Coalition for Buzzards Bay to Take the Plunge

Swim Buzzards Bay, a 1.2-mile open water swim and fundraising event for the Coalition for Buzzards Bay, will take place next Saturday, July 19, 2008. The swim, from Davy’s Locker Beach in New Bedford to Fort Phoenix in Fairhaven, affirms the importance of clean water and a healthy environment and raises money for the Coalition’s education, conservation, research and advocacy programs.

To register to swim, sponsor a swimmer, or view photos from the 2007 swim, please visit the Coalition for Buzzards Bay’s website.

Town of Mashpee Interpretive Nature Tours

The Mashpee Conservation Commission is continuing its schedule of free naturalist-guided tours of the town’s conservation areas this summer. Tours usually last for about one to one-and-a-half hours and all ages are welcome.

The complete schedule for July and August 2008 is available on the Conservation Commission’s webpage, but here are some selected events:

•  Monday, July 7th, Besse Bog Conservation Area Hike
•  Wednesday, July 16th, Trees of the Woodlands
•  Monday, July 28th, Wild Edible and Poisonous Plants
•  Thursday, August 7th, Animal Tracking
•  Saturday, August 23rd, Sunrise at South Cape Beach

State Launches New Park Passport Program

“MA DCR Launches New Park Passport Program”
Cape Cod Today, June 25, 2008

Cape Cod Today reports that the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation is launching a new Park Passport program in 76 state parks this Saturday, June 28, 2008. The free program will provide park users with little blue passports and artist-designed stamps to let them document their park visits. The passports also include tips for safe hiking and a guide to identifying animal tracks. Part of the national No Child Left Inside initiative, the Park Passport program is being partly funded with a $36,000 grant from the Massachusetts Environmental Trust.

Participating parks include:

•  Nickerson State Park in Brewster
•  Scusset Beach State Reservation in Sandwich
•  Shawme-Crowell State Forest in Sandwich
•  Waquoit Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve in Falmouth

Rambling Through Hawksnest State Park in Harwich with GPS

"Travel Bugs, Herons and Hawksnest"
Cape Cod Today, June 22, 2008
By Susan Spencer

Thanks to this column by freelance writer and photographer Susan Spencer, we learned about Hawksnest State Park in Harwich, a 218-acre tract off of Route 137 between Queen Anne Road and Route 6. As Spencer concludes, “There still is terra incognita on the edge of town."

Fields of Grass to Grace Route 132 in Hyannis

“Fields of Grass to Grace Route 132”
The Barnstable Patriot, June 20, 2008
By Edward F. Maroney

Edward Maroney reports that a state-funded $1.5 million replanting program along a two-mile stretch of Route 132 in Hyannis is under public discussion. Plantings will include grasses, shrubs, bushes, and trees, but a proposed bike path and walking trail along the Old Route 132 roadbed have been eliminated. Public comments on the project will be accepted until June 28, 2008. Final plans for the replanting project should be completed by the end of the year.

Walking a Wooded Retreat on the Vineyard

“A Wooded Retreat”
The Martha’s Vineyard Times, June 19, 2008
By Laura Wainwright

Laura Wainwright has written a beautiful account of her recent walk through the 106-acre Blackwater Pond Reservation Land Bank Property on Martha’s Vineyard.

As Wainwright writes, “the Land Bank and the Nature Conservancy have done a terrific job of connecting and maintaining trails in this area. Whatever your energy level, the wind, or the weather, there is a fine walk to be had. A large map by the parking area will help you outline a route, but some of the fun can be poking around and chancing a little confusion. The worst that can happen is a longer walk.”

Barnstable’s Sandy Neck: Treasures in the Sand

“Treasures in the Sand”
Cape Cod Today, June 17, 2008
By Susan Spencer

Freelance writer and photographer Susan Spencer has written a wonderful essay about a recent trek out to Sandy Neck in Barnstable.

As Spencer writes, “The landscape is intriguing: a mix of wind-swept dunes, vast marsh, and interspersed forests living and dead, with tidy Barnstable Harbor on one side and the rolling tides of Cape Cod Bay on the other. Migrating shorebirds and diamondback terrapin turtles, among other wildlife, inhabit this eco-system, a microcosm of the Cape.”

New Conservation Trail Kiosks in Harwich

“New Trail Kiosks in Place Around Town”
The Harwich Oracle, June 18, 2008

The Harwich Oracle reports that six new informational trail kiosks have been installed in Harwich thanks to an Eagle Scout and a creative public-private partnership involving the town and the Harwich Conservation Trust. The kiosks identify trailheads and contain maps and guided walk schedules. Funding for the kiosks, and other minor trail enhancements, came from the town’s Community Preservation Fund, Barnstable County, Harwich Conservation Trust, Massachusetts Dept. of Conservation and Recreation, and the Fields Pond Foundation.

For a schedule of free, guided summer walks on the trails, download the Harwich Conservation Trust’s Summer 2008 Walk Schedule.

For a neat guided walk from the comfort of your chair, watch All Access Cape Cod’s October 2007 hike through Coy’s Brook Woodland with members of the Harwich Conservation Trust (YouTube.com, 2 minutes, 35 seconds).

The 300 Committee to Race for Open Space in Falmouth

For the fifth consecutive year, The 300 Committee, Falmouth's land trust, is participating in the Falmouth Road Race as part of the race’s “numbers-for-nonprofits program." Last year, the race raised more than $1 million for local, state, and national nonprofits. This year, the 36th running of the race will take place on Sunday, August 10, 2008.

For more information about how you can support The 300 Committee through its participation in the 2008 Falmouth Road Race, please read the posting on the Committee’s website.

Field Schools at Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary

Sponsored by Mass Audubon’s Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sancutary, Cape Cod Field Schools Summer 2008 are active, fun, educational courses for adults. Whether you are interested in a half-day, two-day, or four-day course, “enjoy learning in the beautiful coastal setting of Cape Cod. Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary’s Field Schools emphasize active outdoor ‘in-the-field’ experiences and are taught by professional naturalists, scientists, and artists. The Outer Cape’s beaches, woods, dunes, and wetlands provide the setting. Previous experience is not required -- just a sense of adventure!”

Open to the general public and reasonably priced, courses start in late June and run as late as early September. Here’s just one of the many interesting opportunities worth investing in:

The 'Physical' Cape Cod, September 3rd to 5th, 2008. “Hike, bike, kayak, and swim your way up and down the Outer Cape! Each morning will start with an optional yoga session followed by active field trips led by a naturalist. We will kayak in Nauset Marsh, bike through the Provincelands dunes, hike along ancient wooded trails and the scenic Outer Beaches, and slip into quiet kettle ponds for refreshing swims. Instructors: Dennis Murley, Wellfleet Bay naturalist and Carin Trainer, yoga instructor.” $225/Non-member

Cape Walk 2008 Unfazed by Rain

“Biennial Walk Across Cape Presses on Despite Rain”
Cape Cod Times, June 5, 2008
By Susan Milton

BREWSTER -- Charlie Manolakis could easily drive from Provincetown to Bourne in 90 minutes or less.

But every two years, the Tucson retiree takes nine days to walk an estimated 100 miles of trail between the towns. He's done Cape Walk, a hike sponsored by Cape Cod Pathways, eight times since 1995. ...

Despite obstacles, participation in Cape Walk has grown, and this year, included the most people yet ... ©

Read the full article in the Cape Cod Times.

For a participant’s account of this year’s walk and a collection of related photographs, please read Walking CapeWalk, a blog maintained by Lucy Loomis, “casual hiker, mom, and Director of the Sturgis Library in Barnstable Village.”

Also, note that Cape Cod Pathways hosts an annual Walking Weekend every October. Check the 2007 schedule for a taste of what this year's event might entail.

Harwich Conservation Trust Sponsors Walk of Coy’s Brook Woodlands on June 7th

“Check out Coy’s Brook Woodlands”
The Harwich Oracle, June 1, 2008

“A Botanical Walk at Coy's Brook Woodlands, in West Harwich, will be led by Rich Eldred, Saturday, June 7, 9:30 a.m. Eldred, who has a degree in botany from the University of New Hampshire and a master’s in plant science from the University of Western Ontario, is an environmental journalist for Harwich Oracle and The Cape Codder.

This free walk will look at flora in a variety of wetland and upland habitats and is sponsored by the Harwich Conservation Trust. From Harwich Center, go west on Great Western Road to Lothrop Avenue. Turn left on Lothrop. Parking lot is on the right, just south of the water tower." ©

Cape Walk 2008: May 31st to June 8th

The seventh Cape Walk, a nine-day trek across Cape Cod with some of the region's most experienced hikers and trail walkers, starts today, May 31, 2008, at Herring Cove in Provincetown. The walk will end at Scusset Beach State Reservation in Bourne, on Sunday, June 8, 2008.

Sponsored by Cape Cod Pathways, the walk is not a fundraiser but rather a celebration of Cape Cod's many conservation areas. Participants can walk one day, join in for several days, or walk the entire distance over the nine-day event:

•  Day 1, Saturday, May 31st, Provincetown to Truro
•  Day 2, Sunday, June 1st, Truro to Wellfleet
•  Day 3, Monday, June 2nd, Wellfleet to Eastham
•  Day 4, Tuesday, June 3rd, Eastham to Brewster
•  Day 5, Wednesday, June 4th, Brewster to Dennis
•  Day 6, Thursday, June 5th, Dennis to Yarmouth
•  Day 7, Friday, June 6th, Yarmouth to Barnstable
•  Day 8, Saturday, June 7th, Barnstable to Sandwich
•  Day 9, Sunday, June 8th, Sandwich to Bourne

For more information and complete details of each day's walk, please read the six-page program booklet.

Cape Walk 2008: May 31st to June 8th

The seventh Cape Walk, a nine-day trek across Cape Cod with some of the region's most experienced hikers and trail walkers, will journey from Herring Cove in Provincetown, Saturday, May 31, to Scusset Beach State Reservation in Bourne, Sunday, June 8, 2008.

Sponsored by Cape Cod Pathways, the walk is not a fundraiser but rather a celebration of Cape Cod's many conservation areas. Participants can walk one day, join in for several days, or walk the entire distance over the nine-day event:

•  Day 1, Saturday, May 31, Provincetown to Truro
•  Day 2, Sunday, June 1, Truro to Wellfleet
•  Day 3, Monday, June 2, Wellfleet to Eastham
•  Day 4, Tuesday, June 3, Eastham to Brewster
•  Day 5, Wednesday, June 4, Brewster to Dennis
•  Day 6, Thursday, June 5, Dennis to Yarmouth
•  Day 7, Friday, June 6, Yarmouth to Barnstable
•  Day 8, Saturday, June 7, Barnstable to Sandwich
•  Day 9, Sunday, June 8, Sandwich to Bourne

For more information and complete details of each day's walk, please read the six-page program booklet.

Orleans Approves Purchase of Sparrow Property; Conservation Trust to Clean Trails

The Cape Codder reports that voters approved ballot Question 8 at the Orleans annual town election of May 20, 2008: “Despite being indefinitely postponed at town meeting to continue negotiations with the land owners, an open space purchase of the Sparrow property in South Orleans passed, even though there was no dollar figure on the ballot.”

Here’s the text of Question 8 as it appeared on the ballot: “Shall the Town of Orleans be allowed to exempt from the provisions of proposition 2½, so-called, the amounts required to pay for the bond issued in order to fund the purchase of all or a portion of the land located at 353 South Orleans Road (Route 28), Orleans, MA consisting of approximately 6.55 acres, shown on the Orleans Assessor’s Map 68 as Parcel 8-1, including all expenses incidental and related thereto?”

Speaking of open space in Orleans, the Orleans Conservation Trust is holding a trail work day at the Icehouse and Rueben’s ponds trails this Friday, May 23, 2008. According to the announcement in The Cape Codder, “These properties, donated to Orleans Conservation Trust by the Hopkins, Moore, Wilbur, Garner-Martin families and others, protect 21.85 acres that wrap around Rueben’s Pond and through the pine-oak woodlands to the west end of Icehouse Pond and connect to Tonset Road by a series of loop trails. The Orleans Conservation Trust also owns a one-acre parcel between Icehouse Pond and Brick Hill Road."

Addendum on Sparrow Property, May 25, 2008:

The aforementioned 6.5-acre Sparrow Property has frontage on Arey's Pond and a tidal river, and is within the Pleasant Bay Area of Critical Environmental Concern. The Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs awarded the Town of Orleans a $500,000 Self-Help grant in November 2007 to help fund the purchase of the parcel. The project has received technical assistance from The Cape Cod Compact of Conservation Trusts.

According to the article “Grants Secure Several Open Space Purchases on Cape,” Cape Cod Times, November 9, 2007, “Orleans received a $500,000 grant to partially reimburse the town's plans to pay $1.27 million for the 6.5-acre Sparrow property on Arey's Pond and Namequoit Road within the Pleasant Bay Area of Critical Environmental Concern. The town is contributing $235,000, and $540,000 is coming from money set aside by the Cape Cod Commission for open space to offset the impact of the Shaw's Market renovation at Skaket Corners in Orleans.”

Calendar of Events for May 2008

The month of May offers plenty of opportunities to enjoy the great outdoors and learn about the area's natural resources. Below are just a few of the dozens of events scheduled for May 2008. Check the respective websites for details and more listings!

Saturday, May 3, 2008
Spring Wildflowers at Bank Street Bogs Conservation Lands, Harwich
“Join botanist and journalist Rich Eldred to explore for spring wildflowers at Harwich Conservation Trust’s largest preserve.”
Harwich Conservation Trust

Saturday, May 10, 2008
Long Beach and the Centerville River Walk, Centerville
“Join Town of Barnstable Conservation Administrator Rob Gatewood and BLT’s Chris Babcock for a two-hour, 3-1/2 mile walk along Long Beach to the tip of the barrier spit and back by way of the Centerville River trail. Along the way, Rob will discuss coastal dynamics, beach nourishment projects, dredging, Piping Plovers, and much more.”
Barnstable Land Trust

Saturday, May 10, 2008
Give a Day for Buzzards Bay: Clean Up Marsh Island, Fairhaven
“What better way to celebrate Mother’s Day weekend than by spending a day caring for Mother Earth with Mom?”
Coalition for Buzzards Bay

Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Natural History Speaker Series: Turtles of the Coast
Naturalist Dennis Murley speaks about Sea Turtles and Terrapins.
Cape Cod Museum of Natural History

Friday, May 16, 2008
Lieutenant Island Hike, Wellfleet
“The Society owns about 200 acres on Lieutenant Island, including salt marsh, barrier beach, and coastal heathland. We'll circumnavigate the island on this 3-hour walk watching for shorebirds, checking on nesting piping plovers, and looking for signs of diamondback terrapins.”
Mass Audubon

Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Wednesday Walk: Dennis Pond, Yarmouthport
Join Connie Boyce for a 3-to-4 mile walk.
Cape Cod Museum of Natural History

Sunday, May 25, 2008
Spawning Horseshoe Crabs, Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary
“Stroll the southern shoreline of Nauset Marsh with Bob Prescott in search of spawning horseshoe crabs. Shorebirds and herons are among the other wildlife we will see in this beautiful location.”
Mass Audubon

Sandy Neck Wetlands Hike on April 24th

The Barnstable Land Trust is co-sponsoring a hike of the Sandy Neck Freshwater Wetlands in West Barnstable on Thursday morning, April 24, 2008. Here’s a blurb from its website:

“Join BLT, Sandy Neck Park Manager and naturalist Nina Coleman, and Mass Audubon’s Ian Ives for a one-mile hike focused on exploring barrier beach 'interdunal swales.' Learn about these unique wetlands that function as vernal pools in the spring and are home to many interesting plant and animal species.”

For more information, please see the posting on the Barnstable Land Trust's website.

Cape Cod National Seashore to Celebrate National Park Week

Cape Cod National Seashore is celebrating National Park Week, April 19 through April 27, 2008, with a boatload of activities designed for kids and families. Activities include:

•  Saturday, April 19: The Scoop on Seals, a look at the different seals found on Cape Cod and how they’re adapted to their watery world.

•  Sunday, April 20: Sirens of the Sea, featuring the beauty and natural history of humpback whales.

•  Tuesday, April 22: Where the Spark of Magic Happened and Marconi Triumphed, a short walk around the site where Guglielmo Marconi transmitted the first transatlantic wireless message in 1903.

•  Friday, April 25: Whose Toes Are Those, a one-hour walk to look for tracks and sign left by local wildlife.

•  Saturday, April 26: Earth Day/Keep America Beautiful, clean-up event at Coast Guard and Nauset Light Beach parking areas.

•  Saturday, April 26: The Wizard of Wireless, commemorates the birthday of Guglielmo Marconi, the father of radio. Radio operators making contacts with others around the world, Morse Code, and other activities for kids.

•  Saturday, April 26: Family Fun at the Penniman House, with outdoor games, activities, and stories about the Penniman family’s life at home and adventures at sea.

For details, please read the recent press release or the full schedule of events.