[SEMCO] Upcoming Mass Audubon Lectures take you Offshore

[Melissa Lowe]

Head "off-shore" with two lectures sponsored by Mass Audubon's Wellfleet Bay
Wildlife Sanctuary.

TAGGING ALONG WITH LEATHERBACKS
Kara Dodge, UNH PhD candidate
Wed, August 9, 7:30 p.m.

Leatherback sea turtles (Dermochelys coriacea) spend most of their lives at
sea, making them difficult to study outside of their nesting beaches. Cape
Cod waters offer a unique seasonal opportunity to access and study these
elusive turtles as leatherbacks often venture close to shore in this area.
Over the next 3 years, Kara Dodge plans to investigate leatherback turtle
movements and dive behavior in New England coastal and shelf waters through
satellite telemetry. This information will further our understanding of
leatherback habitat preference in the North Atlantic and ultimately help
anticipate and mitigate
human-related threats within their preferred habitats. In this lecture Kara
will discuss leatherback natural history and biology, threats to their
conservation, and information on her research.

SEA FROM ABOVE: AERIAL PHOTOS OF MARINE LIFE
Tim Voorheis, Gulf of Maine Productions
Wed, August 16, 7:30 p.m.

Tim Voorheis, research pilot, spends the summer in a plane high above the
Gulf of Maine and the waters surrounding Cape Cod. In the course of his job
he has taken thousands of photographs of many species of baleen whales,
dolphins, sharks, tuna, baitfish and more. His unique images, dramatic and
beautifully composed, provide a different perspective on marine life and the
off-shore environment. One of his current projects is working with Greg
Skomal of Division of Marine Fisheries tagging basking sharks. In this
lecture Tim will share his phenomenal images and stories of his adventures.
For more information about his work check out www.gulfofmaineproductions.com

Both lectures are held at Mass Audubon's Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary in
South Wellfleet and start at 7:30 p.m. Pre-registration is not required, but
seating is on a first come, first served basis. Cost of the lectures is $4
for Mass Audubon members and $5 for non-members. For additional information
call 508-349-2615 or email Melissa Lowe at mlowe at massaudubon.org

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Melissa Lowe
Education Coordinator

Massachusetts Audubon Society
Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary
PO Box 236, South Wellfleet, MA 02663
508-349-2615 (phone), 508-349-2632 (fax)
mlowe at massaudubon.org

"Protecting the Nature of Massachusetts"
www.massaudubon.org/wellfleetbay