Message from President Eisenbarth |
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I trust you are all looking forward to another summer on the Cape, and so am I! We will be hosting friends…. some of whom we haven’t seen since before March of 2020…as well as family…. some of whom have never visited the US before, much less Cape Cod!
Many of you will also have a busy summer, so please check out this E-News for news of upcoming events or links to the Cape Cod National Seashore (CCNS) calendar of events.
I also want to call your attention to the FCCNS Annual Meeting that is taking place on July 19 at 7 PM in the Salt Pond Visitor Center auditorium. As always, the “meeting” part of the evening will be brief but include the important election of FCCNS board members and officers. In this E-News edition, you will find the proposed slate of officers to be voted on at that meeting. If you cannot attend, there are instructions on how to vote online now. It’s fast and easy! The rest of the Annual Meeting will consist of a presentation by Mark Robinson, Executive Director of the Compact of Cape Cod Conservation Trusts. He will discuss the long history of efforts to “save the Cape,” especially after World War II. You won’t want to miss this fascinating presentation!
This meeting will mark the end of my tenure as your president of FCCNS. I have had the privilege to serve in that capacity for the past three years, and it has been the highlight of my community activities on the Cape. More important, however, is that FCCNS is blessed with an incredibly talented and dedicated board of directors motivated to make this organization the best philanthropic partner it can be for the Cape Cod National Seashore.
I am confident that you will see this organization grow in the coming years, not just in membership but in its ability to help the CCNS to fulfill its mission to preserve, promote and protect the extensive resources that make up this treasure we call home. Since its inception, the Friends’ efforts have gone a long way toward helping to “save the Cape.”
Peter Eisenbarth
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Link to our Activities web page for a calendar and descriptions of our sponsored programs taking place Tuesday and Wednesday evenings, at 7 PM, at the Salt Pond Visitor Center, Eastham.
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In addition, FCCNS sponsors Wednesday evening concerts with
Park Concessioner
Far Land on the Beach at Herring Cove, Provincetown.
Click on the poster image below to link to information and a schedule.
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Join seashore rangers to explore a variety of resources and stories this summer during guided programs.
Link to the Cape Cod National Seashore's
for details.
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BECOME A MEMBER
If you are receiving e-News but are not yet a Friends member, we encourage you to become a Friend.
When renewing, consider upgrading your level of membership with our thanks.
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DONATE TODAY
Your contributions mean more than ever. Give a gift in memory of or in honor of a special person in your life.
Link here to
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Cape Symphony Returns to Salt Pond
The sixth annual “Symphony at the Seashore” concert, presented by the National Park Service and the Cape Symphony, will be held at the Cape Cod National Seashore’s outdoor amphitheater at Salt Pond at 7 PM, Thursday, August 24 (rain date Friday, August 25).
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The Cape Symphony will be joined by special guest vocalists who are well-known on the Cape music scene: Mozelle Andrulot, who grew up in Eastham, and Ella Mae Dixon, originally from Wellfleet. The program includes American classics “Fly Me to the Moon,” “Fascinating Rhythm,” and “I Only Have Eyes For You.” Admission to “Symphony at the Seashore” is free and no tickets are required.
“Symphony at the Seashore” is made possible in part by the generous support of Eastern National and Friends of the Cape Cod National Seashore.
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2023 Annual Meeting and Slate of Officers
The FCCNS membership annual meeting will take place Wednesday, July 19, in person, in the Salt Pond Visitor Center auditorium at 7 PM. A brief presentation by a Board officer will be followed by guest presenter Mark Robinson, Executive Director of The Compact of Cape Cod Conservation Trusts
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History of Land Preservation on Cape Cod
Mark Robinson, Executive Director of The Compact of Cape Cod Conservation Trusts since 1986, will present a chronological overview of attempts to “save the Cape,” which blossomed over the past 100 years as development ramped up, especially after World War II. From a dearth of public open spaces in the late 1800s, wealthy benefactors would make occasional donations of land for parks, bird sanctuaries and arboretums. In the 1960s, governments—state, local and federal—made a more concerted effort to set aside critical areas from booming residential and commercial development. Today, there is a maturing set of players, including nonprofit land trusts, bringing sophisticated strategies and risk-taking to preserve the best of what’s left for public enjoyment and resource protection.
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We are opting to once again conduct the business of our annual meeting via email. Treasurer Tim Famulare will prepare our annual treasurer's report for 2022 which you will find here in the near future. Scroll down to the bottom of the page to find the link for access when it is available.
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Our proposed slate of officers and directors is as follows for 2023-2024:
President - David Bernstein and to be re-elected for a second term as director, which ends 7/2026
First Vice President - David Crocker (the first term ends 7/2024)
Second Vice President - Frank Dobek (the second term ends 7/2025)
Clerk - Bob Anderson (the first term ends 7/2025)
Treasurer - Tim Famulare (the first term ends 7/2024)
Second Term Director ends 7/2024: Pete Eisenbarth
Second Term Directors end 7/2025: Betsy Bray, Melissa Lowe
First Term Director ends 7/2024: Agnes Mittermayr
First Term Directors end 7/2025: Bob Anderson, Joan Francolini, Paul Savage, Steve Munroe
If you cannot attend the meeting in person, Members, please click here to email us to accept this slate of officers by July 19 with the subject line: "Yes, I accept the proposed FCCNS slate of officers." |
Wetu Dedication
Story & Photos, Paul Savage, Board member FCCNS
The Friends of the Cape Cod National Seashore (FCCNS) helped support the recent kick-off of the traditional Wampanoag Wetu exhibit and Three Sisters Garden at Highland House in North Truro.
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The FCCNS provided funding for the April event, which drew more than 100 participants. Volunteers from FCCNS helped clear the land, construct the Wetu, and helped build the Three Sisters Garden.
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A Wetu is a domed hut, used by the Wampanoag to provide shelter. A Wetu consists of a cedar sapling frame and is covered with either tree bark or mats made from grass or reeds. A Three Sisters Garden consists of the three main agricultural crops of the Wampanoag people: squash, maize (corn), and climbing beans.
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Wampanoag elders, led by educator Annawon Weeden, his son Brian, who is Tribal Chair, the Clan Mothers, and Medicine Man Guy “Soaring Eagle” Cash, conducted a traditional Wampanoag spiritual blessing of the cedar trees used in the building of the Wetu, and of the land. Truro was home for thousands of years to the Pamet people, one of the Wampanoag tribes. (Annawon Weeden, second from right, explains the history, culture, and spirituality of the Wetu. Remaining from left are: Mashpee Wampanoag Tribal Chairman Brian Weeden; Rabbit Clan Mother Marlene Lopez; Medicine Man Guy Cash; and Helen McNeil-Ashston, vice-president (Collections) of the Truro-Historical Society. " |
National Park Service (NPS) Director Chuck Sams, himself Native American, attended the ceremony. Director Sams is the first Indigenous person to serve as head of the NPS.
Wampanoag elders led the audience in a Circle Dance, a traditional dance of welcoming and friendship. According to Annawon Weeden, this type of ritual was witnessed by the English under Roger Williams in the 1630s upon his arrival in Rhode Island.
The exhibit is sponsored by the Truro Historical Society, the Cape Cod National Seashore, the Truro Central School District, and the Friends of the Cape Cod National Seashore.
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Meet Sue Reece
Sue Reece is the Seashore's new chief of Interpretation, Education. Sue arrived in mid-April and was previously the chief of Interpretation and Education at Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore in Michigan. Prior to Michigan her other National Park Service experiences include stints at Everglades National Park in Florida, Theodore Roosevelt National Park in North Dakota, and Fire Island National Seashore in New York. FCCNS welcomes Sue as the liaison between the Seashore and the Friends.
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National Park Service and Center for Coastal Studies unveil marine debris shark sculpture at Herring Cove Beach
On June 8, in celebration of World Ocean Day, Cape Cod National Seashore (CCNS) and its park partner, the Center for Coastal Studies (CCS), hosted a public ceremony to unveil a new marine debris sculpture at the Herring Cove Beach bathhouse in Provincetown.
The sculpture is a fourteen-foot Atlantic white shark, made entirely of marine debris collected from the national seashore’s beaches by artist Cindy Pease Roe. The exhibit is designed to raise awareness of marine debris in our ocean and waterways and educate visitors how to make small changes to reduce their impact on the environment.
For over a dozen years, CCS has been working with the public and their volunteer group, the Beach Brigade, to clean up beaches and remove marine debris from the seashore. Many items can end up as marine debris, from single-use plastics to fishing gear. The exhibit was developed and installed with funding from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Marine Debris Program.
The artist, Cindy Pease Roe, was selected by the CCNS and CCS last August through a competitive process to construct and design a public marine debris exhibit. An educator and marine advocate as well as an artist, Roe founded UpSculpt, a nonprofit charitable organization created to further the education and hands-on solutions surrounding marine debris, plastics, and their disposal. Her marine debris artwork has been featured in galleries and permanent installations around the world, including at the Susan Lister Locke Gallery on Nantucket; for the Overseas Chinese Town Group in Shenzen, China; and last summer at the Sandwich Heritage Gardens & Museum.
Photo L to R: Aleutia Scott Supervisory Park Ranger, Cindy Pease Roe Artist and founder of UpSculpt, Laura Ludwig manager of CCS Marine Debris & Plastics Program.
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Highland Light Rededication June 28
On Wednesday, June 28, at 10 am, the park will host a rededication ceremony for Highland Light in Truro. Following the repair work that was completed last spring and the reopening of the Eastern National bookstore and tours, the park will host a short ceremony with remarks from Superintendent Brian Carlstrom and Eastern National staff to celebrate the work that was completed and highlight the reopening of this famed site. This is a public event, open to anyone who would like to attend. Read more
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New Sharks and Seals Story Map Tool for the Web
Kristin Vinduska, Scientist-In-Parks intern, recently completed a Sharks and Seals story map for the park’s website that illustrates the ongoing story and relationship between predator and prey here on Cape Cod. A story map is a type of web tool that uses images, videos, and text to thoughtfully explain nuanced concepts or stories.
You may have seen story maps used online for news outlets, like the Boston Globe, to share detailed reporting and layered stories. Kristin worked with park staff, Center for Coastal Studies staff, and WHOI staff to craft the language, images, and videos she used. The story map aims to flesh out the history, background, and current status of the sharks and seals on Cape Cod, as well as explain the nuanced relationship between human beings and these delicate creatures.
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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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