Commonwealth Conversations: The Great Outdoors

Seafood throwdown

Mary Griffin

Commissioner, Department of Fish and Game (DFG)

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On October 2, I celebrated locally-caught fish and the local fishing industry at the Boston Local Food Festival on the waterfront at Fort Point Channel in downtown Boston. I had the not-too-shabby job of being one of four judges rating the cooking skills of two Boston celebrity chefs during the Seafood Throwdown on a beautiful sunny Saturday. The Top Chef-ish event pitted the chefs against each other to create a delicious dish within an hour from local seafood and local ingredients from the farm stands on the festival grounds.

The chefs – Didi Emmons of the Haley House Bakery Cafe in South Boston faced off against Jason Bond, formerly of Beacon Hill Bistro and No. 9 Park – were tasked with preparing pollock and butterfish. The dishes were rated on taste, originality, presentation, and use of the whole fish.

Jason Bond prepared a delectable pollock with a mustard seed crust and fresh pasta made from local whole grain flour, topped with the butterfish and cooked with pureed fresh corn. Didi Emmons prepared amazing fresh fish chowder with potatoes, leeks, and a variety of fresh vegetables, along with a fresh salad of kale, leeks, beets and other greens topped with sautéed butterfish. Both dishes were tasty but the winner was Didi Emmons.

Angela Sanfilippo, president of the Gloucester Fishermen’s Wives Association, prepared a wonderful redfish stew for onlookers to sample.

Cape Ann Fresh Catch, run by the association, provided the fish for the Seafood Throwdown. This Community Supported Fishery (CSF) works the same way as Community Supported Agriculture (CSA), which requires members to pay a season’s worth of produce at the beginning of the year to receive a share of the farmer’s harvest each week. Cape Ann Fresh Catch supplies fresh seafood caught by Gloucester fishermen to 14 communities in Greater Boston and the North Shore. One difference between the CSF and CSA is that you buy a share in a CSA for an entire season (usually May or June through October or November) while the CSF works in shorter time frames in eight or 10-week shares throughout the year.

Buying local fish supports the local fishermen and related shore-side industries, creates jobs, and keeps delicious, fresh seafood on tables across the Commonwealth. So think about where you seafood comes from and ask markets and restaurants where they get their seafood. Try – and encourage others – to make local choices that benefit our local fishermen in our communities!

Photos from the event.

Beach cleanup, a treasure hunt for trash

Rachel Offerdahl

Multimedia intern, Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs (EEA)

View Rachel's Bio

Last year in Massachusetts, 2,200 volunteers picked up 23,000 pounds of marine debris along 110 miles of coastline during an annual statewide beach cleanup. The event, known as COASTSWEEP, kicked off September 25 at DCR’s Lynn Shore & Nahant Beach Reservation. COASTSWEEP, part of the Ocean Conservancy’s International Coastal Cleanup, is an annual international event aimed at raising awareness of the marine debris issue and cleaning up shorelines, riverbanks, and marshes. Volunteers sort debris into trash and recycling and record the items they pick up, which is later compiled into a database. Check out the video to hear from Office of Coastal Zone Management COASTSWEEP Program Manager Robin Lacey about the purpose and significance of COASTSWEEP. Thomas Glenn, age 7, talks about what cleaning up beaches means to him.

Pumpkin picking

Anna Waclawiczek

Chief of Staff, Department of Agricultural Resources (DAR)

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The harvest season may be drawing to an end, but that does not mean that there are not still great opportunities to sample the local flavors of Massachusetts. The pumpkin season is underway, and a warm and sun filled summer has lead to a bountiful crop this fall. Mild temperatures this fall have been ideal for visitors of pick-your-own pumpkin patches, allowing for a great opportunity for parents and children to pick out the pumpkin that is just right for their home. There are over 100 pick-your-own pumpkin patches in Massachusetts. Often these farms have other outdoor activities like hay rides and corn mazes.

Pumpkins are not only Halloween decorations but they can make a nutritious tasty snack, dessert, or meal. Pumpkins have high levels of anti-oxidants, beta-carotene (which converts to vitamin A), potassium, and many other nutrients such as Vitamins C and E. If you do intend on turning your pumpkin into a Jack O’ Lantern though, try saving the seeds. Pumpkin seeds can be baked or roasted into a tasty snack, and can either be salted or seasoned any way you like.

If you are looking to go pumpkin picking but aren’t sure where in your area patches are located, check out DAR’s easy-to-use pumpkin patch finder by selecting "pumpkins" from the "crops" menu on the interactive map.

White shark summer

Greg Skomal

Senior biologist, Division of Marine Fisheries (DMF)

View Greg's Bio

It was a fantastic summer! Our tagging team was able to tag eight white sharks off the coast of Monomoy Island in Chatham. We tagged most of the sharks in August when the weather was calm and clear enough for our spotter pilot George Breen (who soars 1,000 feet above the tagging boat skippered by Bill Chaprales and his son Nick) to find the fish. Last year, we tagged five fish. If someone told me two years ago that we would satellite tag 13 white sharks, I would have called them crazy.

The sharks we tagged ranged in length from 10 to 18 feet long and from 600 to 3,000 pounds. It’s an exhilarating experience seeing these animals up close (we’re able to get within 10 feet of them when we tag). The whole tagging process is a pressure cooker as the excitement builds until Bill throws the harpoon and the shark is tagged. (The video clip below was taken from a tagging trip this summer.)

Although seeing these sharks and tagging them is the most exciting part of the job, the reason we do it is the data we’ll receive from these tags six to eight months later. This information will allow us to examine the broad-scale movements of these fish as well as their fine-scale behavior while off the coast of Massachusetts. These sophisticated tags will give us a first real glimpse of how these sharks live in the Atlantic Ocean.

I’ve always been fascinated by the natural world. I was drawn to the water at an early age and I’ve always had an admiration for sharks. Being able to study sharks for a living has allowed some of my childhood dreams to come true.

A lot of people don’t think about sharks when they think about New England but we have over dozen shark species here. It’s an active and dynamic area to work on these animals. The sharks we see off our coast are seasonal visitors, many of them travel great distances when they leave here. Basking sharks go to South America, blue sharks move across the Atlantic, and sandbar sharks go as far as Mexico. Our waters provide for really just a small part of their life history, but it’s an integral part of it. Some come to feed here, others to reproduce. We’ve been actively working on shark research for over 23 years. This work has been just one part of a comprehensive effort by the Division to understand our fisheries resources so we can implement wise and effective management.

Information about DMF’s shark research programs.

Celebrating healthy local food outside

Commissioner Scott Soares

Commissioner, Department of Agriculture Resources (DAR)

View Commissioner Soares' Bio

Along a park next to the Boston Children’s Museum earlier this month, I had the pleasure of attending the first Boston Local Food Festival. After days of steady rain, the clouds cleared for a perfect fall day, which allowed upward of 30,000 visitors to enjoy the spectacular outdoor event. Months of planning by the Sustainable Business Network and the Boston Food Council went off without a hitch. The food, health and agricultural communities came together for this event to celebrate the vibrant food culture in Boston.

More than 120 restaurants, non-profit organizations, specialty food companies and farms participated in the festival! Blue Heron Organic and Red Fire Farms intermingled with restaurants like 3 Little Pigs and Stone Hearth Pizza. But the bounty didn’t end there. There were 45 specialty food vendors like Ben’s Sugar Shack, Hedgie’s Hot Stuff and Taza Chocolate, all with samples that kept you coming back for more. And of course DAR was there to promote fresh food from farms across the Commonwealth.

The first Boston Local Food Festival was truly a landmark. It was a celebration of all that Boston and Massachusetts have to offer by way of healthy and delicious food. And as indicated by organizations in attendance it was a signal that the city is committed to making healthy food a top priority.

Here's some suggestions from our friends at the Department of Public Health on their blog about how to make healthy eating a part of your dinner menu.

Autumn outdoor safety

Marion Larson

Outreach Coordinator, MassWildlife

View Marion's Bio

Fall is a wonderful time to be outdoors with its dazzling colors, crisp air, and wildlife activity galore. Whether your passion is hiking, hunting, fishing, birding, or just taking in the scenery, a few common sense safety reminders will add to your enjoyment during a day in the field.

Know your limits. Don't take off on a long hike, hunt, or bike ride if you're not physically ready.

Always tell someone where you're going and when you expect to return.

Watch the weather. New England weather is notoriously unpredictable. Be ready with extra clothing.

Expect the unexpected. Carrying a pack with a few first aid items, matches, water, pocket knife, cell phone, map, compass, whistle, extra food, and flashlight can help prevent small problems from becoming big ones.

Wear blaze orange for visibility. Whether you're a hunter, hiker, birder or dog walker in rural areas, it's a good idea to wear a cap or vest of highly visible blaze orange clothing while you're enjoying the great outdoors.

Respect the water. Canoeists and kayakers are required to wear life jackets from September 15 to May 15, but all water enthusiasts, especially anglers who wade in larger rivers, would be wise to wear floatation devices now that water and air temperatures are cooling.

Respect other outdoor users. Mountain biking, horseback riding, wildlife watching, hunting, and hiking need not be and are not mutually exclusive activities. Know the hunting seasons and who is likely to be sharing the woods and waters with you. Keep dogs under direct control and respect other outdoor users' rights to enjoy our open spaces.

Finally, licensed hunters are reminded to take the basics of hunter safety to heart. Treat every firearm as it were loaded, keeping the muzzle pointed in a safe direction at all times. Positively identify your target and what lies beyond it.

More wildlife and outdoor safety information and tips.

Hunting Season information.

Cranberry festival this weekend

Anna Waclawiczek

Chief of Staff, Department of Agricultural Resources (DAR)

View Anna's Bio

If you love the color ruby-red you're going to love watching the harvest of New England's bounciest crimson fruit - the cranberry! Do you know how the cranberry got its name? The name cranberry derives from the Pilgrim name for the fruit, craneberry, so called because the small, pink blossoms that appear in the spring resemble the head and bill of a Sandhill crane.

The 7th Annual Cranberry Harvest Celebration, hosted by the A.D. Makepeace Company and Cape Cod Cranberry Association gets underway October 9 and 10, 2010 in Wareham, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day.

Nestled among the towns and villages of Southeastern Massachusetts are more than 14,000 acres of cranberry bogs. These bogs are the workplaces of the nearly 400 cranberry growing families of the Commonwealth. For generations they have nurtured and cultivated these wetlands, contributed to their communities, provided shelter and habitat for hundreds of plants and animal species, and helped to preserve the beautiful New England countryside. The festival offers a perfect opportunity to learn about cranberries and experience the harvest.

This fun family event features activities for children, animal shows, cooking demonstrations, food vendors, pony and wagon rides, and much more. The highlight of the day is an opportunity to witness a working cranberry bog. (Please, no pets.)

Cranberry Harvest Celebration website.

Taste local, my farmers' market adventure

Rachel Offerdahl

Multimedia intern, Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs (EEA)

View Rachel's Bio

The past two summers I stayed in Boston instead of going home to North Carolina and I excitedly anticipated the opening of the farmers’ markets as a reminder of home. I have fond memories of “the egg man,” as my mother calls him, who peddles fresh eggs and beans from a stand at the farmers’ market near her office. I’ve known my aunt to barter with the farmers when she has too many of her own tomatoes. One summer, when she and I couldn’t bear to make any more jam, I proudly sold a couple pints of blackberries I had picked myself.

So it was with great excitement that I went out to shoot the Boston farmers’ markets. Eating local is important, both to support local farmers and to save on fuel and food travel. I visited the markets at Copley Square, South Station, City Hall, and Kendall Square. One of my favorites is the Copley market (one shopper I talked to called it “exquisite”) because of its selection and convenience, but South Station had live music and Kendall had maple cotton candy, which was incredibly delicious. The markets are worth visiting for the colors alone: peppers, sunflowers, and tomatoes are pleasing to the eye (and camera).

Fall brings lots of great food like spinach, apples, and squash. Try something new! Last fall, I made leek and potato soup for the first time. Farmers’ markets are open all over the Commonwealth now through just before Thanksgiving.

List of Massachusetts farmers’ markets.

Photos of my farmers’ market adventure.

Celebrating a canceled highway, Southwest Corridor Park

Rachel Offerdahl

Multimedia intern, Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs (EEA)

View Rachel's Bio

As a North Carolina native and Boston transplant, I had no idea that in the 1950s and 1960s, plans were developed for a 12-lane highway between Route 128 and Boston and Cambridge. Residents of the affected areas, including the Boston neighborhoods of Jamaica Plain, Roxbury, South End, and Back Bay, began community protests and demonstrations against the destruction of their neighborhoods by the planned highway. Responding to that passionate sentiment, Governor Francis Sargent scrapped the plans in 1969, and highway funds were used to develop mass transit, open space, and recreational facilities.

The new, relocated Orange Line and the adjacent Southwest Corridor Park opened in May 1987. The 4.7-mile, 52-acre linear Southwest Corridor park, now overseen by DCR, includes 11 tot lots, 2 spray pools, 7 basketball courts, 5 tennis courts, 2 street hockey rinks, 2 amphitheatres, and approximately 6 miles of biking, jogging, and walking paths.

In celebration of the park’s 20th anniversary, Southwest Corridor Park supporters held an Open Garden Day on September 12 featuring tours of the 12 community gardens adjacent to the park, children’s activities, live music, and more.

The children’s activities were wonderful; the opossum table, manned by DCR Ranger Peter Simonelli, had marsupial puppets and a pelt. The butterfly table was popular, allowing kids to make their own butterflies with coffee filters, markers, and pipe cleaners. A “Taste the Gardens” DCR Passport book let visitors get stamps at each garden they visited. There was even free food!

The award ceremony at the end of the speaking program honored community volunteers who had helped create the Southwest Corridor Park. More events are coming, such as family bike rides and a Halloween pet parade.

Information on Southwest Corridor Park 20th Anniversary Events.

Photos from the anniversary event.

Family fun outdoors at the Big Moe

Marion Larson

Outreach Coordinator, MassWildlife

View Marion's Bio

This past weekend about 5,000 outdoor enthusiasts gathered in Sturbridge at the Hamilton Rod and Gun Club for the Facts About Wildlife and Nature Society’s (FAWNS) Massachusetts Outdoor Expo. At the expo, known as The Big MOE, participants learned about and tried kayaking, archery, rock climbing, fishing and target shooting. There were live birds of prey and native reptile exhibits and workshops to learn how to identify trees, build a bird box or safely use a tree stand for hunting or photography. MassWildlife’s Peter Mirick, who worked with MassWildlife’s Gary Zima and more than 200 volunteers to put on the event this year, said there was a superb group of reenactments of both eastern and western (tipi) pioneer encampments. There was also mountain biking, geocaching, taxidermy, ice fishing instruction, tomahawk throwing, wild game tasting, and wildlife arts and crafts.

The all-day family celebration of the outdoors and wildlife is in its 14th year and was free, thanks to co-sponsors like the Massachusetts Division of Fisheries & Wildlife, Hamilton Rod and Gun Club, The Weatherby Foundation, Whitetails Unlimited and the Worcester County League of Sportsmen's Clubs. It was a wonderful opportunity for people of all ages to connect with outdoor and wildlife education programs, sporting clubs, and other community pathways to learn more about outdoor activities.

The photos of the angler were taken last weekend by staff wildlife photographer Bill Byrne. Bill also made a photo of the family at the archery station at the 2008 Big MOE.

Bill Byrne’s photos

Join us next year on September 25, 2011 for outdoor and wildlife-related activities at the Big MOE.