News Release

Friends of the Cape Cod National Seashore sponsoring Sustaining Cape Cod speaker series

News Release Date: September 15, 2022

Contact: Pete Budde, 508-957-0738

EASTHAM, Mass. – In celebration of its 35^th anniversary, the Friends of the Cape Cod National Seashore (FCCNS) is sponsoring Sustaining Cape Cod, a free speaker series open to the public. Presentations will be held on Saturdays, October 1, 8, 15, and 22 at 1:00 PM at the National Seashore’s Salt Pond Visitor Center in Eastham, MA.

Since 1978, the non-profit FCCNS has supported the National Seashore, which operates under the jurisdiction of the National Park Service, by raising funds for specific projects. This critical support helps sustain the park’s rich natural resources, interpretive programs and projects, and scientific research.

In this spirit of stewardship, presenters in the Sustaining Cape Cod speaker series will share perspectives on the past, present, and future of Cape Cod’s human culture, natural environment, and wildlife.

The speaker series kicks off on October 1 with the presentation “The Creation of Cape Cod: Its Geologic History and Present-day Coastal Processes and Climate Change” by Dr. Mark Borrelli. Dr. Borrelli will explore how Cape Cod got its characteristic shape and how present-day coastal processes have affected its ongoing evolution. He will also highlight current research and discuss how storms and sea level rise are changing the coast today and what to expect into the future. Dr. Borrelli is the Director of the Coastal Processes and Ecosystem Laboratory (CaPELab).

On October 8, join Elizabeth James-Perry for a discussion on the “Intersection Between a Healthy Environment, Traditional Ecological Knowledge, and Art.” James-Perry is wampum jewelry designer who is enrolled with the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head-Aquinnah on Martha’s Vineyard. The artist holds a degree in Marine Science that complements her knowledge of Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK). Her practice includes sustainable naturally dyed Native textiles, Bear Maps, along with Garden and Shellscape Installations that are restorative to the post-colonized Native spirit.

Bill Burke, Historian for Cape Cod National Seashore for the past 30 years, will share “Promises of the Park: The Genesis, Philosophy, Plans, and Compromises of the National Seashore” on October 15. In the depths of the Great Depression, the National Park Service first floated the concept of a national seashore for the wild, undeveloped lands of Cape Cod’s “Great Beach.” This presentation by Burke includes the philosophy behind new parks, the master plan for the Seashore, growing pains, big compromises, lingering controversies, successes and failures, and what the future might hold.

The series concludes on October 22 with the presentation “40 Years Behind the Mast: The Ever-Changing Nature of Cape Cod” by Bob Prescott, Sanctuary Director Emeritus at Mass Audubon’s Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary. Prescott will reflect on the changes in wildlife—sea turtles, horseshoe crabs, diamondback terrapins, and more—that he experienced during his 40-year career which are representative of the ecological changes on the Outer Cape as a whole and largely influenced by the National Seashore. He will also look ahead at current and future environmental projects—such as salt marsh and grassland habitat restoration—and species that still need our help.

All presentations in the Friends of Cape Cod National Seashore’s 35^th Anniversary Speaker Series Sustaining Cape Cod are FREE and open to the public. Each begin at 1:00 PM and will be held at Salt Pond Visitor Center in Eastham located at 50 Nauset Road, Eastham, MA. For more details on the speakers and Friends of Cape Cod National Seashore (FCCNS), visit www.fccns.org.