Friends of the Cape Cod National Seashore Special Edition Fall 2021

Special Edition: Fall 2021

Atlantic White Cedar Swamp Trail Celebration

Thursday, October 7, 10 - 11 am.

Join Friends of the Cape Cod National Seashore and park staff at the Atlantic White Cedar Swamp Trail to recognize donors and celebrate completion of a $150,000 trail rehabilitation project. Learn about the project and take a short walk with staff to see the unique characteristics of the white cedar swamp, considered one of the seashore’s most magical locales. Meet at the trailhead near the former Marconi Station Site, off Route 6 in Wellfleet. Please bring a mask to wear in the event of large group size and inability to maintain social distance. Thank you.

Seashore Soundings with Superintendent Carlstrom Thursday, October 14, 4 - 5 pm.

Join Superintendent Brian Carlstrom for an update on seashore operations, from natural and cultural resources and construction to budget and COVID-19. Bring your questions! Held outdoors at the Salt Pond Amphitheater, there is bench and lawn seating. Rain will cancel, except if COVID-19 restrictions lift, in which case the program might be moved indoors. Check with the Visitor Center, 508-255-3421. Please bring a mask to wear in the event of large group size and inability to maintain social distance. Thank you.

2021/2022 Board Member Update

We thank our Board members whose terms recently expired: Darin Krum, Susan Kurtzman, Robin Slack, and Donna Cary. Robin has been our liaison with performers and the park for summer programs for several years. Donna filled the treasurer position for a full six-year term.

We'd like to introduce the newest FCCNS board members to you our valued members.

David Crocker recently retired and is now a full-time Truro resident. A 1978 graduate of the Mass. Maritime Academy, and after several years in the Merchant Marine, David worked in facilities management in Providence, RI. He and his wife, Susan Areson, enjoy daily walks on the beaches, biking, boating and hiking. "The National Seashores is a large part of what makes the Outer Cape such a great place to live. It’s an honor to get involved with The Friends."

Agnes Mittermayr, PhD, lives in Provincetown where she works as a marine ecologist at the Center for Coastal Studies. She researches often overlooked marine invertebrates, their food webs, and how their communities are influenced by various disturbances. You can find her aboard research vessel studying the coastline of the Cape Cod National Seashore or exploring the trails with B.A.R.K. ranger Millie.

Timothy Famulare, our new Treasurer, lives in Provincetown and works as the conservation agent and environmental planner for the Town of Provincetown. In addition to supporting the Province-town Conservation Commission and Open Space Committee, Tim's role also includes climate change planning and advancing coastal resilience projects. Having grown up spending summers in Wellfleet, he is grateful for the opportunity to join the Friends' Board of Directors in supporting and promoting the Cape Cod National Seashore, which inspired his career.

Partner Profile: America's National Park Stores at Cape Cod National Seashore by Lee Pettey, Regional Manager, Northeast Region, Eastern National

It’s likely you’ve found yourself in a shop when visiting a National Park or other public lands. You probably had no idea you may have been in a not-for-profit park store.

Eastern National operates America’s National Park Stores at three park visitor centers at the Cape Cod National Seashore.

Open year-round at the Salt Pond Visitor Center in Eastham, our park store has been operational since 1963.

Open seasonally, is our shop at the Province Lands Visitor Center in Provincetown.

And our third location on the Cape is at Highland Light where in addition to operating the Keeper House store, we provide tours for visitors of the Lighthouse, perform facility maintenance, offer special programming including night tours, and facilitate private proposals and wedding ceremonies.

Currently, Highland is undergoing major restoration and is closed to the public with plans to reopen in Spring of 2022.

Funds generated by America’s National Park Stores at Cape Cod have provided support for various park interpretive programming. Eastern National has supported events at the Salt Pond Amphitheater, such as the annual free Cape Symphony summer concert and the Mosquito Story Slam, the printing of park publications, and the annual Wampanoag cultural event.

Eastern National is a 501(c)3 nonprofit cooperating association, supporting the interpretive, educational, and scientific programs and services of the National Park Service and our other public trust partners. We partner with more than 175 of the nation’s most significant cultural, historical, and recreational destinations in 33 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the US Virgin Islands. Since our founding, we have contributed more than $163 million to our partners in support of vital educational programs.

Link here to learn more about Eastern National and America’s National Park Stores.

Present your FCCNS membership card and receive a 15% discount on your park store purchases.

"Creature Feature"with Agnes Mittermayr, PhD

Isopods are small crustaceans with seven pairs of legs that all look the same – hence the name “iso” (equal) “pod” (foot). There are around 10,000 species of isopods all around the globe, living in various habitats, from mountains and forests to deserts and the deep sea.

One of the most common isopods we can find in the Cape Cod National Seashore is a marine isopod called Idotea balthica, or the Baltic Isopod. Despite their name, they can be found all along the North Atlantic Ocean, in the Mediterranean, and occasionally in the Caribbean. They grow to be 1.5 inches long and come in many colors: brown, tan, green, and dark brown with white spots. Like their terrestrial relatives, the wood lice, Baltic Isopods are omnivores and will eat anything they come across; be it plants, worms or decaying matter. In turn, they are a favorite prey item for many species of fish. You can find them in knee-deep water, hiding among rocks and algae; but be careful, the larger ones can nip you! Their bite is not dangerous and not even particularly painful, just unexpected.

A smaller and, in my opinion, cuter relative of the Baltic Isopod is the Sea Pill Bug or Sphaeroma quadridentatum. Since they are smaller (1/3 of an inch) and better at hiding it is quite uncommon to spot them with the naked eye. The Sea Pill Bugs mostly eat plant material and can roll themselves into a ball when threatened. We find them all along Cape Cod, particularly in seagrass beds.

Isopods are an essential contributor to healthy marine food webs and the Cape Cod National Seashore is home to not only one but nine species of these important invertebrates.

E-News Editor: Betsy Bray Layout: Marianne McCaffery

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