<html xmlns:v="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:vml" xmlns:o="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" xmlns:w="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:word" xmlns:m="http://schemas.microsoft.com/office/2004/12/omml" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40">
<head>
<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=us-ascii">
<meta name="Generator" content="Microsoft Word 12 (filtered medium)">
<style><!--
/* Font Definitions */
@font-face
{font-family:"Cambria Math";
panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4;}
@font-face
{font-family:Calibri;
panose-1:2 15 5 2 2 2 4 3 2 4;}
/* Style Definitions */
p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal
{margin:0in;
margin-bottom:.0001pt;
font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";}
a:link, span.MsoHyperlink
{mso-style-priority:99;
color:blue;
text-decoration:underline;}
a:visited, span.MsoHyperlinkFollowed
{mso-style-priority:99;
color:purple;
text-decoration:underline;}
span.EmailStyle17
{mso-style-type:personal;
font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
color:windowtext;}
span.EmailStyle18
{mso-style-type:personal-reply;
font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
color:#1F497D;}
.MsoChpDefault
{mso-style-type:export-only;
font-size:10.0pt;}
@page WordSection1
{size:8.5in 11.0in;
margin:1.0in 1.0in 1.0in 1.0in;}
div.WordSection1
{page:WordSection1;}
--></style><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:shapedefaults v:ext="edit" spidmax="1026" />
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:shapelayout v:ext="edit">
<o:idmap v:ext="edit" data="1" />
</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]-->
</head>
<body lang="EN-US" link="blue" vlink="purple">
<div class="WordSection1">
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><b><span style="font-size:14.0pt;color:black">Mass Audubon’s Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary</span></b><span style="font-size:14.0pt;color:black">
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><span style="font-size:14.0pt;color:black">invites
</span><span style="font-size:14.0pt;color:black">you a <b>FREE</b> talk at the <b>
Chatham Community Center </b></span><i><span style="font-size:12.0pt;color:black">(<a href="http://goo.gl/maps/MXj6O">http://goo.gl/maps/MXj6O</a>)<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><span style="color:#1F497D"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><b><span style="font-size:14.0pt;color:black">Saturday, December 1, 2 – 3 p.m.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><strong><span style="font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"">Sea Duck Predation on Mussel Farms: Responding to Escalating Conflict<o:p></o:p></span></strong></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><strong><i><span style="font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";font-weight:normal">Samantha Richman, PhD, University of Rhode Island</span></i></strong><b><i><span style="font-size:14.0pt;color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></i></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><span style="color:black"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center">Mussels are a principle prey item for sea ducks, like Common Eider and Scoters, which take advantage of mussel farms that provide a highly abundant and easily accessible food source. Mussel growers
have adopted several scare tactics to deter the sea ducks, yet even so, their methods have not been very successful. Samantha Richman, a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Department of Natural Resources Science at the University of Rhode Island, has been working
for two years to develop conservation-friendly and cost-effective methods to reduce sea duck predation on mussel aquaculture. Dr. Richman will share the story of the sea ducks and mussels, along with her research, in this illustrated presentation.
<br>
<br>
Mass Audubon/Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary has a new project studying the interactions between mussels and birds in Chatham as the town struggles with eider depredation of the valuable wild mussel beds. "This summer we mapped the existing mussel beds and
the locations of feeding American oystercatchers and red knots," says science coordinator Mark Faherty."Now we hope to field some volunteers in the Chatham area who will observe and note the feeding locations of the eiders as their numbers build into the winter.
We'll provide training and even lend a scope if necessary." Our goal is to get a complete picture of all the pressures on the resource.<br>
<br>
If you'd like to become part of this new citizen science project, please email or call volunteer coordinator Diane Silverstein at dsilverstein@massaudubon.org.<br>
<br>
Samantha Richman is a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Department of Natural Resources Science at the University of Rhode Island. She obtained both her Master's and Ph.D. from the University of Wyoming where she began her research on the feeding behavior and diving
physiology of waterfowl, specifically Lesser Scaup, White-winged Scoters, Common and Spectacled Eider. Her research then led her to Quebec where she worked at a Fisheries and Oceans Canada Marine Lab (equivalent to our NOAA) on developing conservation-friendly
and cost-effective methods to reduce sea duck predation on mussel aquaculture for two years before returning to the US and is now at URI where she is expanding her research to include Arctic geese.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><span style="color:#1F497D"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><span style="color:black">No registration is required, but you may call to reserve a space in advance: 508.349.2615. Our N</span>ovember/ December program brochure can be viewed here:
<a href="http://www.massaudubon.org/PDF/newsletters/Wellfleet_Bay_233.pdf">http://www.massaudubon.org/PDF/newsletters/Wellfleet_Bay_233.pdf</a><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center">Please let me know if you have any questions, or suggestions about future programs. I hope to see you at the sanctuary soon!<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Best wishes,<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Amy<span style="color:#1F497D"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Amy Fleischer, Education Director/ Public Programs Coordinator
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Mass Audubon's Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">PO Box 236, South Wellfleet, MA 02663<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""><a href="mailto:afleischer@massaudubon.org">afleischer@massaudubon.org</a><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">508-349-2615, ext 114</span>
<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Office Schedule: Tuesday - Saturday, 8:30 a.m. - 5 p.m.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Protecting the Nature of Massachusetts</span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">
<br>
</span><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""><a href="http://www.massaudubon.org/wellfleetbay">www.massaudubon.org/wellfleetbay</a></span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
</div>
</body>
</html>