The WaterFront Center: Day of a Bay Buc

A Day in the Life of a Bay Buccaneer!

The Bay Buccaneers, led this week by Andrew and Sabrina, are the WaterFront Center’s youngest group of marine environment enthusiasts. They let me hang out with them for a few days this week as they got friendly with turtles from the Cold Spring Harbor Fish Hatchery, made their own turtle crafts, and went fishing off the pier - it was a blast!

Left to Right: Francesco, Gio, Marianna, Jack, Jonathan, Costa, Emma, James

Wednesday morning was reserved for getting to know the turtle inside and out by making their own: each Bay Buccaneer made turtle crafts out of paper plates and other decorations - and the results were spectacular! We had a great looking group of turtles by the end of morning, and then it was off to the beach for a relaxing walk to see what we could find! It was a great opportunity to cool off in the bay, and spend some time just exploring the area. All the kids had some great discoveries, including shells, clams, and other sea life that had washed up onto the beach. After lunch, however, was the real treat: turtles!

Emma with some great finds!

Gio with his collection of green rocks.

Jonathan with his pet turtle.

In the afternoon, the kids sat down for a meet-and-greet with some cool creatures that make their home in New York state. We had the chance to meet a few different turtles, and the Buccaneers were fascinated by each of them - one of the smaller turtles walked around on the table, curious to see its new friends, and later each Bay Buccaneer got to hold a tiny baby turtle that fit perfectly in the palm of their hands! It was amazing to see these animals up close and personal, and the kids enjoyed getting the chance to hold them and watch them walk around close by.

Jonathan and Marianna watch the turtle as he strolls by.

Read for his close-up!

Francesco gets friendly with a baby turtle.

More adventures were in store today, as the Buccaneers braved the sweltering heat to go fishing off the pier for a bit. Despite the heat, the Junior Summer participants and their leaders cast their lines and hoped for a good catch! Only one lucky Buccaneer, James, caught something - a big, beautiful sea star that we put in the touch tank. Soon afterwards, though, it was time to head in and enjoy some refreshing water. It was a great morning, though, and I had such a fun time hanging out with the Bay Buccaneers!