June - August 2019  


IN THIS ISSUE
UPCOMING
 EVENTS
 
Link to our 
for a schedule of all our sponsored summer programs. 

Wampanoag Lifeways Walk
 June 21, 11:00 a.m. 
Salt Pond
Visitor Center.

The Greatest Beach: June 22, 3:00 p.m. 
Salt Pond 
Visitor Center.

Sunset Music Nights: Funktapuss
 June 26, 6:30 p.m.
 Far Land on the Beach, Herring Cove.

Sunset Music Nights:
 Rip it Ups
June 30, 6:30 p.m.
 Far Land on the Beach, Herring Cove.

Sunset Music Nights: : Chandler Travis
Philharmonette
July 3,  6:30 p.m. Far Land on the Beach, Herring Cove.

Sunset Music Nights:  Johnny and the Washashores
July 7, 6:30 p.m. 
Far Land on the Beach, Herring Cove.

Sunset Music Nights: The New Beach Band 
July 10, 6:30 p.m.
 Far Land on the Beach, Herring Cove.

Sunset Music Nights:  The Spampinato Brothers
July 14, 6:30 p.m. 
Far Land on the Beach, Herring Cove.

Friends Annual Meeting
 July 17, 6:30 p.m. at Salt Pond
Visitor Center Auditorium

Sunset Music Nights: Sensible Shoes
July 17, 6:30 p.m.
Far Land on the Beach, Herring Cove.

Sunset Music Nights:  Zoe Lewis
July 21,  6:30 p.m. 
Far Land on the Beach
Herring Cove.

Sunset Music Nights:  Joe Morgan and the Kingfish
July 24, 6:30 p.m. 
Far Land on the Beach, Herring Cove.

Sunset Music Nights: July 27: The Sarah Burrill Band 
July 27, 6:30 p.m. 
Far Land on the Beach, Herring Cove.

Sunset Music Nights: Sarah Swain & The Oh Boys
July 31, 6:30 p.m. 
Far Land on the Beach, Herring Cove.

Sunset Music Nights:  Digney Fignus 
August 4, 6:00 p.m.
Far Land on the Beach, Herring Cove.

Sunset Music Nights:  The New Beach Band
 August 7, 6 p.m.
 Far Land on the Beach
 Herring Cove.

Wrecks and Rescues: August 8, 6 p.m. 
Old Harbor Life
Saving Station, Race Point Beach.

Sunset Music Nights:  Cheryl Aruda and Dirty  Blond 
August 11, 6:00 p.m. Far Land on the Beach, Herring Cove.

Sunset Music Nights:  VB and the Buzz
August 14, 6 p.m. 
Far Land on the Beach, Herring Cove.

Mosquito Story Slam: August 15, 6 p.m.
Salt Pond
Amphitheater.

Sunset Music Nights: Funktapuss
 August 18, 6 p.m. 
Far Land on the Beach, Herring Cove.

Sunset Music Nights:  The Grab Brothers
August 21, 6 p.m.
 Far Land on the Beach, Herring Cove.

Symphony at the Seashore:
 August 23, 7 p.m., Salt Pond Amphitheater

Sunset Music Nights: 
The Katie Flynn Band
August 25, 6 p.m. 
Far Land on the Beach, Herring Cove.

Sunset Music Nights: Bert Jackson's 
Wicked Blue
 August 28, 6 p.m. 
Far Land on the Beach, Herring Cove.

Sunset Music Nights: The Rip it Ups
 September 1, 6 p.m. Far Land on the Beach, Herring Cove.

 
A message from our president
                       
    Hello Summer!
 
I'm so glad you're here! 
 
The Friends of the Cape Cod
National Seashore are looking forward to an event-filled season.

Check out all the park programs, the evening programs at Salt Pond Visitor Center, programs at Province Lands Visitor Center, and Herring Cove Beach. A special thank you to our members who volunteered to greet attendees on behalf of the Friends at our sponsored events. 

Join us for our Annual Meeting on Wednesday, July 17, at 6:30 pm at Salt Pond Visitor Center. Richard Delaney, President of the Center for Coastal Studies, will be our speaker. His talk, beginning at 7 pm, will be Climate
Change Impacts and Actions: Globally and Locally.

Mark your calendars for Friday, August 23, for the Cape Cod Symphony Concert. Always a spectacular event!

 
In July, Darin Krum takes the reins as President of the FCCNS. Stop in at  ACE Hardware in Eastham and say "thank you" to Darin for accepting this
position. 


Thank you also to all the Directors who served this past year. We now welcome new Directors Betsy Bray, Frank Dobek and Melissa Lowe.

Enjoy the summer! Be Shark Smart! Wear sunscreen! 
 
 
                                              Pat Ryder     

Official Reopening of the 
Red Maple Swamp Trail

Over the winter, the final restoration work was completed. Today the trail is in  excellent condition, a far cry from its condition in 2015.


Pat Ryder, left, and Kathy Tevya
Deputy Superintendent, Kathy Tevyaw and Pat Ryder officially reopened the Red Maple  Swamp Trail on Friday, May 24.

This trail was built in 1964 and partially closed in 2012 due to deterioration in the  platform foundation. This trail is a favorite of nature enthusiasts, walkers, families with  children and joggers, but the closure blocked one end of the trail entirely. 

The trail was  on the Park's list of necessary capital improvements for years, but all National Parks
have a backlog of deferred maintenance beyond what can be remedied by federal  funding.

The Friends approached the Park in 2015 to see if, working together, this project could  be prioritized. The Friends focused on this project in their fundraising and the park
explored non-traditional methods for reconstruction that could be accomplished by its  trail crew instead of contractors.

Karst Hoogeboom, Chief of Facilities and Maintenance, and John Defoe, Roads and Trails  Supervisor, will described how their team tackled the project and they displayed a  specialized tool developed by their staff to heat and bend the lumber to retain the trail's  signature curved nature.

Seashore Plant Ecologist Stephen Smith provided a short walk around the swamp  describing the swamp ecosystem.
Pat Ryder outlined the Friends next priority project, the restoration of the Atlantic  White Cedar Swamp Trail.



Climate Change - Impacts and Actions  Globally and Locally


Richard Delaney

Our rapidly warming climate is already causing significant environmental, social, economic and health impacts in every country in the world.  Cape Cod communities and Cape Cod National Seashore have a "front row" seat for some of the most serious changes.  After decades of delays, concrete actions to mitigate and adapt to these changes are underway.  
 
Richard Delaney will discuss his work internationally, including the Paris Climate Summit, and locally - including the work of the Cape Cod Climate Change Collaborative at Friends' annual meeting on July 17 at 7 pm. 

The public is invited to Salt Pond Visitor Center. The Friends' business meeting precedes Delaney's presentation at 6:30 pm.

Delaney is President of the Center for Coastal Studies and serves as Chair of the Cape Cod National Seashore Advisory Committee . Formerly, he was an Assistant Secretary of Environmental Affairs for Massachusetts and founding Director of the Urban Harbors Institute at the University of Massachusetts Boston.
Shark Alert!   

       
Cape Cod National Seashore Chief Ranger 
  
Cape Cod's waters are part of a natural and wild marine ecosystem with a rich diversity of sea life, including sharks. Sharks have been swimming the ocean waters for more than 400 million years. 

As top predators, sharks are critical for maintaining a healthy and balanced marine ecosystem. Seals are the major prey species for the great white sharks (Carcharodon carcharis), and as the seal population increases on the Outer Cape, the great white shark has become more numerous. 

There have been many confirmed reports of great white sharks feeding on seals close to shore near or at swimming beaches within the National Seashore.  People have been seriously injured and killed by white sharks along the seashore coastline. 

To minimize your risk and to protect wildlife:
  • Follow instructions of lifeguards.
  • Adhere to all signage and flag warnings at beaches.
  • Stay close to shore where rescuers can reach you.
  • Avoid areas where seals are present.
  • Avoid areas where schools of fish are visible.
  • Avoid murky or low visibility water.
  • Swim, paddle, kayak, and surf in groups - don't isolate yourself.
  • Limit splashing
Since 2012, Cape Cod National Seashore has been part of the regional shark working group, whose member include staff and public safety officials from Cape Cod, the Islands, and the South Shore of Massachusetts, the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy, and the MA Division of Marine Fisheries.  

The working group collaborates on shark research, knowledge, and safety efforts.  Products developed by the group to increase public awareness and safety include beach signage, brochures, purple shark flags, the Sharktivity app, a shark smart video, and coordination of Stop the Bleed training.  

The following actionable items will be implemented in 2019:
  • Improved communications at beaches by installing emergency call boxes,
  • Continued public education and outreach,
  • Stop the Bleed training for seashore staff, 
  • Staging of Stop the Bleed in selected areas such as the over-sand corridor and on the beach once the lifeguards are off duty.  
On Wednesday, February 13, 2019 a meeting brought together Town Managers and public safety officials from the Towns of Chatham, Orleans, Eastham, Truro, and Provincetown, along with representatives from the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy, the Cape Cod National Seashore, the Cape Cod Chamber of Commerce, and  Representative Sarah Peake's Chief of Staff.  

The focus of the group discussion was on a proposed shark and human mitigation alternatives analysis project.  The Woods Hole Group will be undertaking an independent review of emerging technologies and strategies by analyzing all proposed alternatives.  

The analysis is funded by The Friends of Cape Cod National Seashore, the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy, Towns of the outer cape, and a state grant of $15,000 for a combined total of $49,950.  The results of the analysis are expected in September, 2019. 

For more information on great whites, please visit Cape Cod National Seashore's web page and the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy
National Seashore 
Summer Highlights

The Cape Cod National Seashore has many events daily during the summer. Here are just a few
 
Wampanoag Lifeways Walk - June 21
 
The Greatest Beach - June 22
 
Sunset Music Nights - June 26 and 30
 
Sunset Music Nights July - Wednesdays and Sundays
 
Friends Annual Meeting - July 17
 
Sunset Music Nights August - Wednesdays and Sundays
 
Wrecks and Rescues - August 8
 
Symphony at the Seashore - August 23

Americorps' Kettle Pond Project
A Photographic Essay