[SEMCO] Wildlife of Wellfleet Harbor course offered

[Melissa Lowe]

WILDLIFE OF WELLFLEET HARBOR
Adult Field School on Cape Cod

Offered by Mass Audubon’s Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary
July 13–July 16, 2005

ABOUT THE COURSE: This course will explore the diverse wildlife found in the
waterways and uplands that comprise Wellfleet Harbor and its surrounding
environments. The area’s sandy beaches, expansive tidal flats, salt marshes,
kettle ponds, woodlands, and the Harbor itself support a rich array of
species including diamondback terrapins, piping plovers, herring, and, of
course, oysters! We will learn about wildlife species identification and
biology, uncover how they interact with their habitat, discuss their
relationships to humans and associated issues, and learn first-hand about
the research projects underway to understand the rich biology of the area.
Activities will include fish seining, digging for shellfish, birding, an
evening marine life cruise into Cape Cod Bay, and a canoe trip on the
Wellfleet ponds which are the headwaters of the harbor.

ABOUT THE INSTRUCTORS:  Bob Prescott is the Director of the Massachusetts
Audubon Society´s Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary on Cape Cod, where he is
actively involved in coastal issues and research. He has a degree in
Wildlife Biology from the University of Massachusetts and has studied such
diverse topics as whale strandings, harbor seal distribution around Cape
Cod, and, most recently, the home ranges of box turtles. Bob is also
Massachusetts’s coordinator for the Northeast Sea Turtle Stranding Network.
His particular interests include seabirds and coastal ecosystems.

Robert Buchsbaum is Mass Audubon's Conservation Scientist in the southeast
and islands region and has been a staff scientist since 1987. He has been
involved in studies of long-term changes in salt marshes and estuaries, the
decline of sea grasses, restoration of coastal wetlands, and the influence
of land-use patterns near wetlands on wildlife and water quality. He works
closely with Mass Audubon’s Advocacy Department to ensure that there is a
scientific basis for its positions on a variety of environmental issues.

Dennis Murley has been a naturalist with the Massachusetts Audubon’s
Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary for 20 years leading canoe and kayak trips
and other natural history programs. He attended the University of
Massachusetts in Amherst, concentrating in Botany. He serves as Chairman on
the Eastham Conservation Commission. A native Cape Codder, Dennis shares his
natural history knowledge, familiarity with the Cape, and infectious sense
of humor on the programs he leads.

ADDITIONAL DETAILS: Cost for the course is $225 for members of Mass Audubon
and $255 for non-members, which includes instruction, boat and field trips,
and one group dinner. Participants may need to provide their own
transportation to and from study sites. Housing is available for an
additional fee of $130.

For more information about this course, the sanctuary, and other Field
Schools please check out our website at
www.massaudubon.org/wellfleetbay/fieldschools  or call 508-349-2615.


***************************************
Melissa Lowe
Education Coordinator
Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary
PO Box 236, South Wellfleet, MA 02663
508-349-2615 or mlowe at massaudubon.org
www.massaudubon.org/wellfleetbay