Just keep swimming

Hello guys!
Back for another year! The fourth year, but this year is a lot different. Over the past four years, I haven't changed too much. There are some new achievements on the board however! I graduated from Boston Latin School, and will be attending UMass Amherst next year. After a successful basketball season, and a lovely spring coming, everything was taken away.

For the intro blog, I decided to take a different approach. A lot of my minor details like me being a gamer and athlete, and being a native from Boston can be found in my other blogs. This year has been really hard.

Being a senior going to BLS, high school was no easy ride. It was hard for me to acheive success and good grades. I was always looked down on as one of the lower performing kids in absolutely every aspect of life. I was not one that was easily accepted, or taken seriously in a professional environment. Once I started to change my view on life, and accept the reality rushing in front of me, I decided to prepare myself. Senior year was my year to prove myself. After a very strong finish to my junior year, I set a standard for myself: chill with my true friends, and make my parents proud. I started in the summer of 2019.

Going into Save the Harbor 2019, I aimed to change the way I approached, work, people, everything. I started to be more open to people, and was able to find a peace to work, no matter what I was doing. I used to complain a lot, but decided to accept my role where I am, and work for who I want to be. That vision allowed me to win Harbor Hero that summer.

I was on a roll, and was ready for senior year. I grinded all my classes, and pushed through the final basketball season which was a very emotional ride since I was down with a fever for about a month. Despite basketball being in the way, and my health not cooperating, I did not forget about college and school and kept going. But then, a pandemic ruined it all.

I won't be able to see so many faces that I just smiled at. People who I always wanted to speak to, people that loved me, people I loved. There was no senior prom. No senior graduation. No senior week. No celebration. Just a diploma.

To hold what was the tangible representation of my success through the last four years, things still did not feel good. However, seeing a smile on my mother's face was the most satisfying moment of all. Save the Harbor allowed me to realize the minor things. What it means to make a kid smile when he catches his first fish. The small conversations that teach kids life lessons. Hanging out with my All Access crew for the summer, and annoying my bosses Bridget and Kristen.

This summer, despite the pandemic, and all the circumstances not allowing for another summer of programming, I will keep going. I will work to provide educational content, and marine science based lessons for kids in the Greater Boston Area. That is my position here at Save the Harbor: to keep going.

See ya next time :),
Qalid Hassan.

we back fellas

My First Year!

    Hi, my name is Arianna Perez and I go to Excel Academy Charter High School in East Boston. I am currently going into my junior year of high school. I play varsity soccer, basketball and softball for my school and other in town leagues. I've been playing sports basically my whole life and have been on multiple teams. I am in one club called Helping Hands, which is a club where we hold fundraisers and different events to help support people with disabilities, disorders, etc. Being involved in school clubs and sports team has given me the ability to be an outgoing, and cooperative person. I am excited to work at Save the Harbor/ Save the Bay this year because I've heard the people are very nice and throughout each summer you develop different skills. I also want to learn more about the the different organisms/ any background information about the Harbor itself. I want to be able to tell my friends and family the different things I've learned and show them any skills I've developed.  

     

    As I am 16 and going into my Junior Year, I am kind of nervous because I have heard that Junior Year is one of the most important years of high school. I don't know what I want to be, but I know that I want to study criminal law. I want people to know that I am someone who always wants to help people through their difficulties. I started to have an interest in criminal law because I watch a lot of Law and Order, Criminal Minds, and shows like that. These shows have made me realize that not only do I want to help kids but help all the people in my community.

    I have four siblings, two brothers and two sisters. I am the second oldest. I have two pets, a cat and a dog. My dog is a puggle which is a mix of a pug and a beagle. This quarantine has brought my family very close and we discovered as many activities as we can. We go on a lot of walks and watch a lot of movies together. I was sad that half the school year was gone, and I wasn't able to play softball this year. That's one less year of playing high school softball. As you may know, all students took online classes for the rest of the school year which wasn't bad, but I feel like I'd rather go to school. Not only has this quarantine affected our school year but it has also affected our summer, which is pretty devastating. This is indeed my first year working at Save the Harbor/ Save the Bay and I know my first year working here will not be the same experience as for the returning workers, but I will try to make the best of it. I am really looking forward to working with such a friendly and welcoming community!

We SHELL go to the beach soon!

-Arianna

New Summer New Job😂

Hello fellow staff members, allow me to reintroduce myself my name is Alex... al to the e x (Doesn’t have the same ring to it as JayZ’s but whatever😂). I grew up in the Charlestown Projects, I loved it there because even though we were some bad kids we all grew up like family and it was a fun but fast childhood. I currently go to Charlestown High School and am going into junior year! I have interests in physical health, mechanics, and low key I like politics and learning about all the crazy evil things the elites do in this country. Also I like learning a little history! 

The thing I’m most excited about in working with Save the Harbor is the people I get to meet and knowing they have multiple resources that can help others. This is my first year so I’m working with people I’ve never met which is letting me practice social interaction and networking.

I would love to learn more about Boston in general, I’ve lived here my whole life yet I know very little history regarding the city. Hearing everyone teach about the harbor and other surrounding islands is just interesting to me because I’ve been to these islands but didn’t know anything about them. 

My favorite part about orientation for me was the ice breakers we did. It was my favorite because it was super simple yet fun. We all also learned at least one thing during the whole orientation whether it be about someone or something. 

Setting the Hook on Summer 2020!

Hi Everyone! My name is Michael and I’m back for my third summer with Save the Harbor/Save the Bay. I grew up in Revere, Massachusetts, fishing and learning as much as I could from the ocean. It’s really cool that my “home” beach is one of the sites this year, I’ve spent so much time there and know it well. 

A nice pumpkinseed sunfish took my fly!

I’ll be a senior this year at Northeastern University, graduating with a bachelor’s degree in Environmental Science with a concentration in Conservation. I love the ocean, but my goal is to work in a more terrestrial setting as a wildlife biologist managing large mammals, specifically ungulates. I spent the past two winters working for the Pennsylvania Game Commission on white-tailed deer studies, tagging and collaring animals so their movements could be monitored and more could be learned about their behavior. My dream is to work somewhere truly wild studying moose.

I’m an avid outdoorsman and try to learn all that I can about the natural world. Fly fishing is one of my biggest passions. I tie my own flies using different natural materials to catch any fish, ranging from stripers, to trout, to sunfish. I’ve just started to forage for wild edibles, which has resulted in some tasty meals of ramps, fiddlehead ferns, and oyster mushrooms. My goal is to become closer to the land by learning about it and living from it.

A striped bass caught at CHV last summer!

During these uncertain times, it’s nice to maintain some sort of normalcy by being out on the harbor doing what I love. I’m so happy that we have the opportunity to bring pieces of the ocean into people’s homes each week and can share what we are seeing. Of course, I’m going to miss fishing with campers out at Camp Harbor View, or taking out groups on the harbor islands, but I’m glad we are still able to get outside safely amidst the Covid-19 pandemic. Being cooped up inside certainly can take its toll, but hopefully our summer programming will encourage people to enjoy the wonderful resource in their backyards!

It’s safe to say I can’t wait until the summer is in full swing and we start delivering content. Working for Save the Harbor has provided me with so many great experiences and memories and I’m ready to make some more!

            Tight Lines,

            Michael

Intro Blog

    Hi, my name is William Haney and I go to Holbrook Middle High School. I’m going into my junior year of school and that’s exciting for me. I play soccer and run track at my school. Soccer is my favorite thing to do whenever I want to do something. It’s basically my lifestyle. Track is fun because I’m pretty good at it and it helps me stay in shape.

    I’m looking forward to all the days I get to spend at Save The Harbor, Save the Bay with my team. I like all of the people I was put with and they’re all super nice. One thing I'm looking forward to this summer is the fishing trip. Fishing is cool and it's kind of relaxing being able to do something fun with the whole COVID-19 thing going on.

    This job is an amazing opportunity for anyone because not a lot of summer jobs involve working outside by the beach all day. I think it'll also look good in the future on a resume instead of writing a fast food place or something. My first few days have been pretty great. The weather in Boston is beautiful and I can't wait to enjoy working here all summer and in future years!

All Smiles through a Mask

Hello everyone!

            My name is Patrice Haney and I can’t put into words how excited I am for this summer at Save the Harbor. As we all know, this summer will be much different due to the “new normal” that we are all experiencing in different ways. Nonetheless, I aim to make the best of the situation and enjoy the fact that although we’ll be facing some challenges, we must be grateful that we still get to work on the beaches all summer long!

I grew up in Holbrook, which is just south of Braintree, but I went to Cardinal Spellman for high school in Brockton. There I ran track and played varsity soccer all four years. I was captain for both teams my junior and senior year. In 2018 I committed to Framingham State University for track and chose to major in mathematics and elementary education. This fall I will be going into my junior year as a track captain and I couldn’t be any happier. I have never once doubted the fact that I wanted to teach for a living and working for save the harbor has only strengthened that desire.

Teaching a young camper to fish at George's Island

Growing up, I spent as much time as possible at my grandmother’s house in Revere. My brothers and I would spend the day jumping into the ocean and hunting for clams or hermit crabs at the beach. I have always loved the ocean and have been to almost every beach on the north and south shore. In my junior year of high school, my grandmother introduced me to Bruce Berman who explained to me what Save the Harbor did each year for their youth program and I knew on the spot that I wanted to work there. I started out that year as a junior program assistant (JPA), working on All Access. The staff that I worked with formed such close bonds with each other, it made me want to come back every summer after that. Since that first year, I have stayed in touch with everyone I have worked with.

Sand raking at Constitution Beach last year

I am very excited to be a Team Leader this summer and take on more responsibility. My goal is to not only create strong enjoyable content for camps to use with their kids but to also make my JPA’s fall in love with this job as much as I did my first time working. Together we are going to have an amazing summer and create some really interesting and educational content for all the camps that would normally be out on the harbor with us!

Catch you later,
Patrice

Another year, another crazy adventure!

Hi there! My name is Vanessa Do vale. I am 18 years old and I came to the U.S from Brazil at the age of 2. I go to the John D. o’bryant, where I am an upcoming senior. I’m the captain of the soccer team and this is going to be my second year being captain. I love soccer so much that I play all year round for my school and for clubs. I love being outside and going swimming. I hate the cold so summer is always my favorite time of year. 

I’m so excited for this year because this job is a dream job. I love nature and being outside in the sun so this is a great opportunity to do those things. I can even get my tan on, that’s a bonus. Although I don’t know how I’m going to feel about the face mask tan lines this year. I worked at save the harbor last year and I loved every second of it. I learned so many new skills, I can’t wait to see what I’ll learn this year. Believe it or not I used to be really shy and I would be too scared to even ask a store clerk for help. After last summer I really got out of my shell, now I’m not scared to make phone calls to make my own appointments. Gen z you know exactly what I’m talking about. I learned how to fish, hold crabs, and most importantly I learned about the history of Boston harbors. I’ve lived in Boston all my life and there was still so much I hadn’t seen or learned. Save the harbor opened my eyes to a whole new Boston.

I also made some really great friendships and memories at this job. My friend keren and I used to go to the same school for 4 years but never knew of each other. We crossed paths a lot but never met. When we started working at sth together we got to know each other and found out how close to meeting we have always been. We instantly became friends and now we are like sisters. There are so many other people that I stay in contact with from this job and is so great to meet so many new people. The best part of orientation was seeing people from last year and the new potential friendships with the new people I can’t wait for the new memories and friendships I make this year. 

Catch you on the flip side

-Vanessa

Year Three on the Sea!!

Hello everyone! My name is Aleena Mangham and I am from Boston Massachusetts. This past June I graduated from Boston Latin School and will be attending Howard University as a Criminology major in the fall! At Boston Latin I was very invested in Talented and Gifted, a dance program that dove into the Latin American culture. At Howard, I plan to do many things including internships, getting involved in their African American Studies Program, and furthering my knowledge in order to fulfil my aspirations of working in the Equal Justice Initiative or Innocence Project. During my free time, I love listening to music and hanging out with my friends, but during quarantine I have used my time to prepare for college whether it is doing summer tests or learning how to cook, 

U.S Coast Guard 2019!!

I loved meeting everyone at orientation and getting to know all of the new faces a bit more by playing “Where The Wind Blows.” It is exciting to be reunited with all of the friends I have made from Save the Harbor and knowing I’ll be able to make even more. One of my favorite things about working here is the amount of people I meet each summer, and the amount of friendships I have made in the past years. 

This is my THIRD year on the harbor and I'm just as excited as if it were my first, I mean, obviously--I came back right?! Save the Harbor has been one of the biggest pushes for me to get out of my comfort zone and find an interest in Environmental Science. Not only did it push me to take a course in it during my senior year, but I find myself bragging about working here all of the time! While this year will be nothing like the last two, I am beyond excited to use our technology to expand Save the Harbor’s knowledge out into the world on bigger platforms. With videos and lesson plans, I hope our energy and ability to educate stays alive!! I am grateful to have a wonderful team to navigate through this uncertainty with, and I’m thrilled to see what the summer brings! 

SEA you next time,
Aleena Mangham

5 years Swimming with STH

By the Sea

Happy Summer! A warm welcome back to another summer on the Boston Harbor, only, this one's gonna look a little different than what we're used to. This has been a hectic year but that is not going to stop us from enjoying our summer. Each month has brought a new change to the way we perceive "normal" life. As it turns out, life is not so "normal". Therefore, what I look forward to the most this summer is what it will bring given the circumstances. I know everything feels uncertain at the moment, with uncertainty comes doubts, concerns, and suspicion. Instead of worrying about what our future might look like, try to focus on what is going on right now. This is the perfect time to sit with your thoughts, unwind, and heal. Summer is all about enjoying the warm weather, hanging out with loved ones, and relaxing by the water. 

For my fifth summer on the harbor, I want to achieve these 5 things before the summer is over;

1. Swim in the Harbor
2. Find a Seastar
3. Catch a stripped bass
4. Create a sea glass mural
5. Build a bond with my crew

A little bit about me; I am a rising senior at Mass College of Liberal Arts where I study Chemistry and Psychology. I love all things science, when I was younger I aspired to become a marine biologist. Although I no longer want to be a marine biologist, STH is the closest I will get to experiencing it. Since my first summer with STH, I have learned more than I ever expected about my local community and the Boston Harbor. I have become more familiar with the beaches, Boston harbor islands, and our different sites around the city. I got comfortable with being uncomfortable, whether that meant picking up crabs or hooking a seaworm to go fishing, I tried it. I did things I never thought I could do which is the best thing about this job. STH has pushed and challenged me, thus shaping the person I have become today. Each summer I feel like I have improved myself and my skills. 

I sang Haul Away Joe in the playground at George's Island. I created some cool chalk art on the boardwalk outside of the Children's Museum. I've gone kayaking in the lagoon near the esplanade, paddle boarding at CHV, and kayaking in the Charles. I've made lots of friends of all ages through our programming. My favorite thing is when someone returns and remembers me, my heart warms at their excitement. To sum it up, I am ready for whatever summer 2020 is going to throw at me. Cheers to my favorite season! 

Swimming Off

-Kharliyah

Kharliyah & Bridget 2017

Seaweed Scarf - CHV 2019 

                  

 

HERE'S TO ONE GREAT SUMMER!

 

Hi guys! I'm T'Nysha or Ty from Dorchester. I am 18 years old and an upcoming senior at Waldorf High school in Belmont. I am hoping to study Psychology with the hopes of becoming an ABA therapist or study Marine Biology. They are two very different care paths, but I am passionate about them both. I love painting, knitting, acting, photography and binge watching Netflix shows - ( if you have any good recommendations let me know!) I am the oldest of 2 siblings, a brother and a sister. I have four very loud parakeets and one turtle. I am so very goofy and I have a big heart, so I love to make people's day better by doing the little things. 

As we all know due to COVID-19 online classes took place for a lot of school and mine was one of them. But since my school is not the traditional high school my class and I ended up producing two full plays! I know you're probably asking how and I said the same thing at first. What we did was use the Zoom platform and acted the 'The Seagull' and our own original play 'Six feet apart.' It was a lot of work. Think about everything that goes into a play or movie... we did it all, but online of course. I'm still shocked at the fact we pulled it off, but it came out great. 

Here's a photo I took for 'The Seagull'

I have been looking forward to week one since I found out I would be joining the Save The Harbor crew. I fell in love with Marine Biology at an early age and it has always been my dream job. So when I saw this job posting on Success link I knew I couldn't miss out! When I was younger I used to fish a lot and it was always so much fun to pull in a fish. I am hoping to have that feeling come back once we are out there fishing! I'm eager to learn more and be part of this wonderful community. 

Sea ya on the shore, 

Ty

Psyched for a summer on the water!!!

Hey everybody!

My name is Luke Briccetti and I am sooooo excited to be an STH Team Leader for the summer of 2020! While I am originally from the New York area, I just graduated from Tufts University in Somerville and definitely consider Somerville to be my adopted home. 

I have been passionate about enjoying, exploring, and working on the water for as long as I can remember. This passion mainly stems from my love of fishing and marine science, which I hope to eventually pursue in graduate school. I have also spent a lot of time doing environmental education, and am excited to make fun educational videos for our program partners all summer long! I am also pumped to get to know my team better and to explore the harbor's sites with them!

Another thing I am excited about is getting to know Boston's waterfront this summer. As someone who didn't grow up in Boston, most of our summer sites are super new to me. I love urban beaches and working to conserve urban waterways, so I can't wait to learn more about how Boston achieved it's status as having some of the cleanest urban waterfront in the country (as well as the ways we can maintain it). 

Overall, I have had a ton of fun throughout orientation and the first week of programming at Save the Harbor. My favorite part so far was simply showing up at Carson Beach on the first in-person day - after being cooped up all spring due to Covid-19, it was awesome to be out on the beach, and awesome to see all the smiling, masked-up STH staff member's faces ready to tackle the Covid summer! 

Thanks for reading and see ya on the sand, 

Luke 

My first year !!!

   

    My name is Ariana Alarcon but I like to be called Ari, this is my first year at Save the Harbor, Save the Bay. I'm fifteen years old and I'm going into my sophomore year. I play volleyball and basketball, and I'm a competitive dancer too. I love to hangout with my friends and family, I value being a successful and hard working person, and I want to be either a pediatrician nurse or a surgeon. This summer I'm looking forward to making new connections and learn about marine life, and to explore the different beaches of Boston.

Claudia's Dive-In

Claudia holding a piece of green algae, definitely not just for the photo.

   

    Greetings, water lovers! My name is Claudia and I am an environmental advocate of primarily marine and aquatic science. Currently pursuing my master's degree from the University of Portsmouth in Hampshire, UK, I'm looking forward to working with youths of varying backgrounds and interests over the 2020 summer season with Save the Harbor, Save the Bay, an organization I've valued since I moved to Boston in 2017. 

    I cannot contain my passion for environmental conservation when it comes to the aquatic environment that unites us all: the ocean! I'm a headstrong advocate for high biodiversity and protective practices of fishing, recreational, and economic use within the ocean. I also concern myself with issues of environmental justice in water availability and quality of life surrounding aqueous environments that belong to the people of surrounding communities. When not studying or out for work, I enjoy spending a lot of time petting dogs, remotely catching up with family, and afternoons by the fire pit with the grill charring up veggie options, and an interesting musical variety. 

Let's get these weird tan lines started! 

- Claudia H. 

On Your Mark, Get Set, Summer!

Hi everyone!
My name is Grace, I am 19 years old, and I am going to be a sophomore at Oberlin College. I am a two sport athlete at Oberlin playing soccer and basketball. This is my second year working with Save the Harbor. I am so excited to be back out on the harbor this summer! I am currently majoring in Geology but I love the ocean and learning about marine life. I love to fish and explore the city's coastline harbor and the ecosystem that thrives in it. Last summer I worked out at Camp Harbor View on Long Island. The best part was seeing the excitement that spreads across the pier when someone hooks a fish or a crab. This summer I am interested in learning more about how the different species in the harbor interact with on another. My favorite part of orientation was getting to see everyone again. Going away to school and then with quarantine I hadn't seen anyone from Save the Harbor really in almost a year. Super excited to get back out on the harbor and have some fun this summer!


Fins Up!


Last summers Fishing Derby

Another year on the Harbor, luckily!

selfie in my dorm at BU which i miss :(

        And summer is here already! Hey guys, my name is Fatima Fontes, I am 20 years old and an upcoming junior at Boston University. I'm a Pre-Med student with a major in Psychology! I hope and pray that in a couple of more years I will become a Psychiatrist. This is my second year at Save the Harbor Save the Bay and I'm so happy to have the opportunity to be outside again! This year has been everything we never expected. A deadly virus that kept us in the house for months on quarantine, but now we can be outside again enjoying the weather this summer. I've lived in Charlestown almost my whole life and enjoy working out at the neighborhood field to avoid the "quarantine 20", since the gyms have been closed. I've been very committed to doing daily workouts for eight weeks until I injured myself in the beginning of June. I fell off a couple stairs and severely sprained my ankle and fractured two bones in my foot which will be a eight to twelve healing process. Luckily, I have a knee scooter that allows me to get around and still work this summer!
        I am super excited to be able to work another year at this amazing program! I'm so happy that I can reconnect with people from last year and also see new faces. This year is very different from last summer due to the horrible corona-virus. Sadly, we won't be able to have kids at the sites to teach how to fish, interesting facts about the harbor, play games, and interact with. Although we are on zoom for two days out of the week, i'm glad it's not all five and we still get to have three days of fresh air--when the weather isn't too hot--. I was excited to notice that we will be located at a different site every week! Last summer, I worked at Piers Park and only visited two other sites, so I can't wait to visit so much more.

Touring the Charlestown Navy Yard! 

        Even though this summer looks very different from all the others, I am so thrilled to learn the history about other beaches and sites around Boston Harbor. There are many new sites this summer that I never have been to and can't wait to learn so much about it! Sadly, this summer I didn't get to attend the in-person orientation due to the fact that I was on bed rest until I got my knee scooter which came the next day. I can't wait to continue working this summer and reconnect with you all!

See you all soon!
Fatima Fontes :)

Back into it!!

Doing what I love most,  smiling.

      Hey there, my name is Keren Osorio and I will be returning for my second summer at Save The Harbor Save the Bay. I go to Umass Amherst and will be a sophomore this upcoming fall semester. I live in Boston and have been for about 7 years now. Boston is a beautiful city and I hope that one day my children will see it how I do. In my free time I enjoy playing basketball. I either play pick up games with my cousin or shoot around by myself. I also love watching shows on Netflix, I am currently watching 13 Reasons Why. My all time favorite show is The 100, I would highly recommend it.
     With COVID 19 going on, this summer is going to be different than how it was last year. We might not be able to see the thousands of kids we did but I am excited about the content we will be making for those at home. We still want the kids to engage and learn about the different sites we will be programming at. During this pandemic a lot of kids turned to remote learning and we want them to continue that and stay safe. I love how we will be on different sites each week which is different from last year. We will be able to explore these places and share it with the kids.
      As cliche as it may sound people learn new things everyday. I am excited to learn the history about the different places we will be programming. Even if I just learn how to get to the sites in my free time I will be happy. This means that I will be able to take my family to these places so I can teach them what I learned. In my opinion I believe it is important for people to know the different events that happened in the past that shaped how things are now.

Beautiful day at Castle Island.

      This year orientation was at Carson beach. I was very excited because I was able to see the familiar faces from last summer. Most of the people I worked with I have not seen since then. What stood out to me about orientation was how we got a preview on how our videos will be recorded. We had to record a mini clip on a topic of our choice and then share it with a partner. From that activity I learned a lot of information on how to properly record yourself. You have to make sure you're recording at eye level, make sure you look at the camera and not yourself, and to also sound enthusiastic so you can keep your viewers engaged.

Hope to sea what new adventures await,

Keren

Introducing (one of) your newest JPAs!

    Hey y'all! I'm McRae (pronounced somewhere between muh-cray and mick-ray, which is kind of confusing but also the only way I can explain it). I'm 17 years old and going into my senior year at the O'Bryant in Roxbury. After I graduate, I'm planning on going to college and then veterinary school (a.k.a. voluntarily spending eight more years in school). Right now, though, I'm taking classes in a little bit of every subject, partly because I'm interested in learning as much as I can, partly due to graduation requirements. Outside of schoolwork, my number one interest, hobby, and extracurricular is soccer. I've been playing for over ten years now and this year will be my sixth playing for the OB Lady Tigers varsity team (assuming we have a season). I'm one of three soccer co-captains and all of us will be working for Save the Harbor this summer! I also play basketball for OB and dance outside of school. Unfortunately, I couldn't really do any of those things during quarantine, so I've gotten pretty good at baking and doing weird makeup instead.

Me at Pleasure Beach in the middle of winter because somehow, despite living literally
10 minutes from the water, this is the only picture that I can find of me on a beach

    This is going to be my first summer working for Save the Harbor as well as my first summer with a real job outside of cat-sitting. I'm very excited for this summer because all of my friends/teammates who worked for Save the Harbor last year really talked it up in school. I'm also excited about the actual work, of course. I want to be able to do my part to help the environment and hopefully discover whether I might want to go into environmental sciences in college. I'm most looking forward to learning more about Boston's history. I grew up in "Southie" and have been visiting Carson Beach and Castle Island my whole life, but I still feel like I know so little about them. Orientation has already set my expectations pretty high! My favorite part was actually the icebreakers, which, from my experience, are typically painfully awkward. Overall I'm just super excited to be working on the harbor with all of these amazing people this summer.

Peace out y'all :)

McRae

My First Year, I'm SO Excited

Heyy Everyone,

       My name is Jane Yannis, I live in Allston-Brighton and I go to the O'Bryant school in Roxbury. I am going to be a sophomore there and I have been playing Varsity Girls Soccer since 7th grade making this upcoming season my 4th year. I really want to play with my Lady Tigers next year so hopefully corona doesn't take that away from my teammates and I. Also, for the past three Summers, I've attended Camp Harbor View, which sadly won't be happening this summer because of covid19, but was an amazing experience where I also got introduced to Save the Harbor!
It was a wonderful community to be a part of and by seeing Save the Harbor while at camp as well as hearing so much about it from teammates like Jay, Vanessa, Jasmine, Grace and Ms. Ryan, I believed there was that same kind of community which is what I am most excited for this Summer. I'm also interested in learning about the history of our Harbor and keeping it as clean as possible. During orientation for Save the Harbor we had to take a video of ourselves telling a story and then show it to someone, and talk about what we needed to work on as a group. This was really helpful to me because I felt like I always needed a little help when it came to presenting myself and using my voice but nothing at school was really helping with that, and this was a great way to know what I needed to work on/ focus on.
        Though I wasn't exposed to the harbor as much because how far it was from my neighborhood, the few times I did drive by it I could see the litter that was thrown into it, and when I was at CHV I started learning a little more about it and saw it a lot more often. When Save the Harbor came to camp, I immediately liked them because of the name and wanted to be a part of something like that, to help the environment and learn about an important part of my city.

-Sea you out there, 

Jane

Save the Harbor Adventures: Part 2

Hi there,

My name is Jay Gomez. This will be my second year working with Save the Harbor Save the Bay. I am just as excited to work with the team this year as I was last year. I am currently going into my senior year at the John D. O’Bryant, soon to be 18. I play goalkeeper for the O’Bryant Girls Soccer Team, which is one of my favorite things to do. If I’m not kicking a ball around, I'm binge watching netflix and making some beats. 

I know this summer will be a little different due to the current pandemic going around, but that won’t discourage the SHB team from making the most of it. Since this summer will be a little different, I am excited to learn more history about the beaches of Boston and have the ability to create fun activities for kids around the city. This summer, I'm hoping to absorb more information about the wildlife within the harbor and continue learning about new ways to keep our environment safe and healthy.

Black Lives Matter

New year means new faces. Orientation is always a fun part of work, this is where old staff meets new staff, the start of new friendships, and the birth of a new family. During orientation, we played Where the Wind Blows, which requires one person to stand in the middle of a circle and say, “The wind blows for anyone who…” It’s always fun to see what people come up with. Each round we learned more about who we will be working with during the summer and found new things in common. I asked a question that particularly surprised me, which was, “The wind blows if you weren’t born here.” I was surprised that there were only two people who were not born in America, including myself. This was shocking because I honestly thought that a couple of our new staffers were not born here, regardless of that, it’s always fun to see our cultural commonality. As always, thanks for taking the time to get to know me, have a great week.

Until next time,

Jay Gomez

to a Jawsome first year!

Hello,

My name is Regina Chiem, I am 16, I live in Brighton, and I attend Boston Latin School. I spend most of my free time leading in 4 clubs at my school and volunteering whenever I can. I also love the arts, I play 3 different instruments, digital draw, and do photography. I've always loved helping my community and I've openly advocated against global warming through the Boston Climate Strike. Save the Harbor Save the Bay was a unique opportunity where I get to help my community as well as educate others about current issues. I'm excited to be out on the water this summer creating videos and lesson plans to be shared with kids and learning how to fish. Especially during the pandemic, this opportunity is special because I will be able to work with others and be outside. I want to further educate my knowledge of team building and the Boston Harbor along with learning new ways I can be an active and positive member in keeping the waters I visit safe. My favorite part of orientation were the team building games because I got to safely interact with others and meet new people. I hope my first year will help me learn and grow.

Sea you later,

Regina Chiem

To a great summer!

Hi my name is Roy I’m 17 years old and go to Boston Latin School. I live in the Dorchester/Roxbury area and have lived in Boston all my life so far. I play football and run track at my high school and I played basketball my Freshman and Sophomore year. I also play the alto saxophone in my high school band and have been playing it for almost six years now.

This is my second year working for save the harbor save the bay and I’m looking forward to this upcoming summer. Although due to COVID- 19 many things have been rearranged and canceled I still feel this summer is going to great, I’m just grateful that I am able to work this summer and especially since it is still with save the harbor save the bay. I’m looking forward to fishing and grabbing and making new friends as I am working with a new group of coworkers this year which is great!

Last summer I spent most of my time working at All Access Boston Harbor which was located on the island of the harbor which was great but this year I’m looking forward to learning about and visiting our other sites weekly. This week I am working at the Charlestown Navy Yard, a place that I’ve never been which is cool because I now have a place that I can recommend to my friends and family to visit. I’d also like to learn more about the history of our other locations which I look forward to doing once I work at those other sites. In the upcoming weeks I will be working at Carson beach which will be fun because my orientation was held there. One of my favorite things I did during the orientation was play ice breaker games with others because it was a good chance to meet and learn about the people I will be working with this summer and do some physical activity which is fun. In all I am looking forward to this upcoming summer.

 See you next week! Roy.

 

Setting Sail On A New Adventure!

    Hello! My name is Caroline Wilbur, I am a recent graduate from Bridgewater State University and I am from Weymouth. This is my very first year at Save The Harbor Save The Bay and I could not be more excited to be here! It is going to be a refreshing transition, going back outside, after the past few months of teaching middle school students online! Quarantine has been a challenging time for us all. Some of my favorite activities such as coaching two swim teams, surfing at the beach, and mountain biking on the trails are now somewhat possible again, so I am happy as a clam! 

    This summer, I am so lucky to have the opportunity to join the Save The Harbor crew as we navigate the transition to online programming! It will be a great time for each of us to learn more about the programs that Save The Harbor has to offer! Being new to the team, I am looking forward to learning about the history behind Boston Harbor! With everything I have been learning remotely about Save The Harbor, it has been so exciting to get the chance to meet members of our team of Zoom! My favorite part of orientation was getting to meet my team members Regina, Jasmine, Aleena, and Damani, today we had the chance to work together in the Seaport District at the Fort Point Channel…but more on that to follow!

For now I’ll leave with a joke!

How does the ocean say goodbye? 

It waves! 

Sea you next time! 

Hello Everyone!

Hello everyone, 
My name is Ruben Hernandez and I am 19 years old. I love fishing and marine life. I wanted to be a Marine Biologist and started loving the ocean when I was only 6 years old. It started with shark week and because of that, I loved how the ocean worked. Fishing helped increase my love for the ocean. I want to help the ocean by becoming an environmentalist in marine science. Once I'm a marine scientist I can help regulate fishing and also protect my favorite animals: sharks. I am also super excited about this job because I get to see some things I'd probably never get to see otherwise, such as crab or fish species I don’t often see. Also when COVID-19 is gone and I get to work with kids at some point, I want to teach them all the things that I learned about sea life. When I get the chance I would love to learn more fishing tricks from others who might now more than me. This experience will be fun and a learning curve in my life, I just know it! Hopefully you guys can teach me new things as well. 

Sea you on the flip side!

Save the Harbor awards more than $200,000 in Safer and Better Beaches Program grants

On Saturday morning, June 27, Save the Harbor/Save the Bay awarded $208,700.00 in grants to 39 beach groups and community organizations from Nahant to Nantasket as part of their Safer & Better Beaches Program Partnership with the Department of Conservation & Recreation at a virtual award ceremony on Zoom.

According to Save the Harbor/Save the Bay's Executive Director Chris Mancini,  this year's grants will support efforts to keep the region's public beaches in Lynn, Nahant, Revere, Winthrop, East Boston, South Boston, Dorchester, Quincy, and Hull safe and open this summer. They will also support support free, re-imagined, beach events and programs when the Covid-19 pandemic has passed and public programming can safely resume.

Grant recipients in a Zoom group photo.

"As the nation continues to wrestle with the challenges of both the Covid-19 pandemic and the consequences of systemic racism, safe and accessible blue and green spaces like the region's public beaches from Nahant to Nanatasket are more important than ever" said Mancini. "In these uncertain times, you can be sure that Save the Harbor/Save the Bay will continue to support our partners in the region's waterfront neighborhoods and beachfront communities, as we work together to keep these spectacular urban natural resources safe, open and welcoming to all."

Department of Conservation & Recreation Commissioner Jim Montgomery took part in the ceremony on Saturday, and applauded the power of Save the Harbor's Better Beaches Program partnership with DCR, which has invested more than $1 million dollars in free beach programs since it began in 2007.

"The Baker/Polito Administration has made it a priority to support great partnerships like this, that encourage people to get and enjoy the outdoors in a safe and responsible way" said Montgomery. "With Covid-19, our beaches and parks are even more important for people's mental and physical health. It is a great partnership. I look forward to seeing you all on your beach, hopefully very soon."

Senator Brendan Crighton, co-chair of the Metropolitan Beaches Commission, speaking to the attendees of the Zoom award ceremony

State Senator Brendan Crighton of Lynn, who co-chairs the Metropolitan Beaches Commission with Rep. RoseLee Vincent of Revere, was also on hand to thank Save the Harbor, DCR, and this year's recipients. 

"We all love the beach," Crighton said. "In the light of this awful pandemic, and our renewed fight against racial injustice, it has never been more important for folks to have a welcoming place to get fresh air and exercise, and a safe place for people to gather and voice their concerns."

According to Save the Harbor/Save the Bay's Director of Strategy & Communications Bruce Berman, in the coming weeks the group will host a "virtual charette" to begin to "re-imagine beach programs" in light of the twin public health crises we are facing together. 

"In these uncertain times, it is important to hope for the best but to plan for the worst," Berman said.  "Though we are not yet certain how to continue to put these spectacular urban natural resources to work for all our residents and our communities, you can be certain that Save the Harbor/Save the Bay will be here when the Covid-19 pandemic has passed, with free events and programs for all the region's residents to enjoy."

As the meeting drew to an end, Save the Harbor/Save the Bay asked participants to share a short video, "A Line in the Sand" encouraging beachgoers to practice social distancing to keep our beaches safe and open this summer. You can watch it on YouTube here. 

Save the Harbor also thanked the Baker/Polito Administration, the legislative leadership and community members of the Metropolitan Beaches Commission, the Department of Conservation and Recreation, their foundation funders including The Boston Foundation, The Richard Saltonstall Charitable Foundation, P&G Gillette, Comcast, National Grid, and Beacon Capital Partners, as well as event and program sponsors Jet Blue and Harpoon Brewery, and the hundreds of people who took part in this year's Harpoon Shamrock Splash, for making this important program possible.

For more information on Save the Harbor/Save the Bay and the work they do to restore, protect and share Boston Harbor, the Boston Harbor Islands and the region's public beaches with all the region's residents, visit their website at www.savetheharbor.org, and follow @savetheharbor on social media. 

To take part in an upcoming "Re-Imagining the Beach" charette, send your contact information to williams@savetheharbor.org.

Draw A Line In The Sand to Keep Our Beaches Safe and Open

 The late US District Court Judge A. David Mazzone, who oversaw the Boston Harbor case for nearly 20 years, often said that he measured the success of the Boston Harbor cleanup not by the “number of feet” you could see into the water, but by the “pairs of feet” he saw on the region’s public beaches on a hot summer day.

Because we believe that the best way to “save the harbor” is to create new environmental stewards by “sharing the harbor” with the public, for more than 30 years Save the Harbor/Save the Bay has embraced Mazzone’s metric as one true measure of our success. 

We are certainly proud that in 2019 our free Youth Environmental Education programs served more than 35,000 primarily low-income kids and families, and our free beach programs brought more than one million people to the region’s public beaches.

However, this year we are confronting the most serious public health crises to affect our nation since the influenza epidemic of 1918. Under these circumstances, Mazzone’s metrics - and large public beach events and programs - are simply not appropriate.

Governor Baker and Mayor Walsh have wisely cancelled large public gatherings until at least Labor Day. Many of our youth program partners have suspended their public programs to protect their staff and the public’s health. Though our program planning and policy work continues by teleconference and Zoom, our office on the Fish Pier is closed for now.

Instead of bringing thousands of kids and their families on free harbor tours and tens of thousands of people to free concerts and beach festivals from Nahant to Nantasket this summer, we are planning for a virtual summer on Boston Harbor.

Today we are working closely (albeit remotely) with our legislative and community partners at the Metropolitan Beaches Commission, in the Baker/Polito Administration, and the City of Boston to encourage social distancing and discourage gatherings on the beaches we have worked so hard to restore, protect and share. Working together, we intend to draw a clear line in the sand to reduce the social spread of the coronavirus and keep our beaches safe and open.

All of us at Save the Harbor/Save the Bay love the beach. We also understand the importance of access to healthy blue and green open spaces like public beaches and parks to the region’s residents, especially now with opportunities for recreation limited as the weather warms and cabin fever sets in.

We appreciate the thoughtful and measured approach that the Baker/Polito Administration and the Department of Conservation has taken to permit public access to these urban natural resources during this unprecedented public health crisis.

We also know that parking restrictions, social distancing requirements and face masks will not work unless we all follow the rules and abide by the guidance. We have all seen what happened when large crowds hit the beaches in Florida and California, in some cases forcing officials to close their beaches again.  We should not make these mistakes here in the Bay State.

For the past five years Save the Harbor/Save the Bay has brought acclaimed beach artist Andres Amador to Boston to work with scores of volunteers to draw huge mandalas in the sand on the region’s public beaches. His work lasts for just a few hours, before being washed away by the tide.

This year we won’t be drawing mandalas on the beach together. Instead, we need you to help us draw a line in the sand to turn the tide on the COVID-19 pandemic and keep our beaches safe and open. Wear a face mask to protect yourself and others. Don’t gather on the beach with people who are not part of your household. Proper social distancing requires a 12-foot diameter circle between you and other beachgoers. 

When this crisis has passed, each of us will ask ourselves “What did I do personally to flatten the curve and reduce the spread of the virus?” If you love your beach and care about your community, follow the guidelines, and use good judgement and common sense. Together we can draw a line in the sand to reduce the social spread of the coronavirus, keep our communities safe and our beaches open.

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