Date: April 22, 2008
Contact: Christiana Admiral, Interpretive Ranger, 508 487 2123
May 1st through May 31st are the 15th annual Capewide Maritime Days. Learn about the intimate relationships between local communities and the surrounding waters during Maritime Days at the Province Lands Visitor Center. Each Saturday in May, a one-hour special presentation will provide insight into a different aspect of Cape Cod’s connection to the sea, from historic tales of pirates and heroes to ongoing efforts to save endangered marine mammals. All programs in the series begin at 2 PM, and are free, accessible and open to the public.
Saturday, May 3rd: Salty Tales of Provincetown’s Naval History, with Patrick Bird, Park Ranger. Explore Provincetown’s forgotten military past through images and stories spanning more than two hundred years, from the Revolutionary War to the summer exercises of the Atlantic squadron during World War II.
Saturday, May 10th: Pirates of Cape Cod, with Ken Kinkor, Project Historian for Expedition Whydah. Become acquainted with the bandits who terrorized the waters around Cape Cod in bygone days; they vanished long ago, but their legacies live on in stories and treasures left behind.
Saturday, May 17th: A National Treasure Offshore, with Anne Smrcina, Education Coordinator for the Gerry E. Studds Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary. Learn about the Gerry E. Studds Stellwagon Bank National Marine Sanctuary, a historically important fishing ground and a nationally significant area for the future of ocean stewardship.
Saturday, May 24th: Seafaring Cape Codders, with Jim Coogan, award winning local author. Marvel at stories of the adventurous men, women and children from Cape Cod who have sailed to distant lands, and built their lives by the sea.
Saturday, May 31st: The Life of a Live-Saving Station, with Richard G. Ryder, Life-Saving Service historian. Experience the remarkable history preserved at the Old Harbor Life-Saving Station, where brave men risked their lives to uphold the seafaring way of life on Cape Cod.
The Province Lands Visitor Center off of Race Point Road offers an exciting, schedule of spring presentations in addition to the Maritime Month series. Programs include hikes, canoe trips, a beach campfire, a historic walking tour of Provincetown, a multimedia presentation on shorebirds and an open house at the Old Harbor Life-Saving Station. Call (508) 487-1256 starting May 1st, or visit us online at www.nps.gov/caco for a complete listing and more information.
IF YOU GO:
The Province Lands Visitor Center (508 - 487 - 1256) opens for the season on May 1st. Daily hours are from 9 AM to 5 PM. Staff is on-hand to assist with activity planning and hiking and biking trail information. The visitor center features 360 degree views of the surrounding dunes and sea, as well as museum exhibits, orientation films, and a bookstore featuring interpretive items such as books, maps, games and puzzles. A listing of all of the national seashore’s programs is available at the two seashore visitor centers, or on-line at www.nps.gov/caco.
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