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A message from our president
Dear FRIENDS,
Happy and healthy 2018 to you!
In the last issue of e-news, I invoked Yogi Berra to emphasize the importance of organizational planning.
Over the past several months, with help from Cape Cod SCORE, your board has discussed the challenges facing all of our National Parks, from deferred maintenance to redrawing boundaries.
We also looked at the backlog of repair work particular to the Seashore. Subsequently, the board decided to expand the universe of businesses and individuals who support the Seashore.
Until now, we have focused awareness of the Seashore on the six towns within its boundaries.and the
4.6 million people who visited the Seashore in 2016. That number indicates that there's an opportunity to welcome some of these visitors as Friends, increasing the universe of those who support the Park.
We also discussed the economic impact that the Seashore provides to the Cape--$ 259 million generated to the local economy in 2016, according to the National Park Service.
Where would the tour buses, the hotels, the restaurants, and gas stations be without the lure of the Seashore?
What a wonderful opportunity for partnerships to strengthen this awesome place! We welcome your ideas as we turn this planning into action.
Pat Canavan
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Update on Ponds
Yes!
We met the Ponds' challenge grant! Our generous donor matched the $10,000 we raised over the last quarter of 2017.
The Park will spend $20,000 in the spring of 2018 to improve ponds in Wellfleet, Truro, and Provincetown.
Thank you, thank you for making our initial challenge grant successful.
Save the Dates
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- Saturday, April 21: Celebrate Earth Day with the Friends and the Center for Coastal Studies at our annual Herring Cove beach clean-up.
- Wednesday, June 13: Dinner at the Captain Linnell House in Orleans. Fundraiser to support repairs to Wellfleet's Atlantic White Cedar Swamp Trail. (see below)
- Wednesday, June 20: Music, great food, and more at Herring Cove in Provincetown. Fundraiser to support Atlantic White Cedar Swamp Trail. Welcome summer with Friends and Far Land on the Beach!
Details to follow on all of the above, so watch for eblasts.
Friends' Next Project
On the heels of the successful Ponds' Challenge Grant and with the Red Maple Swamp Trail (RMST) repairs scheduled for completion this spring, FCCNS has set its sights on another gem.
Deep in the woods of Wellfleet, near the Marconi site, the Atlantic White Cedar Swamp Trail (AWCST) awaits the adventurous visitor.
The Trail, approximately 1.2 miles long, includes a 2500-foot boardwalk that meanders through an isolated remnant of an ecosystem created after the last ice age and now normally found in mid-Canada or farther north.
Over the 50 years since the Job Corps installed the Trail, Park staff has periodically maintained it. With tripping hazards, accessibility issues, the buckling and bowing boardwalk, and weakened wooden supports, this Trail needs a major overhaul.
Acting now will prevent greater deterioration which would ultimately be more costly.
FCCNS has allocated $25,000 for AWCST. With your support, our spring fundraisers will move us closer to our $75,000 goal. The Park has applied to the National Park Service Centennial Fund to match our commitment.
Stay tuned!
Mark your calendars: June 13, Captain Linnell House, June 20, Herring Cove Beach.
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News from the Seashore
Welcome our New Superintendent
The National Park Service has named Brian Carlstrom as the new superintendent of Cape Cod National Seashore.
Carlstrom currently serves as Deputy Associate Director for the Natural Resource Stewardship and Science (NRSS) Directorate in Washington, D.C., where he develops and implements resource stewardship and science policies and direction Service-wide.
He will begin his new assignment in April. He replaces George Price, who retired in May last year.
"It is an honor to be selected to serve as the superintendent of Cape Cod National Seashore," said Carlstrom. "The Cape Cod communities are integrated into the fabric of the park and I look forward to working with them to continue providing high quality visitor experiences while preserving the special resources found on the Cape."
Carlstrom is a 30-year NPS employee. Before his work at NRSS, his park experience included lead park ranger at Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts, acting superintendent and chief of resources at Devils Tower National Monument, chief of resources management at Prince William Forest Park, deputy superintendent and chief of resources at Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park, and superintendent at Biscayne National Park.
Special Event: Outermost Inspirations
Cape Cod National Seashore is taking part in a special collaboration inspired by Henry Beston's seminal work, The Outermost House.
This series of events, called The Outermost Inspirations, is a multi-media, multi-venue endeavor featuring contemporary artists celebrating the natural world that surrounds us.
February 18 at Salt Pond Visitor Center, Eastham
11:00am - 3:00pm
See the Artists at Work: Adults and children alike are amazed to see the processes that lead to a finished painting. Artists are happy to answer questions and discuss their techniques.
2:00pm - 3:00pm
 Presentation with Don Wilding, Henry Beston Historian and Author: Learn how Beston's trail to Cape Cod began in World War I and how he tapped into the healing power of nature on the Outer Beach. Don Wilding will stay after to sign books.
3:00pm - 4:00pm,
Artists and Author Reception: Join friends and neighbors while viewing the Outermost Inspirations exhibition at the SPVC classroom.
February 1-28
43 South Orleans Rd, Orleans
This art exhibit features new works by area and national artists and captures the beauty of our surroundings. The show is curated by Helen Katherine Addison, owner of internationally respected Addison Art Gallery.
Winter Film Festival
2018 marks the 10th year that Cape Cod National Seashore has hosted a winter film festival. This year's festival showcases compelling nature documentaries featuring the national seashore's new audio visual system with theatre-size screen and surround sound.
Films will show at 1:30 pm at Salt Pond Visitor Center in Eastham. The movies are free, thanks to funding from Friends of the Cape Cod National Seashore.
The films include:
Saving Sea Turtles- February 4
Over the last decade the number of stranded sea turtles has steadily increased, but the late autumn of 2014 saw an unprecedented event as more than 1,200 cold-stunned sea turtles washed ashore.
This massive wildlife emergency marshaled an inspiring response within and beyond Massachusetts that reached from individuals to the federal government, involving over 10 states and 21 institutions.
This film showcases "the largest airlift of an endangered species probably anywhere in the United States, quite possibly the world."
Bob Prescott, Director of MA Audubon's Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary, will introduce the film.
Earth, February 11
Fueled by dazzling high-definition photography and stunning locations around the world, this nature documentary captures three animal families in action over the course of a year, showing how the sun influences behavior and migratory patterns.
The Endless Summer, February 25
 The quintessential surf film directed and narrated by Bruce Brown follows summer around the globe in 1966. Mike Hynson and Robert August ride the wild waters of Hawaii, Australia, Africa and other exotic locales in search of the perfect wave.
Chasing Ice, March 4
Environmental photographer James Balog deploys time-lapse cameras to capture a record of the world's changing glaciers, compressing years into seconds to illustrate how these ice mountains are disappearing at a breathtaking rate.
Nauset Light Beach Demolition Project
Park staff and a contractor are demolishing facilities at Nauset Light Beach, including the removal of the septic tank in early December.
Ongoing erosion (10-15 feet per year) necessitates the removal of the tank. The park will install temporary facilities in advance of receiving funding for replacement facilities.
The stairs have been removed and the new walking path to Nauset Light Beach is being installed and should be completed sometime in early winter.
The path is a long-term, sustainable solution to erosion and loss of stairs. The path, while stairless, does not meet accessibility standards because of the grade.
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