Wednesday, April 22, 2015

Earth Day Event at MBL in Woods Hole

Looking for something to do with the kids today? Visit the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole for the following Earth Day event - a new documentary titled, "The Penguin Counters".

It takes place at the Lily Auditorium in Woods Hole at 10 this morning.


Earth Day 2015

Celebrate Earth Day 2015


Earth Day logo, 1972

See the following links for what you can do on Earth Day to help our planet. Every bit helps.


Have you noticed our signs around town? Without your help, we can't continue to conserve and maintain properties in our beautiful town of Sandwich.



Sunday, April 19, 2015

Birding in the Base

The Massachusetts Army National Guard’s Natural Resource Program is hosting grassland bird tours in May and June 2015 on Camp Edwards. This is an unusual opportunity for avid birders, naturalists and photographers to walk through the Camp Edwards grasslands on a guide-lead tour.

There are several hundred acres of grassland managed on Camp Edwards at Joint Base Cape Cod. This thriving habitat, a rarity in the rest of Massachusetts, is home to a variety of grassland bird species including four state-listed species: Upland Sandpiper, Northern Harrier, Grasshopper Sparrow and the Vesper Sparrow.

 


Other bird species you may encounter are the Clay Colored Sparrow, Northern Bobwhite, Meadowlark, and many Bluebirds. Additional information on the grassland habitat is available at www.E&RC.org.
                                                                                                                                                    
Each tour will cover approximately 137 acres of this rare and endangered habitat and will last around two hours. Attendees should bring sunscreen, tick protection, and water. Don’t forget your binoculars and camera. Photography is encouraged.

Tour Dates and Registration Information:
Each tour is limited to 25 people and spots will be filled on a first come, first served basis. Tour dates and times are:

Saturday, May 30, from 6 a.m. to 8 a.m.; registration deadline is Thursday, May 21


Saturday, June 13, from 6 a.m. to 8 a.m.; registration deadline is Friday, June 5


Children over 10 years of age are welcome on the tour.

To register for a tour, please send an email to emily.d.kelly2.nfg@mail.mil, with your name, telephone number, and which tour date you would like. A confirmation email will be sent with further information including directions, base access, meeting place and parking.

Accessing Camp Edwards on Joint Base Cape Cod:

Please remember, Camp Edwards is a restricted access facility and attendees must be registered to access the base.  All attendees will be asked to provide their full names, driver’s license number and date of birth to complete the registration process.

Research at the Reserve Coffee House Series


Waquoit Bay Reserve Visitor Center
131 Waquiot Highyway, Waquiot (E. Falmouth)

Thursday, April 23
7:00-8:30 PM

What's Happening with Contaminants of Emerging Concern in our Coastal Waters?


The Center for Coastal Studies, in collaboration with several other organizations, including Waquoit Bay Reserve, has documented the presence of contaminants of emerging concern (from sources including pharmaceuticals and personal care products) in our coastal waters. In 2014, the Center expanded this work to include research on accumulation of these contaminants in living organisms. What is their
impact on the environment and humans?

Dr. Amy Costa is a Research Scientist at the Center for Coastal Studies. Her work focuses on the quality and overall health of marine and coastal ecosystems through the integration of chemical, physical and biological studies.

There is no charge for the series, table seating is limited and available on a first-come, first-serve basis.

For additional information
please contact Joan Muller at joan.muller@state.ma.us or visit our website at www.waquoitbayreserve.org.

Sunday, April 12, 2015

Today's the Day ...

It's a sunny day in the neighborhood.  Why not join the SCT on a hike in the Maple Swamp?

Hope to see you at 2 o'clock at the Maple Swamp Conservation Lands (between exits 3 and 4) on the Service Rd.



Thursday, April 9, 2015

Take A Hike - Early Spring in the Maple Swamp


By John Nye Cullity


The Sandwich Conservation Trust is pleased to continue with our monthly guided walks, now that the snow is gone. Next Sunday’s hike will be held at 2 P.M., in the town-owned Maple Swamp Conservation Lands, off Service Road, about halfway between Rt. 6 Exits 3 and 4. 
           
For anyone who has not visited this 770 acre preserve, this walk will serve as a good introduction. This area is a place of wonderfully dramatic topography – the hills and hollows of the glacial moraine. In the early days of Sandwich settlement, this uneven land was divided into 20 to 40 acre woodlots, providing timber and fuel for the coastal farms. For much of the 20th century, these woods were abandoned, a real wilderness.  Preservation began in 1966, when the town purchased several of the woodlots from the East Sandwich Friends Meeting – the Quakers, and we’ve been adding to it ever since.
           
At this time of year, the shape of the land can be better seen through the leafless woods. Perhaps we can glimpse the Maple Swamp itself – several acres of wetland in the bottom of a huge hollow. The walk is free of charge. It will last about an hour-and-a-half, and is fairly strenuous, with loose stones and roots to watch out for. The walk will be canceled if it rains.
           
The Sandwich Conservation Trust is a nonprofit organization, founded in 1985, and is dedicated to the preservation of undeveloped land in Sandwich. Our website is www.sandwichconservation trust.org.  We are also on Facebook and have an e-newsletter, through which notices of our walks and meetings are given. If you have questions, feel free to call me at (508) 888-7629.



The photo shows power lines which pass through the Maple Swamp
Conservation Lands present an interesting, shorn view of the glacial moraine.
This view was taken in 1968.

John Nye Cullity photo