Lynn kids explore Boston Harbor islands

LYNN ? More than 150 Lynn youth and teens got to dip their toes into the water and explore the land in and around the Boston Harbor Islands this summer thanks to Save the Harbor/Save the Bay and its free All Access Boston Harbor program.Kids from Girls Inc., the LEO After School Program and the Lynn YMCA all set sail for days of adventure, activity and learning in the Boston Harbor Islands National Park. Their excursion took them to Georges, Spectacle and Peddocks Island.?Its great to see so many smiling new faces and so many familiar ones as well,” said Save the Harbor’s Bruce Berman, who directs the program. “Many of the 120 youth and community organizations who take part in this program join us for more than one trip, and they return year after year. They tell us that these free trips are one of the highlights of their summer.”The trips begin at the Blue Hills Bank Pavilion in the South Boston Seaport, where the kids make fish prints and murals, haul lobster traps and learn about the history of Boston Harbor and the Boston Harbor cleanup from Save the Harbor’s maritime historian David Coffin. The groups then board the Provincetown II and spend the day hiking, swimming, fishing, crabbing, creating art on the shore, engaging in healthy outdoor activities on the beach and actively exploring the Boston Harbor Islands National Park.On Georges Island youth have a chance to tour historic Fort Warren and meet the infamous “Lady in Black.” On Peddocks Island they can explore the remains of historic Fort Andrew, visit a classic New England chapel and enjoy the new visitor center and the Harbor Islands’ only Frisbee Golf course. On Spectacle Island they can discover sea glass, pottery and other historic artifacts on Treasure Beach that reveal the islands’ history as a municipal landfill before it was transformed into one of the most popular destinations in the national park.Last summer Save the Harbor’s youth and family programs connected 15,903 young people to Boston Harbor and the Boston Harbor Islands, and they expect serve even more young people this summer.?By summer’s end our free youth environmental education programs will have connected more than 15,000 young people to Boston Harbor and the Boston Harbor Islands,” said Save the Harbor President Patricia Foley. “We are proud to share these spectacular urban natural resources with the next generation of Boston Harbor stewards.”Save the Harbor/Save the Bay is a non-profit, public interest, environmental advocacy organization whose mission is to restore and protect Boston Harbor, Massachusetts Bay, the region’s public beaches and the Boston Harbor Islands and share them with the public, for everyone to enjoy.