My First Experience with Crab and Lobster Traps

Hi everyone,

This was my first week working with the kids and the rest of the Harbor Educators out in Boston. Throughout the week, I went to many sites, including Courageous Sailing Center in Charlestown, the Children’s Museum in downtown Boston, and Carson Beach in South Boston. One of my favorite experiences from the week was learning how to use the crab and lobster traps at some of the sites. I had never used a trap before, or held a live crab!

On Tuesday at Courageous Sailing Center, the first thing we did was try to pull up some of the lobster traps hanging off the side of the dock. Unfortunately, the traps had not been pulled up in a long time, and they were too heavy for me to pull out of the water. I was very curious about what was filling those traps, and the experience sparked my interest in learning about what happens to old lobster traps when they are lost to the ocean. I did some research and learned that fishermen call these traps “ghost traps,” and a lot of research has been done on what happens to these traps once they are lost.

Some ghost traps lose their ability to fish for lobsters over time, as the bait in the trap disintegrates. They are also equipped with “escape vents” that break free over time, allowing any lobsters trapped in the ghost trap to get out. Unfortunately, though, the escape vents do not always work correctly, and a few traps may continue catching lobsters after they are lost. 

An issue arose recently when a new regulation prohibited lobstermen from using a type of floating rope that attaches lobster traps at the bottom of the ocean. The rule was put into effect because the rope can entangle endangered whales. Lobstermen now have to use a type of sinking rope that breaks more easily, potentially resulting in more lost lobster traps. This issue is certainly complicated, and we don’t want to endanger lobsters or whales. As a science teacher and a harbor educator, I hope that some of the kids I meet will become scientists and engineers, working to solve problems like these so that we can better protect our marine environment. 

At the Children’s Museum, we used a crab trap instead of a lobster trap, and we caught a ton of crabs this week! We even caught a few crabs while fishing. 

A boy caught a crab while fishing off the pier at Children's Museum

In addition, I had fun this week learning how to pick up a crab without it pinching me, teaching children how to fish, and interacting with families on the harbor. I hope I can share some of the new things I learned this week about lobster traps with the kids, and I’m interested to see what the rest of the summer has in store!

Playing a fishing game at the Children's Museum

-Grace 

Source: http://www.telegram.com/article/20091127/NEWS/911270393

Pier's Park

Tuesday was my first day ever at Piers Park with Save the Harbor and it was the best time ever. Though the day started off gloomy with the very hard rain, it ended with a splash. While the kids were still coming in, Amanda, Sean, Rusenny, Raymond, and I went down to the dock and tried to thaw out the bait. It was quite interesting. None of us knew how to fillet a fish, but Raymond had an idea and showed us. He struggled a little, but it was only because the fish was still slightly frozen.

 

When the rain ended, we took the kids down to the dock so that they could fish and  pull up the crab traps. They were so excited to see all the different crabs we caught. We caught some spider crabs, green crabs, and some red crabs. The kids went up and ate lunch. After lunch was over, all the counselors took the kids to the park so they can play in the sprinklers because when the sun came out, it was beginning to get hot. Some little girls had a great time running and trying their hardest to wet Amanda, Rusenny and I. Luckily, I was the one that got away and Amanda and Rusenny ended up all wet.  

'Til next time, Ary

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

Reeling 'Em In

Our week at the Children's Museum started off eventfully, with Jenny reeling in a two- or three-foot American Eel. Just a few hours after we had set up the poles and touch tank, Jahari noticed one of the rods bending against the railing and raised the alarm. All the SHSB staff on site worked together to bring the eel up onto the boardwalk, fill a tank with water, and show our catch to gathered onlookers. I snapped a series of photographs in the midst of the action, as the eel tried to thrash its way free and Luke, Bella and Jenny attempted to remove the hook from its throat. Quite a scene for museum visitors and passerby on a drizzly Tuesday morning! Since the eel was so big and active, we weren't able to keep it for long, so we released it back into the water after cutting the line.

Before this summer, I'd only ever been fishing a handful of times, and had never seen anything actually landed. So it was exciting and a bit nerve wracking to watch a creature pulled from the depths, flopping heavily on the transparent line and tugging the top of the pole toward the water. I have a good idea of how some of the young kids who we show things to feel: the sense of awe and strange joy and concern that comes with touching or observing a live crab or just-caught fish. I'm learning so much right along with them!

For the next couple of days, we caught mostly crabs: green crabs, spider crabs, and one particularly disgruntled specimen that we identified as a native Atlantic rock crab. As promised, I've learned to tell and teach the difference between male and female―we even hauled in a couple of green crabs carrying eggs. A few kids have been able to reel up crabs that go after the bait on the fishing lines, which is always a memorable moment for them. And then on Friday, a little visiting fisherman checked the crab trap and found not just a green crab, but also a young perch caught in the net! He was so proud, and we were all pretty excited, too. After some confusion, we were able to get the fish into a tank, rescuing it from the claws of its companion. Thank goodness Bella was there to get that fish free! I was surprised by how beautiful it was, with hints of blue among its brown scales, and I'm feeling inspired to discover what else we can find in the harbor.

~Emily B.

A Good Day At The Orientation (introduction)

A Good day At The Orientation

Good morning explorers,

  Last week was a great week with the team of "Save The Harbor Save The Bay". I was excited to be back at save the harbor save the bay because i wanted to experience more about the harbor and get to know new people from different community and talk about how great is going to be this summer. Also, tell them that they will enjoy every second when they step there foot on the harbor islands and other access. At the orientation people was kinda of quiet and shy like they never been around people before but i was trying to keep them awake and excited. At the orientation was fun because we was playing a game called "ride ride that pony", it was fun playing the game that people will enjoy and get to know them if they were shy or quiet or just lazy laugh out loud. My favorite part of the orientation was singing the song called "I'm a fisher man", the song is kind of long but once you start repeating yourself and keep singing the song you will get the hang of it. Some people was kind of lost on the song but they could ask a partner if they could see the writing song or repeat what they say about "I'm a fisherman".

  On June 29th, we went to Georges Island. All the explorers was excited to go because they want to know about the lady in black. If you ladies and gentleman don't know about the lady in black, the lady in black is a woman that was in love with a soldier and she travel all the way to Georges to see her boyfriend but when she travel to Georges she dress herself as a man and not as a woman because people aka. solider don't allow women to see their love ones and join the war on Georges island, so one day the lady in black got caught by another solider and she pulled out a pistol to fire the solider but it back fired and hit her love one so he passed away but when the lady in black wanted to shoot herself she got caught. When they caught her they said she was going to be hang so when they told her that she told all the solider that she wanted to be hang in a dress not in man clothing so they pulled a drape out of the window and it was black so they dressed her and hang her with a drape from the window and that why they call her the lady in black because they see her shadow and her spirit on the island. On the island some of are educator got scared because David told them that they berried her body in a

tunnel on the little room so some people jumped when he was telling the story it was so funny that some of them jump and Mauricio said when he was trying to scare them his neck got stuck so he filled but he still got some of them so it was so funny.

Sincerely, Carlos Garcia    

Embracing my inner child

The first week at Carson Beach was kind of an interesting one. Carson Beach differs from many of the sites due to the fact that there are no specific camps or groups that come to the site every day, or even every week. In many ways, the week seemed to operate in the opposite direction than I had expected, but not in a bad way. The first day, it down poured for the first two hours of work. All of a sudden, the rain cleared, and within about an hour, we had 167 children on the beach! The harbor explorers got to work bringing out materials and fun for our new friends to experience! It was actually a great first day, because it allowed us to get to know our site, get our bearings, and get a handle on how the summer might pan out. It was the perfect day for "land fun," and we had an absolute blast interacting with all of the kids on the beach! (Below, Preston engaging in a soccer game with a few children from the Boys and Girls Club, making the best of a not so great weather day)

So this was how our week and our summer began - 167 children to play with, educate, interact with and learn with. And yet, the week did not end the same way. Thursday and Friday were relatively chilly days on the beach, and the water was pretty choppy. So instead of twiddling our thumbs all day, we decided to use the games and materials at our disposal and get to know each other at the same time. There were six of us at carson on Thursday. Six harbor explorers, no children for a long chunk of time. That means it was time for us to be the children. I cannot remember the last time I laughed as hard as I did when I'd see a frisbee fly overhead and hear my team members yell "GET UP!" or hear the phrase "Bridget, HANDS!" only to turn and see a football headed straight for me (I swear my life flashed before my eyes!). I appreciate that we got the opportunity to interact and hang out with each other, because I learned more about what each of my team members can offer to the children we will continue to serve throughout the rest of the summer. (Below, one of the many times I was taken by surprise, and probably did not "get up" high enough to catch the tricky little thing!)

See you at Carson! - Bridget 

First Day Back with Stripers in Georges Island

Hello everyone,

This past Wednesday was our first day back on the islands. Even with the hot and sunny day, I was still getting chills as I was at the Blue Hills Pavilion welcoming the groups of kids and counselors from different summer camps and programs. After gathering every single groups into the big tent, I was shocked to know that we had 345 kids and staffs in total that came out with us on our first day back on the island. YES, I SAID 345! Ain't that amazing? Well I thought it was because I was not expecting that many people to come out with us on the first day. As we walked over to the Common Wealth Pier to get on the Provincetown II boat, I could see the excitement in the faces of many of these kids. After getting on the boat and walking around interacting with the kids, almost all of the Save the Harbor staffs started a game of 'quack-a-dilly oh my quack quack quack' with the kids. Most of the kids fell in love with the game because not many of them had played it before.

Playing 'Quack-a-dilly Oh My Quack Quack Quack' with the kids from
the Bruce School on the Provincetown II

Meanwhile they were playing, I decided to go around the boat and signing up groups for fishing and I remember every single counselor that I approached tell me that "Its too hot we are going to skip fishing for today." So after we got to the island, every group including the Save the Harbor staffs except myself went off to have lunch. I decided to stay on the pier with 5 fishing rods fishing all alone and all of a sudden, there were a group of lucky kids from the Bruce School that came down the pier to fish. I baited all 5 rods and casted them for the kids. As they held the rods, I had a girl that started yelling "Miss, Miss, Miss, I caught something." So I ran down to her and helped her reel in the fish when on the other side I had another little boy yelling "Miss, Miss I got a fish." After helping the girl rail in the fish, we all seen that it was a big striper and unfortunately, it snapped the line. When I ran to the other boy to help him, another striper had snapped the line. Although we were unable to bring the fish out on the dock, they were all excited to see both stripers that were on the line. What made them and their counselor more excited was the fact that I told them that in the past 3 summers, we have not caught a fish there. 

Reeling in "Bruce" the Stripe Bass

Later on around 1 PM, they decided to go to the fort so I stayed fishing alone. I had casted 2 fishing rods and at about 1:35 that same group came back and a few of them started asking "Miss, can I fish ... Miss I want to fish" and I had told them no that we are done fishing because it was almost time to get back on the boat. As that one kid Kevin kept asking frequently, I told Sam to give him a rod that I had casted and 2 minutes later guess what? WE CAUGHT A STRIPER and the kids named it Bruce. This time I was able to reel in the fish 5 minutes before getting on the boat and the kids were finally able to see the fish from a closer angle. One of their counselors helped me take out the hook from the fish's mouth and sent it back to the ocean. Running fishing was the best decision that I had made. Having 3 stripers on the first day for the first time in 3 years at Georges island made me feel very accomplished and good about myself because I had promised the kids that we were going to catch at least one fish and guess what happened? WE DID IT! Overall, Georges island was great and now I am looking forward to a spectacular week this upcoming week at Spectacle island.

Kevin, Andrea and the "Bruce" Stripe Bass

Until next time,

- Andrea Lopes 

Starting To Break Boundaries

Hey Guys,

Well, my first week at Courageous Sailing Center and Children’s Museum went so well. On Tuesday I was at Courageous and it was interesting because we were with one group for the whole day. There were two girls named Ellie and Kate, and I was with them specifically because they were lefty’s just like me! It was super scary because Ellie was so tiny compared to the fishing rod, and I was so scared for her because I didn't want her to cast the rod and then fall over. At the end of the day, the kids were playing games like Red Light, Green Light and Fishy Fishy, which was so funny because Sam kept tagging one student in particular when playing Fishy Fishy and then he kept saying that she never tagged him.

My friends Kate and Ellie at Courageous Sailing Center

On Wednesday, I was at Children’s Museum and at first I was so scared because I knew I had to teach kids how to fish when I don’t even know that well myself. But, it was good that I broke boundaries and finally taught someone, and they were so excited to cast a rod, and I felt happy as well knowing that I made a child smile. During the day, we caught a spider crab which was so exciting because I never knew that was a type of crab. It was scary because they look more vicious than the green crabs, but in fact they aren’t, which was pretty cool.

Holding a Spider Crab for the Very First Time 

Lastly, today I was more comfortable because I knew how to pick up the crabs properly and cast a rod to teach kids how to fish. I was with Bella and Emily under the tent and a boy named Oliver came over who was very brave, and he picked up the green crab by himself then said, “Please and Thank You.” I liked that feeling because I knew he was enjoying his time.

Well I hope next week is just as exciting as this week when I’m at Courageous and Children’s Museum.

Oliver holding a Green Crab for the First Time

- Till Next Time, Nieomi :)

First day

My Name is Abdi, I'm 17 years old and I attend Madison Park high school in Roxbury. This is my third year working with Save the Harbor/Save the Bay, and its fun coming back each year. Last week was orientation week. We got to visit one of the sites that we are going to work at this summer which was the Children's Museum. We also got to go to Georges Island, which was really fun. One thing I disliked at Georges island was the "Dark tunnel", it's really scary going in there. It was completely dark and really hard to get to the other side of the tunnel. Besides that, it was really fun experience. Another site we got to visit was Carson beach, where we got to kayak, paddle board, sand rake, and fish print. It was really fun and exciting. I look foward working with SHSB this year because each year it gets more and more fun.

The staff at Carson Beach

Kayaking at Carson during orientation

Till next time,
Abdi

Spider Crabs!

Hi everyone, my first week at the Pier's Park Sailing Center has been great. My group and I went in on Tuesday and met all of the kids. We played name games which was pretty fun and many other games like "capture the flag" in which we split up into teams. The kids were all very smart and I was surprised at how much most of them knew about the harbor and things like how to use a fishing rod, how to hold a crab; which was all very new to me. On the first day we caught so many crabs/spider crabs! One of the little's girls named Emma was surprisingly very good at picking up the crabs, while I was still trying to get over my fear of being pinched. It was kind of funny actually, she would see me struggling and being hesitant about grabbing the crabs, then she would help me out and show me how she picked them up. After the first day, I can say I got way more comfortable with holding the crabs and showing them to all the kids.

Some of The Crabs/Spider Crabs We Caught

On Wednesday, we brought all of the kids down to the dock and many of them rushed to set up the crab traps with bait and throw them down. They couldn't wait to see how many crabs we would catch that day.  I was actually pretty excited too. They would ask every 5 minutes or so "can we pull up the crab traps now?!" "how about now?!" After about 10 minutes it's time to pull it up and as the trap comes out of the water, BOOM. After spending the day catching small little cute spider crabs, there it was. The biggest most muddy looking spider crab ever. 

        

Huge Spider Crab We Captured

 All the kids on the dock immediately ran to the huge spider crab that seemed to be tangled in the trap. Then finally Ary managed to detach the crab and of course it didn't fit into any of the touch tanks so we decided to try a bucket just for this special spider crab. The kids were all so amazed by this spider crab, this spider crab was indeed the mother of all spider crabs. 

I really can't wait to see what other amazing sea creatures we'll catch next! See you soon! - Rusenny

From Three To Thirty-Three

Hello Everyone, So this week went by so fast. Our first week at Black's Creek was a total success. The very first day as we all probably know was a little complicated because the weather didn't really help. It was a very rainy day and for that reason we only had three kids: Lucy, Joseph and his little sister Meg. Although it was just the three of them, we enjoyed it very much. We played, we got to catch snails and crabs. They seemed to really like it. At the end of that day, when Lucy's mom went to pick her up, she told her mom that she really liked it. I felt like we all did a great job and it made me feel accomplished.

The very next day, as I was getting all the materials that we needed, I kept seeing many kids with their Grown ups coming to Jessie to sign the papers, I felt so exited and I knew that it was about to be a very great day. We got to stay around the water trying to catch anything that we could. We played name games, and went on a nature walk which is probably my favorite time of the day. They are all so energetic that it makes me miss my childhood so bad. I cant wait for next week, hoping to have another fun adventure.

                                       -Sedny

Week One

Reporting from Blacks Creek and a successful first week with all the kids. Day one was kind of tough because it was raining and we only had three kids but at the end of that day Meg, Lucy, and Joseph didn't want to leave and go home. Day two was so great because we went from three kids to thirty three kids and it was also very hot outside so we spent some time in the water catching Hermit Crabs, Minnows, Crabs, and even slimy snails. We also had a great game of kickball my team vs Edward's team and of course my team won because I'm an awesome coach and a pro at kick ball. Just the look on the kids faces when they run to home plate just puts a big smile on my face and another point on the check board. Day three was also another fun day because even though it was a little chilly outside we kept the kids busy and active by playing games like Red Light Green Light, Simon Says, and even the boys favorite game taps and football. We also had some of the kids color and the coloring pages came out so great that everyone took them home. There were a lot of faces that I have seen before from last year that came back to Blacks Creeks for this summer, which is a good thing because that means we are doing a good job and making sure the kids are having fun at all times.

                                                                                                                 Login off 

                                                                                                                   -D

A New Friend and a New Experience

Hi everyone! 

Since I have already introduced myself, I would now like to take the time to introduce you to my new friend, Meg!

Meg on the beach at Blacks Creek in Quincy

Meg and her brother have joined us the past three days at our program at Blacks Creek in Quincy. If you couldn't tell from her picture, she truly is one of a kind! On our first day at Blacks Creek, I couldn't even get through telling Meg's mom what we had in store for the day without Meg piping up saying "I love nature walks! I love using nets!" - she seemed to love everything that we had planned before we even got started! Her enthusiasm is unrivalled by anyone I know, and boy is it contagious! If I wasn't excited enough for this summer, Meg had me chomping at the bits to get under way and to share with her this beautiful estuary where I get the privilege of spending my summer. 

We started the day by combing the shoreline with a few dip nets. After wading through the water slowly and attempting to catch hermit crabs and snails with her net, Meg found a piece of seaweed attached to her net that she found absolutely repulsive. She had no desire to go near it. With a little coaxing from her brother, Meg picked up the seaweed and exclaimed "That's not as gross as I thought it was!" And she continued playing with the seaweed and sharing it with other students thereafter.

I was told during orientation last week that this summer would be all about doing something we had never done before. In some cases it may be visiting a harbor island, while in others it may be touching seaweed and realizing it's not so gross after all. Thanks to Save the Harbor Save the Bay and our program in Quincy, Meg found it in herself to overcome her fear of seaweed, and I have a feeling that her confidence will begin to transfer over to any and all biodiversity within the harbor, given proper time and exposure.

Until next time! You can find Meg and myself scouting out seaweed. - Jessie

P.S. 

Meg also learned a new strategy when playing as a shark in the game "Sharks and Minnows." By hiding behind this big rock, Meg was able to catch unsuspecting minnows off guard, and turn them into sharks also. Quite the strategy!

Back to the sea and sand

Hi everyone,

It's great to know our crew already has some sort of chemistry. I can't wait to meet you guys all individually. My name is Isabella and this is my second year working with Save the Harbor/Save the Bay and it is a pleasure to see friendly faces and a safe, fun working environment.  I'm also a rising senior at the John D. O’Bryant, just in case you didn't know.
I am honored to be working with Save the Harbor/Save the Bay because it gives us an opportunity to explore, engage and give back to our environment!!! Well anyway, recently we had orientation to get to know everyone and explore some of the sites we’ll be working at. We visited the Children's Museum, George's Island and most importantly the pavilion where we will see each other often. Going to George's brings back so many memories, as a child to now. And visiting the Children's Museum reminds me of all the new things I tried my first year. I can not wait to be back and see all the smiles I put on our visitors faces, including the young ones! I'm very enthusiastic about our crew and all the new things we'll do. Thank you for another year working with SHSB.





-Bella

Second Year !!

Hey everyone, its Mauricio and im back for my second year at Save The Harbor! I hope everyone is ready for this year because i defiantly am. Im glad to be back with Save The Harbor! I'm a rising senior at East Boston high and I'm really into basketball, and football. This year I have goals to catch more then 3 fish on the fishing trips, and I'm ready for it. Well it's great to be back this summer and it's already started off amazingly!

Catch you Later - Mauricio

Story of Chris

   Hi I'm Chris I'm from Charlestown. I'm 16,  I live with my mom and little brother and sister. I'm at sophomore at East Boston high school I play varsity football and baseball. My mom is my idol she provides for three kids on her own she's amazing.

                          (Me and my cousin Hannah on the 4th of July)

   Orientation was fun Georges Island and Carson beach were my favorites out of the three days.
I liked Georges Island because there I learned about the story of the lady in black and we learned about the island. I liked Carson beach because we learned a bunch of stuff like sand raking and how to kayak and how to ride a paddle board.  

Let's get Kraken

Welcome all! For those who may not know me, my name is Preston and I am returning for my third year with Save The Harbor. This is my first summer as a Lead Harbor Explorer and I am pumped about it! Returning for a third year was an absolute must. From playing in the sand with kids, to pulling up crab traps, and fishing like the pros, I could not wait to return this year. Save the Harbor has been the highlight of my summer for the past two years and I'm glad I could be here for a third.




During this summer I am looking forward to seeing all the familiar faces at Save the Harbor, as well as the new ones. I am also looking forward to all the kids that we are going to interact with this year. Teaching them how to fish, and how to hold a crab the proper way may not seem like a big deal, but it is to them. Some of the children have never been fishing before. Or have never pulled up a crab trap. For many of these kids at Save the Harbor, it'll be their first time. It doesn't get any better than seeing a kid reel in his first fish, and it will never get old. This is a new year to meet new children and get new tan lines. I hope everyone is ready for an amazing summer!
 - See you soon, Preston

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

Back for Round 2!

Hi everyone! I'm Kristen Barry, and this is my second summer working with Save the Harbor/Save the Bay. Last year I split my time between interning in the office and doing programming on Carson beach. It was my time at Carson working with the youth groups that made me want to come back this summer, as I am now working at our Camp Harbor View site. I went to school in Maine and studied biology, which is what peaked my interest in Save the Harbor's work. Not only the beach conservation aspect, but also the work that SHSB does with youth programs in the Boston area is exciting to me and I was eager to get started. In my free time, I like to spend time outdoors whether it be swimming, hiking, biking, or running. This past year I taught middle school biology, and really enjoyed working with the kids as they learned more about the environment and how the world around them worked. 

Day 1: Fishing Club

I'm hoping that this knowledge will help me to get the kids at Camp Harbor View not only excited about the fishing club that we have, but also the experiments that we are running on the Long Island beach this summer. I am excited to see the the kids find the results of our invasive species tests as well as our tide visual. This week we will start setting up the orange rocks, and soon they will become a staple on the beach there. The kids are already chatting about what might happen with sand erosion, and I am excited for them to continue the conversation all summer. Keeping the kids engaged and explaining why this is relevant to the geography of Camp Harbor View will prove to be something that our team is excited to continue. 

Stay tuned for more!
-Kristen

All About Maeve

Hi, my name is Maeve Fittz and I am 16 years old. I go to the John D. O’Bryant school of Mathematics and Science and I live in Charlestown. I am very active, as I play soccer, softball and I am on the swim team at my school. I have a little brother who is 13 and his name is Aidan (he may be my little brother but he is much taller than me). I love the summer and playing soccer and volleyball at the beach, and because August is my birthday month. I enjoy going to school and seeing my friends and making my school proud when it comes to sports.

Something I really enjoy doing is playing sports. I am usually really busy all year long because soccer starts in the summer, then swim starts in November and then softball starts in March. I enjoy being busy because it keeps me on my toes and I never get bored. I’ve accomplished a lot in every sport so far in my life but my favorite sport is definitely soccer. I’ve been playing soccer since I was 6 and it becomes even better as I grow up because it gets more and more competitive. I am a midfielder and it’s a lot of running but I don’t mind it. I am very excited to be working for Save the Harbor Save the Bay this summer because it will force me to be active. I will meet thousands of kids who will hopefully teach me things at the same time that I am teaching them about wildlife. I know that this summer is going to be amazing and I can’t wait to contribute to the community everyday!

See you soon! 

-Maeve

STH/STB Orientation

Hello, Its Me ..... Again

How's it going everyone? My name, as you may know by now, is Ahmed M. Hassan. This is my ..... 6th summer with Save the Harbor? Yes! 

Fan Pier Fishing Tournament 2K15 with Mentor Michael Fallon

I am a rising senior at Stonehill College studying Psychology and Business Administration. Interestingly enough when I started my tenure here at STH/STB I was beginning my high school career and now I am ending my college career. Man time sure does fly. 

At Stonehill I serve as the Vice President of the senior class and a Peer Mentor amongst many other leadership positions. This summer I also interned at Off Wall St. Consulting Group. I keep a very busy schedule but I am more than excited about returning to this amazing organization. 

I enjoy a wide variety of activities, most of which are listed in this blog in previous years. If interested just search anything pertaining to our company accompanied by "Ahmed" or solely my name and hopefully many articles arise. 

Returning as a Lead Harbor Explorer my goals are to maintain a positive influence on the communities we serve and to expand educational awareness about the harbor/bay and their ever changing systems. Hopefully my future blogs resonate with you! 

.... Btw you're great :)

Best,

Ahmed M. Hassan

Introduction of Kent

Hey, my name is Kent and this is my one and only year in Save the Harbor Save the Bay. I joined Save the Harbor Save the Bay pursing the curiosity I have for the vast ocean and it's inhabitants. Over the past week of orientation I've met the many other people who've decided to join for their own reasons which I am unknown to, some I have gotten closer to through the many activities being held with one of my favorites being sand raking. At one of the sites, Blacks Creek, we did attempt to catch hermit crabs with the small nets we had with much success despite the fact I used my hands instead of the net. I even tried to skip rocks again with very little success with the most amount so far was 2 skips compared to the past with 3 and up. After the Blacks Creek site we moved onto Carson Beach and since it was high tide I decided to take advantage of the already wet sand near the shores and drew the Lenny face ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)  that is what it looked like sadly I couldn't grab a picture as I did not have a camera with me. 

Introducing Nieomi :)

Hi Everyone,

My name is Nieomi Colon. I'm an upcoming junior at Cristo Rey Boston High School. I was born in Brockton but raised in Boston. This is the first year I am a JPA for Save the Harbor, Save The Bay and I could honestly say I'm so happy to start off the summer with this organization because it's a good way to grow as a person and meet new people and just enjoy teaching kids how to do different activities. What I'm hoping to leave the summer with is leadership skills and knowing I'm helping other kids enjoy there time during the summer.

Just last week we had orientation which was more exciting than what I expected, we played games called Where The Wind Blows and Ride That Pony and at first it was awkward because I didn't know anyone but I just reminded myself , "You have to meet new people and enjoy, Nieomi," and that's what I plan on doing. It's always nice to meet others because you leave the program with a new friend.


The First Day Of Orientation

 We also made a fish print with a flounder, visited Georges Island, and paddle boarded, which was the scariest experience ever because I felt as though I was going to fall and drown but I took it step by step and made it all the way back. 


Our Trip To The Boston Harbor Islands 

I enjoyed orientation it was a taste of what is in store for the rest of summer and I can't wait. This is a good experience I can't wait to share with my friends and family. I'm just looking forward to an amazing summer and breaking out of my comfort zone.

-Nieomi