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A message from our president
Looking back and ahead to 2020
At his
annual "State of the Seashore" presentation, Superintendent Brian Carlstrom highlighted many of the projects that were accomplished in 2019, including the ongoing rehabilitation of historic buildings; research; the realignment of Province Lands Road and new Herring Cove North parking lot; and the rehabilitation of the Head of the Meadow Bike Trail and new extension.
Superintendent Carlstrom also looked ahead to 2020 and many exciting plans:
- The construction project at Nauset Light Beach;
- The Herring River Restoration Project;
- Continued collaboration with the White Shark Working Group to help reduce public risk related to white sharks;
- Rehabilitation of the Atlantic White Cedar Swamp Trail boardwalk;
- Initiatives addressing beach erosion.
We are very proud of how we continually support the Seashore. Last year, we contributed $75
,000 - the result of a very successful multi-year fundraising campaign - to repair and rehabilitate the Atlantic White Cedar Swamp Trail in Wellfleet.
Most significantly, I had the honor as your president to sign our official agreement with the National Park Service which will be in effect for the next 10 years.
This important document guides our relationship, fostering continued efforts to support our mission as the "not-for-profit fund-raising partner of the Cape Cod National Seashore, a partnership established in 1987 to help preserve, protect and enhance the fragile environment and unique cultural heritage of the park."
I invite you to find the opportunity this winter to visit the Seashore and take in its unique beauty this time of year, enjoying a degree of solitude unique to these next few months.
Darin Krum
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Winter at Salt Pond Visitors Center
Did you know Salt Pond Visitor Center is open year-round?
Winter is a great time to visit. The view of Salt Pond is spectacular, no matter the weather, and park films, including the award-winning
Standing Bold, are shown on demand.
Chat with our friendly rangers and volunteers, tour the museum, browse the art exhibit in the classroom and the park store, and peer through the spotting scope to check out winter birds on the pond.
If the weather's agreeable, enjoy a short stroll on the Buttonbush or Nauset Marsh trails. In winter, leashed pets are permitted on the Nauset Bike Trail, so bring your furry friend and stretch your legs while enjoying our beautiful surroundings.
As a reminder, pets are not allowed on unpaved seashore trails.
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Healthy People, Healthy Parks
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.
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Compiled by the Woods Hole Group, it examined 27
shark mitigation strategies. It
reinforces the efforts by towns and the Seashore to educate the public on reducing the risk of attack and to upgrade emergency communications and trauma response at beaches.
Chief Seashore Ranger Leslie Reynolds noted the the park, on average, closed beaches to swimming about a dozen times a season from 2013 to 2017, but that grew to 27 in 2018 and 43 this past summer.
 Despite the rising number of white shark sitings, beach attendance last season did not seem to have suffered, said Reynolds, who noted that data collected by lifeguards in 2019 showed what she said was about average with nearly 865,000 people on the park's six ocean beaches and an estimated 80,000 venturing into the water.
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Winter Film Festival Explores Overcoming Extreme Obstacle
s
2020 marks the 12th year Friends of the Cape Cod National Seashore has sponsored the Annual Winter Film Festival.
Friends membership contributions provide the funds needed to purchase the licensing to show the films.
This year's festival explores the power of the human mind in overcoming extreme obstacles. Films show Sundays at 1:30 on the theater-size screen with surround sound at Salt Pond Visitor Center, 50 Nauset Road, Eastham. It's free and wheelchair accessible.
Here is the slate of films for your planning:
 January 26 - A Beautiful Mind is a 2001 biographical drama based on the life of John Nash, Nobel Laureate in economics. The story follows Nash from his days as a graduate student at Princeton University through his fall into delusion and schizophrenia. The film won four Academy Awards, for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Supporting Actress.135 minutes.
 February 2 - Gravity is a 2013 science fiction thriller starring Sandra Bullock and George Clooney as American astronauts stranded in space after the mid-orbit destruction of their space shuttle. Considered one of the best films of 2013, it appeared on numerous critics' year-end lists, and was selected by the American Film Institute in their annual Movies of the Year list. 91 minutes.
 February 9 - The Theory of Everything is a 2014 biographical drama about theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking. Despite being diagnosed with motor neuron disease and being given two years to live, Hawking had a long career as a researcher and is regarded as one of the most brilliant theoretical physicists since Einstein. 123 minutes.
 February 16 - Apollo 13: This 1995 film dramatizes the aborted 1970 Apollo 13 lunar mission. En route to the moon, an on-board explosion deprives the spacecraft of most of its oxygen supply and electric power, forcing NASA's flight controllers to abort the landing, turning the mission into a struggle to get the three men home safely. 140 minutes.
February 23 - In the Heart of the Sea is a 2015 adventure-drama based on Nathaniel Philbrick's nonfiction book about the sinking of the American whaling ship
Essex in 1820, an event that inspired the novel
Moby Dick. 121 minutes
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Thank you, Draz Family
 The Draz family of Wellfleet recently made a generous donation to Friends of the Cape Cod National Seashore in memory of Griswold "Gooz" Draz. This contribution was directed to our efforts in support of repairs to the Atlantic White Cedar Swamp Trail in Wellfleet.
Mr. Draz had a strong commitment to the community of Wellfleet, and in particular his efforts were instrumental in the amendment of Wellfleet's zoning bylaws to limit the size of houses within the park.
We are grateful for this fitting tribute which significantly assisted us in facilitating improvements to this trail in Wellfleet, and honors Mr. Draz's appreciation for Cape Cod National Seashore and its resources.
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Volunteer Hours
Friends of the Cape Cod National Seashore contributed a total of 1,647 in volunteer hours to Cape Cod National Seashore for the one year period ending September 30, 2019.
The Independent Sector, a consortium of nonprofit groups, estimates that an hour of volunteer work translates to more than $25.
From trail maintenance to greeting summer program attendees, we provide vital support to the park.
Won't you consider lending a hand in 2020? Get involved.
Click here to learn more.
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