Welcome to the Spring edition of the FCCNS E-News! At the end of March, the FCCNS Board embarked on strategic planning with an all-day retreat. We are excited to share our next steps with you in future E-News issues.
Please save the date for our annual meeting on Wednesday, July 19, at 7 PM in the Salt Pond Visitors Center auditorium. Following a brief business meeting, Mark Robinson, Executive Director of The Compact of Cape Cod Conservation Trusts, will present a chronological overview of attempts to “save the Cape,” which blossomed over the past 100 years as development ramped up, particularly since World War II.
Good news! You can view Park Historian Bill Burke’s program “ A Promise of the Seashore,” an in-depth look (60 minutes long) at the history of the establishment of the Cape Cod National Seashore, now available on YouTube. Click here to see "A Promise of the Seashore."
photo: FCCNS Board members at strategic planning retreat L to R front row: Paul Savage, David Bernstein, and facilitator Cynthia Winter; L to R back row: Melissa Lowe, Frank Dobek, Bob Anderson, Dave Crocker, Joan Francolini, Peter Eisenbarth, Steve Munroe, Betsy Bray & Tim Famulare
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We'd like to introduce a few of FCCNS board members to you our valued members. |
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Frank Dobek, a Board member since 2019, helps to coordinate the Trail Maintenance volunteers for the Friends. He is a retired math teacher from Bristol, CT. Since retiring to the Cape in 2004, he has been a member of several Eastham Town commissions. Presently, he is President of EFFI ( Eastham Flower Islands). Frank's interests also involved him with the Cut/Pile/Burn group and the Seal Education Team for the National Seashore.
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Melissa Lowe, a Board member since 2021, is a resident of Eastham and Regional Director for Mass Audubon’s six properties on Cape Cod, which includes the Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary. A 25-year veteran of Mass Audubon, Melissa is an experienced environmental professional with a demonstrated history of working in environmental education and conservation sciences fields. |
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Park Partner: The N.E.E.D. Academy
by Eleanor Moody, Director
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For 50 years, the National Environmental Education Development Collaborative, now the N.E.E.D. Academy, has been teaching the children of Cape Cod the cultural, natural, and geologic history of their home. In a partnership with the Dennis-Yarmouth, Falmouth, and Monomoy school districts, N.E.E.D. takes fifth graders on hikes through the Cape Cod National Seashore, from the Beech Forest to the Red Maple Swamp. Utilizing the retired coast guard building behind Ballston Beach, this residential program explores a variety of unique ecosystems found within the park, aligning the lessons with the Commonwealth’s education frameworks. In addition to using the Seashore, the program enjoys a special relationship with the Provincetown Museum and Pilgrim Monument. |
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A staff of four teacher/naturalists and the program’s director meet both the education and social needs of each student who comes through the program, ensuring that the students are all well fed and rested for each day’s lessons. Students learn the differences between native and non-native flora and fauna, what makes an ocean-side beach different than a bayside beach, what plants can be found residing in a salt marsh, the various stages of succession from a kettle hole pond to a hardwood forest, and what it’s like to explore the outdoors after the sun has set using no artificial light source. |
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Students learn about the Pilgrims and why a 252’ tall granite monument salutes them in Provincetown and not Plymouth.
They also learn about the rich history of shipwrecks and lifesaving along these shores through harrowing tales of disaster and heroism. After a week of learning, these students are sent home with memories that will last a lifetime and a newfound appreciation of this place they call home.
Link here to learn more about this unique, educational program right here in our own back yard.
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Earth Day Beach Clean Up April 21 |
Join us for our annual Earth Day Coastal Clean Up at 9 AM at Duck Harbor, Wellfleet (off of Chequessett Neck and Griffins Island Roads). Bring sturdy gloves. No rain date. Link to our website's "News" section Friday morning if you have doubt about the weather. We will post a notice and on our Face-book page by 8 AM.
Co-sponsored by Friends of the Cape Cod National Seashore and
the Center for Coastal Studies in Provincetown
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Wet8 Construction Events Scheduled |
The Truro Historical Society, in collaboration with the Mashpee Wampanoag tribe, the National Park Service, Friends of the Cape Cod National Seashore, and under the direction of Wampanoag Tribal Leader Annawon Weeden, a Wet8 (pronounced ‘wetu’) will be constructed at the Highland House Museum in Truro.
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Attend our annual meeting on Wednesday, July 19, at 7 PM in the Salt Pond Visitors Center auditorium. Following a brief business meeting, Mark Robinson, Executive Director of The Compact of Cape Cod Conservation Trusts, will present a chronological overview of attempts to “save the Cape,” which blossomed over the past 100 years as development ramped up, particularly since World War II. |
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"Creature Feature"
by Agnes Mittermayr, Ph.D. Marine Ecologist, Center for Coastal Studies and FCCNS Board member
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The sound of spring peepers (Pseudacris crucifer) is in the air! These small (1 inch) frogs can be found in wetlands all across Massachusetts. The tiny amphibians can be very elusive, though during the spring, their high-pitched mating calls are easily identified. Scientist have shown that as winters are warming, breeding seasons for peepers have been starting earlier in the year. Adult peepers live solitary but come together in the spring to breed. Females can lay up to 1,200 eggs, which will develop to fully grown frogs within 6-12 weeks. In addition to their size, peepers are well camouflaged, with shades of brown, tan, and green. Often there is a cross-like marking on their back, which gave them their scientific name crucifer, meaning “cross-bearer”. You might not get lucky enough to see them, but make sure to enjoy listening to them around your closest wetland. |
Board member Agnes Mittermayr is the new FCCNS volunteer coordinator. She is a Center for Coastal Studies scientist and will organize some of our volunteer activities. Agnes is looking to recruit volunteer greeters at our evening events this summer! All is that required is to attend the event generally scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday evenings in July and August at the Salt Pond Visitor Center in Eastham, greet attendees, hand out future event and membership information brochures, and encourage people to enjoy the benefits of Friends membership. Enjoy great programming and we will supply the brochures!
Contact Agnes via email at volunteers.fccns@gmail.com
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Volunteer "Woodchucks" Hard at Work
by Paul Savage, FCCNS Board Member
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One of the most active volunteer groups at the Cape Cod National Seashore received new tools thanks to a generous purchase from the Friends of the Cape Cod National Seashore.
The Woodchucks are a team of dedicated volunteers who use loppers and handsaws to support numerous initiatives throughout different properties within the Seashore. The FCCNS donated 18 loppers and 12 hand saws. Most of the tools were purchased locally.
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The Woodchucks have been quite busy since last October. They were the first group to provide labor as part of the Herring River restoration project Wellfleet where they removed more than 43,000 square feet of plants from an artificial berm near Bound Brook Island. That area needed to be cleared for soil testing before restoring the riverbanks. The group also cleared an open-space play area on the Buttonbush Trail near the Salt Pond Visitor Center in Eastham and removed brush near the park maintenance headquarters at Marconi Beach. |
The primary mission of the Woodchucks is to maintain or remove unwanted vegetation. Fuel reduction (to prevent wildfires), invasive management, and vista management are frequent objectives with special projects as needed.
The Woodchucks are supervised by the Seashore's Fire Management staff and work Tuesday mornings from October through April. Tools and personal protective equipment are provided for all volunteers.
FCCNS member Rick Francolini of Orleans is the coordinator of the volunteer group which can accommodate about forty volunteers and is currently running at capacity. Those interested in joining the team are welcome to express interest now at our website Volunteer page and will be contacted in September with an update on availability.
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Spring Programs in Full Swing
Spring has finally sprung on the Outer Cape and ranger programs are in full swing! Park highlights include: National Volunteer Week (April 16-22), April Vacation Week (April 15-23), and National Park Week (April 22-30). Scheduled events include a Touch-A-Truck event at Salt Pond Visitor Center, an evening amphibian walk with wildlife ecologist Bob Cooke, and a shooting stars program at Marconi Beach. The full slate of programs is listed on the park’s web calendar or on the April Flyer, available online or at the Salt Pond Visitor Center. The Province Lands Visitor Center will open for the season on May 1. Link to the Cape Cod National Seashore's Events Calendar for details.
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And Don't Miss Family Fishing Day Bring the whole family to the tip of Cape Cod to learn about the traditional practice of surf casting at Race Point Beach! Saturday, June 10 during three time slots: 9 to 11 am, 11 am -1 pm, and 1 to 3 pm. Registration is required. Learn more and register here. There will be learning stations for all participants and a “Fish Camp” with activities for younger children. Only kids 12 and older will be able to use the surf casting rods. Pets are not permitted at this event. Call Province Lands Visitor Center, for more information 508-487-1256. |
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PARK NEWS
by William Burke, Acting Chief of Interpretation, Education and Cultural Resource
Management, Cultural Resources Program Manager
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Digitizing Project Underway
Thanks to funding from Friends of the Cape Cod National Seashore, Cape Cods Cultural Resources Program is currently working on digitizing and preserving older media formats and historical scrapbooks. The National Seashore is working with the media preservation company Mass Productions on digitizing the parks films and audio reels in this multi-phase project. The first round of items being sent for preservation is 7800 ft of 16mm sound and silent film, 100 ft of 8mm film, and 33 audio reels from the early 60’s and 70’s. This first round of items includes historical interviews with author Henry Beston, dedication ceremonies with addresses by David Martin, Breeches Buoy drills, trainings, and many more interviews and programs.
The second phase includes scanning and conserving nine historical scrapbooks that are housed in the National Seashore’s archives. These scrapbooks include newspaper clippings, photographs and letters related to Poet Harry Kemp, the establishment of the National Seashore, and the French Cable Station Museum of Orleans. The current condition of the scrapbooks includes detached bindings, torn and discolored newspapers, and faded writing. To slow the process of deterioration, each of the scrapbook’s pages are being scanned, then removed along with any other loose materials and placed in archival and acid free books and boxes for storage.
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Herring River Groundbreaking/Duck Harbor Work Continues
On March 31, Friends of Herring River and the Town of Wellfleet hosted a groundbreaking event at “The Gut” in Wellfleet to celebrate the Herring River Restoration project’s construction phase 1, which focuses on removing the existing dike along Chequessett Neck Road and replacing it with a bridge. The bridge will have sluice gates, which will gradually restore tidal flow. Nearly 200 people attended the event, including Senator Ed Markey, Congressman William Keating, and Superintendent Brian Carlstrom. The park has recently overhauled it’s Herring River Restoration webpage, and more information on the project can be found here: https://www.nps.gov/caco/learn/nature/herring-river-tidal-restoration-project.htm
(photo L to R - Richard Waldo, Wellfleet Town Administrator; Jim Cantwell, State Director for Senator Edward Markey; Brian Carlstrom, Superintendent of the Cape Cod National Seashore; and State Rep. Sarah Peake. Photo Credit: Laurie Warner)
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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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