Messages from President Eisenbarth & Park Superintendent Carlstrom |
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I hope this E-News finds you well, and having some wonderful summer 2022 memories to share with friends and family!
One of my favorite memories, and possibly one of yours, is of the August 26th Symphony At The Seashore (SATS) concert. This was the fifth annual SATS event sponsored by the Friends after a two-year interruption due to COVID, and the Cape Symphony under the direction of Jung-Ho Pak lived up to everyone’s expectations. The audience, estimated to be close to 2,000, consisted of very happy and appreciative people!
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Toward the end of the concert I was given the opportunity to make a very brief appeal to the audience to become FCCNS members, and one of the resulting new members is the irrepressible Jung-Ho Pak! Sue Moynihan was in attendance and was honored by Jung-Ho for being the inspiring force behind the the annual SATS tradition. She was presented with a beautiful photo of the Symphony performing in the outdoor theater! It was, truly, a joyful and magical evening!
I also want to mention two things coming up this fall that will interest you:
First, in celebration of the Friends’ 35th Anniversary we are sponsoring a Fall Speaker Series to be held at the Salt Pond Visitor Center. No more details here but you will find a link to the schedule and descriptions in this edition. It promises to be an exciting series of topics presented by experts in varied fields.
Second, several members of your FCCNS Board of Directors will be attending a National Park Partners conference in November, held this year in the Great Smokey Mountains National Park. It will be an opportunity to exchange ideas and strategies with organizations similar to FCCNS, with the goal of refining our focus and strengthening our programs to be an even better partner to this fabulous National Park.
We will be welcoming the three new board members, who were elected at the annual meeting in July, to the first board meeting in September: Bob Anderson, Joan Francolini and Paul Savage. We look forward to their fresh perspective and input.
So, enjoy the content (eelgrass…shorebird interns…Bill Burke…photos of the symphony…and more!) of this, another excellent E-News edition!
Thank you for continued support!
Peter Eisenbarth, President
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A Greeting from Park Superintendent Brian Carlstrom |
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Seasons. They are typically marked by a single date on the calendar and help us calibrate to the subtle changes that occur around us. Here at the Seashore, however, autumn gives us a much greater opportunity…a chance to reflect on and celebrate the amazing complementary work the Friends of the Cape Cod National Seashore and National Park Service accomplish together. And, of equal importance, we can anticipate the season ahead!
Once again, this summer, FCCNS provided much needed funding for work in the park. Highlighted in this issue you’ll see the impacts of interns funded to participate in and contribute to shorebird monitoring programs. The impacts are personal opportunities for young interns to fledge their interest in natural resource management.
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Summer is setting on us, presenting an opportunity to reflect on the FCCNS contributions to another successful season complete with supported funding of programs, volunteer projects, and messaging. FCCNS provided considerable financial support of interpretive programs across the entire seashore; creating opportunities for our diverse and far-flung audience to learn about, admire, and even hum along with the undertones of our natural and cultural resources. Some of the events were high visibility like the Symphony at the Seashore--so refreshing to have them back! Evenings at Salt Pond returned to full programming again and were very well received. Other events were more targeted and all, regardless of format, provided opportunities to strike a chord with individuals and equally accomplish our collective mission to preserve, protect, and inspire
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Autumn provides an opportunity to maintain the rhythm of recurring events. National Public Lands Day (NPLD) was established in 1994 and is held annually as the largest single-day volunteer event for public lands. This year’s theme is emblematic of the work FCCNS and the Seashore continue to promote: Giving Back Together. Emerging out of the COVID-19 pandemic our National Seashore provided a safe haven for recreation, conversation, and an inspiring backdrop for the simple enjoyment of being outside the confines of our homes and home-based offices. Our collaborative “Walk and Talk with a Doc” program reinforced the importance of natural remedies for the body and spirit. Together we have demonstrated time-after-time it’s important to return the favor to our public lands. Mark your calendars for Saturday September 24, 2022.
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Looking ahead we embrace, and with intentionality, will walk side-by-side with FCCNS on your strategic planning efforts. When we think of an autumnal season, we conjure up a period of maturing and casting seeds for the future. Strategic planning provides just that, a representation of an organization that is growing and looking at opportunities for: maintaining current success; growing in value; diversifying audiences; achieving sustainability; increasing scope and reach; and, influencing an audience vested in the common values and experiences of our amazing Seashore.
We celebrate this season of harvest and sowing seeds of continued and growing impacts of our work together in this untamed shoreline of the Atlantic Coast.
Brian Carlstrom, Superintendent, September 2022
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2022/2023 Board Member Update
We thank our Board members whose terms recently expired: Jane Fischer, Warren Mumford, Patty Shannon and Robin Slack. We'd like to introduce the newest FCCNS board members to you our valued members.
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Bob Anderson, our new Clerk, is a resident of Eastham. He and his wife Valerie have been Cape residents since 1995. His career has focused on strategically leveraging technologies, most recently retiring from a cyber security technology startup.
Bob is a member of the FCCNS “Woodchucks” enjoying all that can be explored within the Seashore.
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Joan Francolini and her husband Rick fell in love with the Cape on their first visit twenty years ago They have lived in Orleans since 2016. Joan was a marketing executive for Nabisco and then Kraft Foods. Since her "semi" retirement - she has worked for numerous, local non-profits and has volunteered on many town committees. Her commitment to "Friends" is driven by her appreciation of the "woods and water" which co-exist in the Seashore and her desire to make stewardship of this national treasure a personal priority. |
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Paul Savage, lives in Wellfleet with wife Judy and dogs Lucy and Brewster. Paul is an avid volunteer for several Cape groups. When not busy volunteering, he is an avid surfer, hiker, and bicyclist. Paul is a retired high school history teacher. Prior to teaching, he spent 26 years as a newspaper photojournalist. He has been in love with the Seashore since his first trip to the dunes of Provincetown in 1973. |
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In celebration of our
35th anniversary, FCCNS is sponsoring Sustaining Cape Cod, a free speaker series open to the public. Presentations will
be held on Saturdays, October 1, 8, 15, and 22 at 1:00 PM at the Salt Pond Visitor
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National Public Lands Day
Saturday, September 24
Friends are invited to participate in two much-needed projects for this annual volunteer event.
Registration required. Link here for details.
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Join Seashore rangers to explore a variety of resources & stories during guided programs.
photo: NPS/French
Link to the Cape Cod National Seashore's
for details.
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Gratitude
We are grateful to all of our generous members & donors listed annually on our website.
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Culture Corner with Park Historian Bill Burke
Wild Ride: The Curious History of the Province Lands Bike Trail
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The Seashore touts the Province Lands Bike Trail (PLBT) in Provincetown as the first bike trail constructed anywhere by the National Park Service. We opened this rolling ride in 1967, quickly following up with the flat stretch at Head of the Meadow in Truro and the Nauset Trail that terminates at Coast Guard Beach. But PLBT stands out as gloriously different. |
Designers of the PLBT faced tough challenges not found in suburbia: steep dune terrain and blowing sand. The PLBT created an ambitious circuit, challenging riders on a thin six-foot wide ribbon of asphalt punctuated by abrupt hills and turns, two tunnels and shimmering dunes that dusted the trail when the winds were right. The rewards, aside from aerobic fitness, were stunning vistas from dune ridges down to the Atlantic and Race Point followed by dips through cranberry bogs that still seasonally flood portions of the trail. Spurs headed to the beaches and the Beech Forest trailhead. |
The PLBT represents the national crusade of getting Americans back “in shape” and to shake themselves from the excesses of post-war prosperity. In 1960 only 1 in 4 Americans exercised regularly. The government proclaimed a national physical fitness crisis with America’s children relative to their European counterparts. President Kennedy revived the President’s Council on Youth Fitness and the Presidential Physical Fitness Award that recognized fitness achievements of 10 to 17 year olds. Every morning, school kids shouted out the lines of the “Chicken Fat” song sung by Robert Preston:
Touch down every morning ten times! Not just now and then.
Give that chicken fat back to the chicken,
and don't be chicken again. No, don't be chicken again."
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It’s no surprise that when the PLBT trail was dedicated in September 1967, the nation’s preeminent cardiologist, MA native and President Eisenhower’s personal physician, Dr. Paul Dudley White, cut the ribbon at the trailhead in front of an enthusiastic crowd at the Beech Forest entrance. |
At age 81 and dressed in suit and tie, Dr. White promptly pedaled the 5.5 mile loop with ease without shifting down on his English 3 speed. He reportedly arrived well ahead of the other dignitaries, with campfire girls and other participants huffing well behind. |
Remember that all this excitement of the PLBT comes with risks. Despite the seashore widening the trail, improving striping and signage and building retaining walls to control sand, bike technology has evolved dramatically since the 1960s.
High-tech bikes have replaced the Sting Rays and 10 speed racers. The bike trail has seen its share of accidents, so remember that safety still begins with you!
Oh, and yes, the PLBT reduces chicken fat!
photos/NPS
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"Creature Feature"
by Agnes Mittermayr, Ph.D. Marine Ecologist, Center for Coastal Studies and FCCNS Board member
Not enough can be said about the staggering importance of eelgrass (Zostera marina). It is one of two seagrasses that call the Cape Cod National Seashore home (the other being Widgeon Grass) and is essential to our coastal ecosystems. Its roots protect our shores from erosion; its leaves, which can grow up to 3 ft long, take up excess nutrients and help with carbon sequestration.
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Eelgrass meadows usually boast a species diversity much higher than surrounding bare areas. The long blades create perfect hiding spots for many juvenile fish, side swimmer amphipods, crabs, clams, snails, and worms. |
Eelgrass-awesomeness is not a recent discovery – it was used as insulation, roofing material and stuffing for mattresses until the 1930s, and is now experiencing a renaissance as a "super food". However, rising water temperatures and increasing nitrogen input to coastal waters are threatening this underwater wonderland. So let's make sure to not add any additional stress, such as propeller scars or anchor chains, to our local eelgrass beds! |
FCCNS Continues to Support the Seashore Shorebird Program
Friends of Cape Cod National Seashore once again provided financial support for the 2022 shorebird intern program. Here are some details from Kelly Medeiros, Natural Resource Specialist, about this year's nesting season:
It was a busy, monitoring season with 114 pairs of piping plovers and over 170 fledglings as of August 25!
The five interns funded by the Friends' were essential members of the team that monitored and managed the beaches, people and birds. Their main duties were to manage and protect state and federally protected shorebird species, specifically the piping plover, least tern, and American oystercatcher. We couldn't have done it without their dedication and hard work.
To understand how important their efforts were, here's a peek into their daily routine:
Their day starts at 6:30am heading out into the field for most of the day, erecting miles of symbolic fencing, installing signage and predator exclosures in often demanding weather conditions while providing impromptu interpretive talks about the shorebirds and other wildlife in an effort to educate visitors. Throughout the day our staff monitor shorebird nesting activities including locating potential breeding pairs and nests, daily monitoring of nests and following the movements of the precocial chicks until they fledge, working with our law enforcement staff to assist in informing them of violations of park regulations, and maintaining detailed, organized and accurate field observations. After the day is done, they finish by entering data in the office and then heading home to do it all over again the next day!
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Meet the 2022 Shorebird Interns |
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Zoë Dibble, current residence: Orleans, MA
Plans to continue work in natural resource positions.
"Over the course of this summer I gained so much knowledge on both what field jobs are like, and what working for a park is like. Working for the Cape Cod National Seashore was an amazing experience that helped me grow as a professional, all while experiencing the most enjoyable work environment I've ever had. The work we did felt incredibly important. Knowing that I was helping to make a positive change, gave me a great sense of fulfillment."
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Holly Fisher, current residence: Virginia
Roanoke College Graduate & Shorebird Tech/Intern at Cape Cod National Seashore
"Working at Cape Cod National Seashore has been an incredible and highly memorable experience. It has provided me with the joy of getting to work outdoors protecting wildlife, educating visitors, and collecting invaluable ecological data on the local shorebird species. Ultimately it has been a privilege to work with such a diverse range of techs, rangers and supervisors from the NPS to gain hands on knowledge and experience within my field of study and I couldn’t be more grateful for the time I had here."
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Bridget “Bri” Ghelli, Hometown: Holliston, MA
Auburn University class of 2021/ College of Forestry and Wildlife Science
"My future goal is to continue working with avian species and to eventually return to school to complete a master’s degree in Wildlife Science. I hope to make a return as a field technician for the park service next plover season. I have benefited greatly from working at CCNS this summer. I’ve learned more about the park service and about CCNS this summer, including the steps taken by the park to ensure that the endangered species are protected."
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Meredith Grimshaw, Hometown: Fulton, New York
SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry, 2020
"I hope to continue working with endangered and threatened species, especially birds. I am hoping to enroll in a master's degree program. My experience at CCNS has strengthened my avian monitoring skills. I feel prepared to take the lessons learned in the field with me and participate in other conservation efforts around the country. I have deeply appreciated this experience, and believe that the Friends' funding is crucial in helping young conservationists like myself advance in our careers."
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Suika Sono-Knowles, Woodstock, NY
Plans on continuing her BS in Wildlife Biology in 2023
"This summer in the National Seashore, I kept track of each pair and brood of piping plover, and was immersed in Cape Cod's ecosystem, giving me a new appreciation for the daily lives of the wildlife you normally don't see much of elsewhere. I learned new management techniques and was warmly welcomed by the amazing community of the seashore. I look forward to future seasons on the Cape."
photos: Bridget Ghelli, Holly Fisher, Zoe Dibble
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All Symphony at the Seashore images in this issue courtesy of Carol Dobek. |
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Friends of the Cape Cod National Seashore, PO Box 550, Wellfleet, MA 02667 508-957-0729
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E-News Editor: Betsy Bray Layout: Marianne McCaffery
Unless otherwise indicated, all photos courtesy of the National Park Service
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