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<P align=center><IMG alt="The Wrack Line - Wefleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary's eNewsletter" src="http://web.massaudubon.org/images/content/pagebuilder/11438.gif" align=middle border=0 /></P></TD></TR>
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<TD><FONT style="COLOR: #006633; FONT-FAMILY: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" color=#006633 size=1><STRONG>UPCOMING PROGRAMS</STRONG></FONT></TD></TR>
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<TD><FONT style="PADDING-BOTTOM: 5px; PADDING-TOP: 15px; FONT-FAMILY: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size=1>FAMILY & CHILDREN</FONT></TD></TR>
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<P><STRONG>After School Nature Club</STRONG> will begin the fourth session on February 26.</P>
<P><STRONG>February Vacation Adventures! (see story below) </STRONG>February 18-22</P></TD></TR>
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<P><FONT style="PADDING-BOTTOM: 5px; PADDING-TOP: 15px; FONT-FAMILY: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size=1>ADULTS</FONT></P></TD></TR>
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<P><STRONG>Seabird Watch<BR /></STRONG>February 8, 10-11:30 AM</P>
<P><STRONG>Birding the Winter Beach<BR /></STRONG>February 23, 10 AM to noon</P>
<P><STRONG>The Secret Life of Skunks<BR /></STRONG>February 23, 2 PM</P>
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<P><STRONG><A href="http://web.massaudubon.org/site/R?i=sCUG60Crte15K4Lj4Qo2qw..">Search all programs >></A></STRONG></P></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR>
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<P><FONT style="COLOR: #006633; FONT-FAMILY: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" color=#006633 size=1><STRONG>VOLUNTEERS</STRONG></FONT></P></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
<P><STRONG>Citizen Science<BR /></STRONG>We will soon be scheduling trainings for a number of research projects this spring: horseshoe crab census and tagging, oyster reef project, monitoring ospreys, coastal waterbirds, and diamondback terrapins. Lots of interesting volunteer opportunities! </P>
<P><STRONG>Exhibit Hall and Front Desk </STRONG>Help our visitors have a great experience at Wellfleet Bay! Volunteers needed to greet our visitors, help at the gift shop, and serve as Exhibit Docents. </P>
<P><STRONG>Volunteer Science Conference<BR /></STRONG>February 27 9:30 AM to noon <BR />Open to current and prospective volunteers. This is an opportunity to learn about some of the volunteer field work done at Wellfleet Bay. Presentations on the lichen trail, odes surveys, diamondback terrapins, and the nest box program.<BR /><BR />Interested in any of the above? Click <A title="cfranklin@massaudubon.org" href="mailto:cfranklin@massaudubon.org">here</A> to send a message to the volunteer coordinator.</P></TD></TR>
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<P><FONT style="COLOR: #006633; FONT-FAMILY: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" color=#006633 size=1><STRONG>DON'T FORGET!</STRONG></FONT></P></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
<P><STRONG>Cape Cod Summer Field Schools</STRONG> offers a wide variety of field courses for adults, focusing on the unique coastal environment and wildlife of Cape Cod. The <A title="Cape Cod Field Schools" href="http://web.massaudubon.org/site/R?i=-zFXvsbum9hhqVCweMYhpQ..">2008 brochure</A> and registration form is now available on our website. </P></TD></TR>
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<TD align=left><FONT style="COLOR: #006633; FONT-FAMILY: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" color=#006633 size=1><STRONG>ETCETERA...</STRONG></FONT></TD></TR>
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<P><STRONG><BR />HOUSING NEEDED!</STRONG></P></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>for spring and summer interns April - August. If you have, or know of, space available please call the sanctuary at <BR />508-349-2615 or email <A title="cfranklin@massaudubon.org" href="mailto:cfranklin@massaudubon.org">Cynthia Franklin</A></TD></TR>
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<TD align=left><FONT style="COLOR: #006633; FONT-FAMILY: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" color=#006633 size=1><STRONG>MEMBERSHIP</STRONG></FONT></TD></TR>
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<P><BR />Join Mass Audubon this year, support New England's largest conservation organization, and get free admission to 45 wildlife sanctuaries across the state. Just click <A title="membership info" href="http://web.massaudubon.org/site/R?i=aToRDkZy9BlVjowevres1w.." target=_blank>here</A>.</P></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD><!-- CENTER DIVIDER BELOW
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<TD bgColor=#ffffff><SPAN class=headline>The Wrack Line</SPAN></TD>
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<P align=right><STRONG>February 2008</STRONG></P></TD></TR>
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<P>Welcome to this winter edition of The Wrack Line, Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary's free monthly newsletter. If you do not want to receive this newsletter please click <A href="http://web.massaudubon.org/site/CO?i=gqFmI9Ux2QTydvZBnX1ukOUfndlgmQm6&cid=1361">here</A>. If you need to change your email address please send us an <A title="E-mail abermudez@massaudubon.org" href="mailto:abermudez@massaudubon.org">email message </A>with your updated contact information.<FONT face="" size=3></P></FONT><FONT style="COLOR: #1f497d" face="" color=#1f497d size=3></FONT>
<P><SPAN class=headline>The Secret Life of Skunks<BR /></SPAN>The striped skunk is a common mammal in New England, including here on Cape Cod. With its bold black and white<IMG height=189 alt="striped skunk" src="http://web.massaudubon.org/images/content/pagebuilder/12396.jpg" width=151 align=right border=0 /> patterning, bushy tail and wobbly gait, the skunk is easily the most distictive member of the weasel family. Skunks are not true hibernators, but settle into communal underground dens to sleep through severe weather. Breeding season begins in February and the young are born between late April and early June.<BR /><BR />Luanne Johnson will be at the sanctuary on <STRONG>February 23 at 2PM to </STRONG>talk about "T<A title="skunk program" href="http://web.massaudubon.org/site/R?i=bPE6qrGdH8DHrpXI6hN6GQ.." target=_blank>he Secret Life of Skunks</A>". Her doctoral research focuses on the behavioral and population dynamics of skunks inhabiting coastal waterbird nesting sites. More information on her research and the Coastal Skunk Ecology Research Project is available <A title="Luanne Johnson, Antioch Coastal Skunk Ecology Research Project" href="http://web.massaudubon.org/site/R?i=3WKY5N8bNiSl6w-6xWfUvA.." target=_blank>here</A>.</P>
<P><SPAN class=headline>Volunteers Needed for spring field work!</SPAN> <BR /><STRONG><FONT style="FONT-SIZE: 120%" face="" size=3>Piping plovers</FONT> </STRONG>return to their breeding grounds in late March or early April. Their nests are small depressions in the sand on the high beach, where the plovers lay four eggs which hatch in <IMG height=137 alt="piping plover" src="http://web.massaudubon.org/images/content/pagebuilder/12401.jpg" width=148 align=right border=0 />about 25 days. Both the eggs and young are so well camouflaged that they are apt to go undetected unless stepped on.</P>
<P>Here at Wellfleet Bay we monitor and protect the plovers on beaches from Harwich to Truro with the help of interns and an amazing corps of volunteers. More volunteers are needed for this season - particularly in Harwich and Chatham - and training sessions will be scheduled for mid-March. The <A title="Coastal Waterbirds" href="http://web.massaudubon.org/site/R?i=T4oqVp8k7zREW6yzOAFIqw.." target=_blank>Coastal Waterbird newsletter </A>has more information, and quotes from Wellfleet Bay volunteers talking about their experiences.</P>
<P>Mary Hake, of the Cape Cod National Seashore, will be here on <STRONG>March 5 at 10 AM </STRONG>to talk about piping plovers and the Seashore's monitoring program. This is an excellent opportunity to learn more about these endangered birds. Free to those interested in volunteering.</P>
<P><STRONG><FONT style="FONT-SIZE: 120%" face="" size=3>Horseshoe crabs</FONT></STRONG> are another species of concern here at Wellfleet Bay. Harvesting for bait and medical uses has led to their decline on Cape Cod and elsewhere. During their spawning season, from May to July, we will census and tag adult horseshoe crabs on beaches around Wellfleet Harbor. We'll also be counting and measuring juvenile horseshoe crabs. We can use lots of help! </P>
<P>Join Bob Prescott on <STRONG>February 29 at 1 PM </STRONG>for a presentation on horseshoe crabs and learn more about these creatures that have been around for over 400 million years! Again, this is a free event to those interested in volunteering.</P>
<P>Please call 508-349-2615 or email <A title="cfranklin@massaudubon.org" href="mailto:cfranklin@massaudubon.org">Cynthia Franklin</A>, Volunteer Coordinator, if you are interested in volunteering and would like to attend either of these programs.<BR /></P>
<P><STRONG><FONT face="" size=3>The 13th Annual <BR />Cape Cod Natural History Conference</FONT><BR />Highlights Current Environmental Research Projects</STRONG></P>
<P>Is a tiny, native crab responsible for the decline of salt marshes on Cape Cod? How does human activity affect shorebirds on South Beach in Chatham? Will salt marsh restoration projects affect the population of four-toed salamanders? Do wind turbines pose a threat to bats on Cape Cod? </P>
<P>Questions like these will be explored at the 13th Annual Cape Cod Natural History Conference on Saturday, <STRONG>March 8, 2008 </STRONG>from 9 AM to 4 PM. The conference will be held at the Cape Cod Community College in West Barnstable, Massachusetts, and is<BR />sponsored by the Mass Audubon’s Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary and the Environmental Technology Program at Cape Cod Community College.<BR /> <BR />Now in its thirteenth year, the conference allows environmental organizations to learn about each other’s research and to exchange ideas. At the same time, it is an opportunity for the public to learn first hand about some compelling subjects relating to Cape Cod’s ecology, natural history, and conservation. The cost to attend is $20 for advance registration, or $25 walk-in fee. Advance registration is highly encouraged. <BR /><BR />To learn more about the conference or to receive a brochure and registration form, contact the Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary at 508-349-2615 or visit “<A title="Natural History Conference" href="http://web.massaudubon.org/site/R?i=INpWGNxDj-xjOqHU2fQUFw.." target=_blank>Special Events</A>” at the sanctuary’s website. </P>
<P><FONT style="FONT-SIZE: 120%" face="" size=3><STRONG>Sea Turtle Wrap-up</STRONG><BR /></FONT>The 2007 sea turtle stranding season was shorter than usual, and we had the lowest number of stranded turtles in years. Temperatures remained relatively warm late into November, and then the sharp cold spell in early December made it difficult for any turtles to <IMG height=133 alt="beached ridley" src="http://web.massaudubon.org/images/content/pagebuilder/12280.jpg" width=160 align=right border=0 />survive. Thirty-nine turtles were found on beaches from Dennis to Truro. Sixteen - 13 ridleys and 3 greens - are now at the New England Aquarium and are being cared for until they can be released this summer. For more information on our stranded, cold-stunned turtle program and specifics on the 2007 season click <A title="sea turtles" href="http://web.massaudubon.org/site/R?i=c_zBF2SO3f0V4vqESkvsUA.." target=_blank>here</A>.</P>
<P><FONT style="FONT-SIZE: 120%" face="" size=3><STRONG>February Vacation Adventures<BR /></STRONG></FONT>Come to camp in the winter! Join a naturalist and other kids (age 4 and up) for a morning or afternoon of exploration, discovery, and fun. We'll search for coyote tracks, check out owl pellets, walk a <IMG height=130 alt="winter beach" src="http://web.massaudubon.org/images/content/pagebuilder/12400.jpg" width=149 align=right border=0 /> winter beach, make crafts to take home, and have lots of fun with some new friends. Sign up daily or for the whole week. Click <A title="February Vacation Adventures" href="http://web.massaudubon.org/site/R?i=wDQ56LcFvOh7zuP4fcqy4g..">here</A> for more information.</P>
<P>Check out our family programs in the afternoons- beachcomb, examine owl wings, discover your creative side by drawing and painting, or look for tracks along the trail. Please call or check our <A title="Afternoon Family Fun" href="http://web.massaudubon.org/site/R?i=klLPQxA2VM8PGuXyWllxjg..">web site</A> for more information. </P>
<P><STRONG><FONT style="FONT-SIZE: 120%" face="" size=3>Summer Day Camp<BR /></FONT></STRONG>Registration has begun for our summer Natural History Day Camp. To download the 2008 brochure and registration form <A title="Summer Day Camp" href="http://web.massaudubon.org/site/R?i=E1PUEZwxic18fq3VgViv-Q.." target=_blank>click here</A>. </P>
<P><BR /><STRONG><FONT style="FONT-SIZE: 120%" face="" size=3>Wellfleet Bay Blog<BR /></FONT></STRONG>Want to know what we're up to here at the sanctuary? Check out our <A title="Wellfleet Bay blog" href="http://web.massaudubon.org/site/R?i=c1UStj6vc-77EeqwudyDZg.." target=_blank>blog</A> and keep in touch with what's going on. We will be updating the blog several times a week and invite your comments and input. </P></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
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<IMG alt="Mass Audubon" src="http://web.massaudubon.org/images/content/pagebuilder/10251.gif" align=right border=0 /><STRONG><A href="http://web.massaudubon.org/site/R?i=Kn2Ogi8nf9m1C9bLHAj4Bg..">Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary</A><BR /></STRONG>Mass Audubon<BR />291 State Highway, Route 6<BR />P.O. Box 236<BR />South Wellfleet, MA 02663<BR />508-349-2615<BR /><A title="E-mail wellfleet@massaudubon.org" href="mailto:wellfleet@massaudubon.org">wellfleet@massaudubon.org</A>
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