an amazing organization for young kids to have great summer experiences and I look forward to continuing this exciting job!

Hello! I’m Sarah McRae, and I will be working as Junior Program Assistant this summer for save the Harbor Save the Bay. I’m eighteen years old, and will be starting as a freshman this year at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. I was introduced to Save the Harbor Save the Bay through my grandmother and my cousin, and I have participated in the Cupid/Shamrock Splash for several years.

Orientation was certainly a new experience for me. Going into it, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. Would it be more like a classroom lecture setting, or hands on? Well, Day 1 involved chanting, singing, and running in circles. Can’t say I expected that. Day 2 involved the Children’s Museum and Fort George, and Day 3 consisted of Comcast and Carson Beach. The strangest thing for me was walking in the tunnels of Fort George. It sounds ordinary, but there was no source of light in the tunnels. The tunnels were pitch black, and the walls we used to guide us slippery and wet. The strangest part about it was a room we went to. There was a small hole in the ceiling (a chimney shaft) that let in a small beam of light. The light had a milky, pearly quality to it, and when someone stepped into the light they had an unearthly look to them. It looked like a set from a movie, and the fact that I couldn’t see anything out of my peripheral vision only made it seem even more surreal.

I have two goals for the summer as a JPA. My first goal is to learn more about Boston Harbor, including its marine life, history, and how to interact with it. My second goal is to teach people what I learn. I love learning new things, and I love sharing with others what I learn. For the first half of the summer I will be working at the Boston Children’s Museum, and I look forward to teaching people about marine life and Boston Harbor.

That’s me in front row with the pink shirt.

And here’s a picture of me with my cousin Patrice Haney and grandmother Carol Haney at the Cupid/Shamrock Splash. I’m in the middle.

Who is Sedny?

Last year: fishing with Andrea

Hello! My name is Sedny Alves. I was born in Cape Verde islands and moved to the United States when I was just 10 years old. I live in Dorchester with my mom and brothers. Currently I’m attending Bridgewater State University, a rising junior majoring in international Business Management and a Minor in Latin and Caribbean Studies. I know what you might be thinking right now. What does my major and minor have to do with each other, like criminal justice and political science or education and English goes together (same field). Well, my major and minor are completely different and are not related to one another whatsoever. I love international business because I love to travel, and I absolutely love learning about new culture, so why not add the two? As I travel, I get to learn about different parts of the world and their culture.

Anyways, I must tell you how excited I am to have the opportunity to have the best summer yet. I have experience working with kids before. I worked at a teen center, and I also used to work at salvation army Kroc Center. Lastly, I used to work at a sportsmen's Tennis club. But for the first time I have the opportunity to work for Save the Harbor Save the Bay and I am very excited. I’ve heard so much about this program before from my very good friend Andrea Lopes whom helped me get this great experience. So thank you Dreaa, because of you I am pretty sure this will be a summer to remember.

Sean the Harbor Educator

(I'm on the left)

Hello. My name is Sean Keane and this will be my first summer working for Save the Harbor/ Save the Bay as a Senior Harbor Educator. In 2014, I graduated from UMass Amherst and began my career in education as an ESL Teacher for adults at various non-profit organizations around the city. I truly enjoy my job and find it a rewarding and worthwhile way to spend my time. There's nothing I'd rather do this summer than to continue to help and educate people, especially for an organization as important as Save the Harbor/ Save the Bay and a cause as special as the Youth Program.

I grew up in Wilmington, which is a few miles north of Boston. Although my town is landlocked and has no beaches, I was still lucky enough to spend a lot of my childhood around the ocean, mostly on Cape Cod where my grandmother lives, in a little inlet in Pocasset Harbor. I spent my summers as a youth searching for crabs and other creatures in those mucky waters, and fishing off of kayaks and local docks. I still love putting on a pair of goggles and exploring the seafloor, and I still feel the same excitement that I felt as a child when I discover something strange or new. 

Mr. Coffin speaking to us on our way to George's Island.

Last week, I met the entire Save the Harbor staff at orientation. Naturally, at first, most of us were shy and quiet. It can be frightening to be in a room full of strangers. That attitude quickly changed once we began the activities that our supervisors had planned for us. On Wednesday we all took the ferry over to George's Island. It was my first time going to a Boston Harbor Island, and I learned a number of interesting facts about the Harbor, the islands, and the city itself. I always knew that some of Boston was man-made land, but our leader Mr. Coffin made it abundantly clear that the majority of Boston is man made, and he showed us which parts of the city were constructed and how the projects were completed. We also saw the huge sewage cleaning bubbles on Deer Island at the city's treatment plant, which Save the Harbor helped to implement. I'm happy to be associated with an organization that is doing such essential work for the city and for future generations of Bostonians and I'm eager to share this excitement with our young learners this summer.
-SEAN

The staff on George's Island

Rusenny's Intro

Hey there!

My name is Rusenny Abreu and this is my very first year working at Save The Harbor as a Junior Program Assistant. The minute this opportunity was presented to me I was very excited, yet a bit nervous. I've never really been involved in any summer programs or any jobs of this type. I remember coming in for the interview and paperwork and asking myself over and over, "Do I really want to spend my summer working? Is this really for me?" A typical summer for me would be staying home most of the time, doing absolutely nothing, and only going out once in a while because everyone else would have SOMETHING to do over the summer. Learning about this opportunity of working for Save The Harbor was very different for me.

First Day of Orientation

I can honestly say that after the first day of orientation all my doubts about this program began to fade away. I realized that this is more than just a "summer program" or "working." I realized that Save The Harbor was not just a random job about showing up and doing regular tasks, but instead more about learning and experiencing and seizing the opportunities that are going to be presented to us each and every day. It is about pushing yourself to do the things you'll look back on later on, in months, or even years from now, and say "I am so lucky to have experienced this."

First time putting bate on fishing rod

This summer I'm really looking forward to working at Save The Harbor and learning about the environment surrounding it. As teens(speaking for myself especially), we rarely take the time to admire and learn about the environment around us. We don't really get out and enjoy the things that we have, all because we don't realize we have it. Such as the Harbor's beautiful beaches and the different places around it. It is actually exciting and eye-opening to see all the things that the Boston Harbor has to offer and I'm definitely looking forward to an awesome summer!

Ary's Introduction

Hey guys, my name is Arianna; also known as Ary. This is my second year with Save the Harbor/Save the Bay. I am an uprising senior at Matignon High School in Cambridge. I am very excited to be back working with the Save the Harbor staff. This is going to be a summer filled with excitement and exploring new things. I will be working at Piers Park, a different site that I was at last year, and I am very excited to see what new adventures this site will bring.

 

I know that this year will be filled with different surprises and new experiences and I am happy that I get to share them with some of the new staff this year. 

Until next time, bye

-Ary 

Daynaja Introduction

I'm so glad that I'm back with Save The Harbor Save The Bay this year. I had a great time last year & met so many new people that I could really call my friends. This year I met some more great people coming back for my second year. I see so many old faces and new faces but I can't wait to work with everyone and see different sites. For our 3 day orientation of fun, we got to play Ride That Pony & Where The Wind Blows. We also went to George's Island & heard a scary story about the lady in black. On the last day we went to Carson Beach & got to hang out with all the safe from STHSTB staff & we got free laptops. During orientation I met two new people Kent and Edward, who both work with me at Blacks Creek. Kent loves to draw & is very artistic.

My name is D and this is my second year here at Save The Harbor Save The Bay. I'm so glad I'm back working at Blacks Creek. I have seen so many faces that I remember from last year, and we also have many new faces that I'm going to get to know for the summer. This is one special little girl I'm going to miss and her name is Autumn, I really hope that she comes back this year for Save The Harbor because she lights up my day everyday I see her. I'm so excited to be back and ready to have lots of fun.

~Daynaja D.

Hi, I'm Jessie!

Hey y'all! 
Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Jessie Gregerson and I am beginning my first summer here at Save the Harbor Save the Bay as a Senior Harbor Educator (and I am nothing short of ecstatic about it). I recently graduated with an undergraduate degree in Conservation Biology and a minor in Urban Ecology from Oglethorpe University in Atlanta, Georgia. I just staked out my home in this beautiful city in May. 

I had the pleasure of spending this past week exploring the harbor and our program sites with my wonderful coworkers, most of whom are pictured below. It was a week full of "firsts" for me! For one, I touched a dead fish for the very first time. It was a beautiful mackerel that our staff plans to use as bait this summer at one of our many sites. This week also lead me to one of Boston's harbor islands for the very first time. Having been born and raised in the Southeast, I have spent very little time in the city of Boston and even less time exploring and discovering everything the harbor has to offer. So, the ferry pulled into the dock at George's Island, and I could really see the whole group's energy come alive. Something about roaming a civil war fort and listening to ghost stories with 30 new friends brings the smiles out. And that is exactly why I am so thrilled to be a part of this organization and to take part in their summer programs. Nothing would be more rewarding than to bring out the same goofy smile I wore all week in at least one child who is also experiencing the harbor for the first time, or the millionth time, and hopefully watching those kids catch a glimmer of everything they can do for the harbor, and and the harbor can do for them.

Until next time! - Jessie

"Spending the summer in the sea and the sand/ is gonna make me a strong woman"

Hi everyone! My name is Emily, and I'll be working this summer as a Senior Harbor Educator at the Children's Museum site. I recently arrived in the Boston area from upstate NY, where I grew up exploring streams, gorges and waterfalls.  In the coming months, I'm excited to get to know the city of Boston, its harbor and, of course, the people who live and play here. I'm interested in making natural spaces accessible and fun for surrounding communities and the broader public, and passionate about resisting harmful exploitation of people, resources and ecosystems through environmental justice.

The team, just after our singing debut.

It's only been a week, but I've already learned a lot about this place, and come to appreciate the unique beauty of the harbor juxtaposed against the buildings and streets of downtown. I loved taking the ferry out to Georges Island on Wednesday of orientation to walk Fort Warren's dark passages and hear the local legend of the Lady in Black. I was so surprised to learn from our guide David that seventy-five percent of Boston is built on man-made land: It's shocking to consider how drastically we humans affect and shape the environments around us, and to think that those before us actually flattened hills to build the ground we stand on today. Imagine all the labor that went into those projects!

Here we are on Georges Island!

It was also a pleasure to get to know all the lead staff, SHE's, LHE's, and JPA's over the course of the week, especially while playing and trying out new activities during Thursday's visit to Carson Beach. Standing on the paddleboard, the world felt so expansive, and I appreciated the chance to splash around in kayaks and hear people's stories during the workshop with Norah Dooley. I'm looking forward to working with Luke, Bella, Jahari and Sarah for the next few weeks, and can't wait to continue learning about marine life, conservation, and Boston's history.

At the Seashore

Hi Everybody!

           My name is Samantha (most people call me Sam) and this is my second year with Save The Harbor, Save the Bay. Last year I had the privilege of working at Camp Harbor View for the first half of the summer. I had the opportunity to go on fishing trips with the kids and see their excitement when the reeled up a fish; whether it was a skate or a flounder, their amazement was contagious. One of my favorite parts of working at Camp Harbor View were the hikes to the old fort. The kids loved exploring the onerous old fort and jumping out in an attempt to scare their friends. They even scared me once or twice! 

         For the second part of the summer I was at Carson Beach. Here I got to play soccer with America Scores, which I absolutely loved! I’ve played soccer for the past five years at the O’Bryant where I also play softball for Ms. Ryan. Being at Carson was great because we also had the chance to go kayaking and paddle boarding. The kids there loved to play four square and catch. Teaching the kids to clam was an interesting task. The highlight of the summer at Carson Beach was sand raking! The beauty of the beach covered in art was indescribable. I’m excited for yet another year of adventure, education and surprises! 

Stepping Out of the Comfort Zone

My name is Bridget McGrath, and this is my introductory blog post as a Senior Harbor Educator for Save the Harbor Save the Bay this summer! I teach first grade at the Tynan Elementary School, and prior to that I've always worked with children in one way or another. This is my first summer working with Save the Harbor Save the Bay. And if this past week of orientation is any indication, I am going to have an absolute blast this summer! I am so excited to be Site Coordinator of Carson Beach in South Boston, and to share Save the Harbor’s awesome activities with families and programs from all over the city!

I’d like to share an experience I had this past week. Personally, I went way out of my comfort zone during orientation. I participated in several activities that I never thought I would.  Whether because of an actual fear or just a fear of being embarrassed, I often stand in my own way of things. I did not have that choice this week, and it was liberating. On Thursday, at Carson Beach, I was one of the first Save the Harbor team members to try a Stand Up Paddleboard. After Stacey gave the lesson, I was so nervous and yet I knew if I walked away without trying it, I would never forgive myself.

So I strapped on a life jacket, walked down to the (pretty chilly) water, and jumped right on board. Getting from my knees to my feet was the scariest part, and the most exhilarating. It was a rush, standing up there and being in such control of everything. And what’s better, looking back at the shoreline to see fellow Save the Harbor members watching, supporting, and cheering me on. I cannot even describe the feeling that gave me. So this summer, my goal is to make sure that children who come to see me at Carson will leave with that same feeling; proud of doing something new and fun, and just thoroughly enjoying it! I’m looking forward to a great summer!

First Days on the Harbor

Hi everyone! 

My name is Grace Noble, and this is my first summer as a Senior Harbor Educator at Save the Harbor. I’m very excited to be a part of the Save the Harbor team, and I can’t wait to learn more about Boston’s marine environment this summer!   

The summer staff at Carson Beach

I am originally from a small city called Doylestown, which is near Philadelphia, PA. Growing up, I spent many of my summers at the beach in Cape May, New Jersey. I attended the University of Pittsburgh for college, where I studied biology and English and went abroad for a semester in Cape Town, South Africa. During college, I developed an interest in conservation biology and environmental issues, so I'm looking forward to learning about the biology of the Boston Harbor this summer!

After I graduated from college, I did research on the effects of coal mining on stream ecosystems in western Pennsylvania. I also worked in Texas as an outdoor education instructor and as a research assistant at the Botanical Research Institute of Texas.  I realized that I wanted to pursue a career teaching science, so I moved to Boston last year to attend graduate school for science education at Boston University. This fall, I'll be starting my first year as a high school biology teacher!

During orientation, I had a lot of fun trying things that I had never done before, including fishing off the dock, touring the Boston Harbor Islands, making a fish print with a flounder, and creating art by raking in the sand. I also got to explore parts of Boston that I hadn’t been to, like Piers Park in East Boston, the Boston Children’s Museum, and Black’s Creek in Quincy.

The staff at our orientation trip to the Boston Harbor Islands

In addition, I got to meet a lot of people who are committed to preserving Boston’s harbor environment and who are enthusiastic about sharing their knowledge with the local community. My goals this summer as a Senior Harbor Educator are to have fun while exploring the harbor and teaching kids about Boston’s marine resources, to learn more about the history of the harbor, and to catch at least one fish (hopefully more)!

-Grace

The Google Trekker Project

This summer, Save the Harbor/Save the Bay, in

Save the Harbor/Save the Bay's Summer Interns (from left to right)
 Hannah Lynn, Jenny Barrack, Tina Balzotti,Maggie Byd, and
Eileen Dalessandro take the Google Trekker for a dry run on
Boston's Fish Pier

partnership with Google, will embark on a very exciting journey along the metropolitan beaches of Boston. The goal: to produce a collection of 360-degree imagery of the Greater Boston area's metropolitan beaches that online viewers can access online on Google Maps Street View. From the moment I heard Bruce utter the words, "Google Trekker", I knew this project was going to be extremely exciting, and so far, it has lived up to the expectation. From studying the design, functions, and features of the Trekker to opening the enormous case and trying on the 45-pound, image-capturing backpack for the first time, I have been nothing short of thrilled with the opportunity to be a part of such a unique project. The Trekker itself, which includes a box (called a Tbox) containing the batteries, memory cards, and software, as well as an upper frame topped with a spherical R7 camera, which includes 15 individual lenses that simultaneously capture one still image for approximately every two steps one takes. In short, the Trekker is extremely cool, and will help us to show the world how incredible and important our natural resources are, and why we need to protect them.
We will begin the project soon by exploring Savin Hill and Malibu Beach in Dorchester, where our Trekker team will create a plan and schedule a date to do the trek. Over the course of the summer, we will be using the Trekker to collect images of all of the beaches in and around Boston. We are looking forward to bringing the metropolitan beaches of the Greater Boston area to Google Maps Street View with the Google Trekker!