In an overlook at the head of the stairway leading down to Sand Beach, a wayside exhibit entitled "Secrets of the Sand" features an informational panel angled atop a rectangular stone base.
The exhibit's title appears over a blue sky dotted with white clouds. Crouching in the wet sand, two boys explore the beach. Behind them, a few people wade in the shallows.
Text reads: "Discover a complex mix of marine life - and former lives - revealed in each handful of sand. As much as 70 percent of the sand consists of broken shells of mussels, sea urchins, barnacles, and periwinkles - signs of an unusual abundance of calcareous organisms in such a cold climate. Crushed by waves and changing tides, the bits of shells beneath your feet create a kaleidoscope of colors."
A quote: "The sand beneath your toes is alive. The miniature neighborhood of spaces among individual sand grains is populated by tiny creatures." - Catherine Schmitt, "A Coastal Companion: A Year in the Gulf of Maine, from Cape Cod to Canada."
Text reads: "Scoop up a handful of sand and search for these signs of sea life."
A photograph shows a magnified pile of sand containing evidence of sea life - a barnacle, periwinkle, sea urchin, and mussel.
More photographs profile life on the beach:
-A Herring gull spreading its wings.
-A spherical sea urchin skeleton.
-A clump of green seaweed called Bladderwrack.
-A flat, round sand dollar.
