Also please look for the Slate of Directors and Board Officers of the FCCNS Board for the coming 2022-23 year, which includes three new Board candidates. We are including instructions on how to cast your vote to approve this slate. We’re doing this so that we will have much more participation from the general membership. The annual meeting will be held in the Salt Pond Visitor Center auditorium on Wednesday, July 20, at 7 PM. There will be a short, Board presentation followed by Bill Burke, National Seashore Historian, as our guest speaker. Look on the Activities page of our website for updated information.

FCCNS volunteers recently gathered at the Salt Pond Visitors Center. Watch for them at our events this summer. Our volunteers will be encouraging you to join the Friends of the Cape Cod National Seashore and answer any questions you might have about the Friends. Thanks. We couldn't do it without you!

Patty Shannon, Friends Volunteer Coordinator, and Daniel Blankenship, District Interpreter and Volunteer Coordinator at Cape Cod National Seashore, have worked together to ensure our volunteer greeters and attendees alike enjoy this summer's evening programs at Salt Pond Visitor Center. FCCNS annually sponsors these popular music and performance events outdoors on the shores of Salt Pond, with history and nature presentations in the indoor auditorium on Tuesday and Wednesday evenings at 7 PM in July and August. Bench and lawn seating available for outdoor programs. (Bring bug spray.) Doors for indoor presentations open at 6:30 pm.

After a 39-year career with the National Park Service and 24 years years at Cape Cod National Seashore, Sue Moynihan will retire at the end of June.

Sue has played a role with the Cape Cod National Seashore that has touched the lives of everyone who is reading this. As the Chief of Interpretation, she has guided the course of the Friends while serving as the liaison between the FCCNS Board of Directors and the Park.

And, oh my, was she good at it! Sue has earned the respect of every Friends’ Board member she has worked with. Your current Board owes Sue a huge debt of gratitude for her knowledge, good council, honesty and patience, and, on behalf of this Board, I want to say “Thank you, Sue, for all you’ve done for us over the years….we will truly miss you!”

Peter Eisenbarth, President

From Pat Canavan: My initial thought about Sue and FCCNS was to see her as a master juggler--- keeping multiple tasks and initiatives going. However, as I delved into the breadth of her assistance, the image of Jung-Ho Pak emerged. Sue led--patient through the minutia of meetings and guiding us through broad policy issues. We knew we could count on her.

Sue's warmth brought light to every encounter. For example, I recall our initial meeting with a prospective donor. Despite cold howling winds, we walked Coast Guard Beach to the potential site of new waysides. Sue's enthusiasm for the project countered the east wind that sometimes made conversation impossible. But in the end, that wind was a mere inconvenience and today, the new waysides provide visitors with context to the beautiful scene before them.

Sue's inherent qualities of kindness, compassion, focus, and optimism will enrich her piece of the universe in the years ahead. How fortunate those are who will be part of that world! How fortunate we are that Sue was part of our time at FCCNS.

From Patricia Ryder: Thank you for being a great friend to the Friends of the Cape Cod National Seashore. Your updates at every board meeting on CCNS park projects were eagerly anticipated. Like a good friend, I could rely on you for honest discussions, whether at board meetings, in your office or by phone. I valued your commitment to the park and to the Friends. I wish you a joyful retirement!

From Ivan Ace: Sue was a delightful presence at our board meetings, informative, always helpful and hardly ever grumpy. If a Superintendent couldn't be with us, we didn't miss them much because of Sue who was always available for consultation and steerage, keeping the President and Board "on the path." Sue made it easy and fun. I send best wishes as you embark on your next chapter.

From Dick Spokes: Those of us who served as members and officers of the Friends during the 2010 era extend our best wishes to Sue for a rewarding retirement. We also thank her for the invaluable guidance and leadership she gave us as the Seashore’s liaison to our group. She paved the way for us to apply for and receive national grants resulting in a comprehensive strategic plan, new branding, increased membership, and an overall improved Friends organization. She was so diligent in keeping us up to date on Seashore news and events. She never failed to bring her homemade goodies to board meetings on celebratory occasions. In response to some conflict between people and seals she organized the Seal Education Team (SET), protecting the seals and educating our visitors. She made sure the Friends were involved from day one. SET remains today an important Seashore educational tool for folks, as well as a volunteer experience for citizen scientists. We could go on and on. Most of all she was a friend to all Friends. THANK YOU, SUE!

From Judy Parmelee: I have known Sue Moynihan for most of the twenty years we have lived on the Cape. She has been stalwart leader at CCNS as well as a friend and helper when needed. During leadership changes and the pandemic, Sue kept many things going that were well beyond her expected duties. She was always there, always helpful, always friendly. She will be missed. We wish her a well-deserved, happy and healthy retirement.

From Stan Brady: How can it be that this day has finally arrived? The one constant at CCNS has always been Sue Moynihan. What will it be like for her not to be there? From Superintendent on down, staff and volunteers alike, we all knew where to go for answers and guidance.

I vividly recall my tenure as President of Friends from 2005 to 2008. The beginning of my term coincided with the appointment of a new Superintendent. I know how much I relied on Sue to help coordinate the activities of Friends with the needs of the park. Likewise, I am sure the new Superintendent found her experience with the local system to be invaluable as he began his new assignment. She helped immeasurably in bringing both of us up to speed. And I recall fondly her steady, diplomatic input at our board meetings. Always patient and helpful with the friendly personality that is her hallmark. The Cape Cod National Seashore and its visitors have been very fortunate to have had Sue’s contributions for so many years. Thanks Sue. Enjoy your well earned retirement!