|
|
|
A message from our president
Springtime at the Seashore
Spring is here and the Seashore comes alive.
Work on the Atlantic White Ced
ar Swamp Trail is underway. Friends collaborat
ed
with the Cape Cod National
Seashore by raising $75,000 for the trail work that is being matched by a National Park Service Centennial Challenge Grant.
The southern portion of Nauset Light Beach Road in Eastham is being relocated due to advancing shoreline erosion. The project is expected to be completed late this spring.
A new accessible walkway will greet visitors at Province Lands Visitor Center in Provincetown. The new concrete walkway with landings and railings extends from the parking lot curb cut to the visitor center.
Thanks to a partnership between the National Park Foundation, National Park Service (NPS), Department of Energy (DOE), and BMW of North America, four electric vehicle (EV) charging stations for the public have been installed at the Wellfleet Town Hall parking area to serve the towns and Cape Cod National Seashore. The availability of this option will expand access for EV destination travel and help reduce air pollution in parks and gateway communities.
What's it like to have the national seashore in our backyard? If you're an artist, it means boundless opportunities for inspiration beginning this month and continuing through April. Three of our local artists will share their works at the Salt Pond Visitor Center with their exhibition, Living in a Postcard.
We're so pleased to serve our members, and we always encourage you to be in touch. Click here to reach us with thoughts, recommendations and - always - an interest in volunteering.
Darin Krum
|
|
Losing a Dear Friend
The news that Nat Goddard had passed away in late December has caused many of us involved with Friends to reflect on Nat's numerous contributions to the Seashore.
Not only was Nat a member of the Friends' board of directors for six years, but he also served as its treasurer for most of that tenure.
 Nat also served as an Eastham representative on the Seashore Advisory Commission, was a very active member of the Friends' volunteer trail maintenance group, and was one of the original members of the Friends' cut, pile & burn crew organized by CCNS Fire Management Officer Dave Crary.
To all of these efforts to support his beloved Cape Cod National Seashore Nat brought an indomitable supply of enthusiastic hard work and an unending supply of good cheer.
Nat always wore a smile that would make your day a brighter one and shared his good nature and friendship with everyone, leaving all of us much better for having known him.
Nat Goddard was a true friend of the land, as well as to the people who make up the Cape Cod National Seashore and its Friends' group, in addition to the numerous other organizations he wholeheartedly supported. Nat was a one-of-a-kind and is sorely missed.
Read his obituary in the Cape Cod Times.
|
Earth Day Cleanup
On Saturday, April 25 our annual Earth Day Coastal Clean Up will take place. Please join us at 10 AM at Herring Cove Beach parking lot in Provincetown.
Bring sturdy gloves. There is no rain date. Chance of showers or drizzle does not cancel, only heavy rain cancels.
Check the
"News" section of our website Saturday morning if you have any doubt about the weather. If there is a cancellation, we will post a notice there and on our Facebook page by 8 AM: no notice, no cancellation.
Co-sponsored by Friends of the Cape Cod National Seashore and the Center for Coastal Studies in Provincetown.
|
|
News from the National Seashore
Atlantic White Cedar Swamp Trail
work is underway
This project will improve the visitor experience at the Atlantic White Cedar Swamp Trail by replacing the deteriorated wooden section of the boardwalk with recycled plastic lumber. Friends endeavored to raise $75,000 to fund this work which was leveraged and produced matching federal funds.
Winter Film Festival a Success
Thank you to Friends for again funding licensing for the national seashore's Winter Film Festival. More than 50 people were in attendance each week, enjoying stimulating films focused on the power of the human mind to overcome extreme obstacles.
Helping the Park Budget
Like all national parks around the country, the national seashore remains focused on maintaining sustainable operations within budget allocations.
Thankfully, through the work of Friends and other partners, the seashore continues to have a robust program to maintain historic properties, provide public programming, and keep trails open. In addition, the seashore has been successful in obtaining project funds to accomplish critical work, such as the rehabilitation of the Atlantic White Cedar Swamp Trail (with significant help from our $75,000 donation from Friends), an accessible ramp to Province Lands Visitor Center, rehabilitation of the Nauset Coast Guard Station, new facilities at Nauset Light Beach, interior repairs to the Captain Edward Penniman House, major rehabilitation of the Highland Light, and rehabilitation of the Province Lands outdoor amphitheater.
This summer Friends is funding a seasonal interpretive ranger that will enable the park to maintain core visitor services.
National Park Foundation Fishing Event Grant
In keeping with the Department of the Interior's focus on outdoor recreation, the National Park Foundation, with financial support from L.L. Bean, offered competitive grants to help parks promote fishing.
Since surfcasting is a traditional activity on the Outer Cape, the national seashore, in partnership with the MA Beach Buggy Association, put forth a grant proposal and received funding to hold a multi-generational surf fishing event this spring. Stay tuned for details and how to participate.
Cape Cod Healthcare and Cape Cod National Seashore once again sponsored The Run/Walk for Heart Health, a 5K event which was held September 21.
This collaboration between the National Park Service and Cape Cod Healthcare was created as part of the National Park Service Centennial, and funds raised are split between Friends of the Cape Cod National Seashore and Cape Cod Healthcare's Cardiac Rehab Center.
Friends' portion of the proceeds for 2019 was close to $3,000, almost equaling the last two years combined!
This event has grown to be a significant source of donation dollars, helping us to further various projects that support park needs.
|
Highland Light Rehabilitation
The major rehabilitation of Highland Light in Truro will be underway this spring. Work includes repairing and replacing cracking brick and corroded iron elements, replacing windows, reinstating venting systems to eliminate interior moisture, and removing the tower's exterior coatings, which have locked in moisture.
The tower will be closed until 2021, but the Keeper's Shop exhibits and store will be open to the public from late April into October. The grounds will also be open, providing an opportunity for the public to see historic preservation in action.
|
|
|
Deputy Superintendent Kathy Tevye retires in June. We'll miss you.
|
Several staffing changes at the national seashore have been announced.
Meghan Farrell was recently selected for the position of Supervisory Park Ranger in Resource and Visitor Protection. She has
served as a law enforcement ranger at the seashore for several years.
Kelly Medeiros, long-time seashore biological technician, is the seashore's new Natural Resource Specialist.
Aleutia Scott from Jean Lafitte National Park and Preserve in Louisiana
is the new Supervisory Park Ranger for Interpretation in Provincetown and Truro, and
Daniel Blankenship from Sequoia National Park in California
is the new Supervisory Park Ranger for Interpretation in Eastham and Wellfleet.
Deputy Superintendent Kathy Tevyaw and Chief of Facilities and Maintenance Karst Hoogeboom have announced their retirements, effective in June and April, respectively, and Administrative Officer Brandon Flint is moving to Golden Spike National Historical Park in Utah to serve as superintendent.
We wish them all the best!
|
|
Coming Attractions
Summer 2020 will again feature a full schedule of talks and performance events sponsored by Friends including a return engagement of the Cape Cod Symphony, weekly concerts at Herring Cove co-sponsored with Far Land at the Beach, performances by Toast and Jam, Sarah Swain and the O'Boys, CrabGrass, Zoe Lewis, Jason Spooner, and the Outer Cape Chorale Chamber Singers; presentations on shark research, Pilgrims, ocean sunfish, and the Great Beach. Save the Date:
Our annual members' meeting is currently scheduled for July 15.
Be sure to check
www.nps.gov/caco for information about events as they are scheduled.
|
|
|
|
|
|
