Fulfilling the Mission - Images from the First 50 Years on Exhibit at Salt Pond Visitor Center

Date: June 13, 2011
Contact: Jody Anastasio, North District Ranger, 508-487-2100 ext 0920

During the months of July and August 2011 an exhibition featuring historic and modern images of Cape Cod National Seashore staff will be on display at Salt Pond Visitor Center in Eastham. The exhibition is one of several throughout 2011 that will commemorate Cape Cod National Seashore's 50th anniversary. On August 7, 1961 President Kennedy signed legislation establishing the national seashore. Several celebratory events are planned for the year.

Thanks to the foresight of photographers and hard work of archivists, the story of the first 50 years of Cape Cod National Seashore can be told through images.This exhibit will feature moments that capture the ongoing mission of this unit of the National Park Service – "to preserve the nationally significant and special cultural and natural features, distinctive patterns of human activity, and ambience that characterize the Outer Cape." (General Management Plan, 1998)Highlights include early uniforms, rangers on horseback, and "then and now" photos of staff who have been with the national seashore since its beginnings.Most of the images also appear in the Images of America book, Cape Cod National Seashore: The First 50 Years, by Daniel Lombardo.This book is available for purchase at the National Seashore visitor centers' Eastern National bookstores, or from other local booksellers.

Other exhibitions in the series will include an overview of scientific research conducted at the National Seashore over the past 50 years; national seashore-inspired quilts; Modern architecture; and art and literature inspired by the beauty of the National Seashore.

If you go: Salt Pond Visitor Center is located at the intersection of Route 6 and Nauset Road in Eastham and is open daily from 9:00 AM to 5 PM.The center includes a lobby with expansive views of Salt Pond, Nauset Marsh, and the Atlantic; a museum featuring the park's natural and cultural stories; staff to assist with trip planning, and a store with books, maps, puzzles, games, t-shirts, and 50th anniversary commemorative items. There are short films shown throughout the day. The Buttonbush and Nauset Marsh Trails, and the Nauset Bike Trail are located nearby. For more information on Cape Cod National Seashore programs call 508-255-3421, or check the park's website, www.nps.gov/caco.

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