By Amalia & Zev

In order to prepare for the City Nature Challenge we had volunteers and park rangers come in to teach us about the Boston Harbor Islands. We learned about everything from the wildlife on the islands to the history of how they got there. We were also taught how to make observations about the nature that is around us everyday. Then we were taken to the Harbor Islands and shown the different places that we would be staffing on the day of the City Nature Challenge. This process taught us to look around you and observe all the beauty in nature. 

On a snowy day we met with Rachel and Harley to learn about the city nature challenge. They told us about how the islands have been used throughout history and how they were formed. We learned about different studies taking place on the islands like tracking the sizes of mice and comparing them to the ones on the mainland. We also learned about invasive species and the harm that they are causing to the islands. There are efforts being put in to get rid of them to promote biodiversity and a healthier ecosystem on the island. Last, we learned about the city nature challenge and how we would be writing a script for a movie about how to participate in the challenge.