[SEMCO] Summer Lecture Series Wednesday Evenings at Long Pasture Wildlife Sanctuary

[Long Pasture]

Long Pasture Wildlife Sanctuary Presents: 
Marine Mythbusters Summer Lecture Series

June 23rd at 7:30 pm: Gray Seals: Smile and Say

Fish

July 7th at 7:30 pm: Gentle Giants - The Basking

July 7th at 7:30 pm:  Gentle Giants - 
The Basking Shark and the Ocean Sunfish
Shark and the Ocean Sunfish

Krill needs you! Join Carol "Krill" Carson for a presentation on


how you can help save the basking shark and the ocean sunfish

through your participation in the New England Basking Shark Project

(NEBShark).. The basking shark is one of the largest fish in the world,

second only in size to the whale shark. Although giants in size -

reaching lengths of 38 feet and weighing up to 8,500 pounds - basking

sharks feed on zooplankton, tiny organisms that drift in the ocean.

The ocean sunfish is classified as the heaviest bony fish, but is has

bones that are more similar to the cartilaginous bones of a shark.

These two ocean wanderers migrate north each year to feed off New

England.

July 14th at 7:30 pm: Horseshoe Crab Biology (includes

July 14th at 7:30 pm: Horseshoe Crab Biology 
(includes tidal flat walk)

tidal flat walk)

Envision life through the ten eyes of a horseshoe crab, as Professor

Dan Gibson of WPI brings living specimens and his lively sense of

humor to Long Pasture. Dr. Gibson will share his intimate and vast

knowledge of these long-lived creatures and reveal mysteries from

mating, molting and migrating to medical uses. He will also highlight

modern threats to these living fossils and lead us on a walk in search

of Horseshoe Crabs feeding on Cape Cod shores.

July 21st at 7:30 pm: It's Not Easy Being a Herring:

July 21st at 7:30 pm: It's Not Easy Being a Herring: 
The Challenges Facing Anadromous Fish

The Challenges Facing Anadromous Fish

Many species of anadromous fish on Cape Cod and throughout the

Northeast (e.g., river herring, Atlantic salmon, etc.) are experiencing

drastic declines in abundance while others, such as Striped Bass, have

experienced population recoveries. NOAA's National Marine Fisheries

Service monitors the abundance and survival of these fish populations

at different life. Marine Biologist Mark Renkawitz explores the

challenges facing these amazing fish, from predators, to poor water

quality to obstacles in passage. New insights into their ecology offer
hope for future recovery.

July 28th at 7:30 pm:  The Turtle Whisperer

July 28th at 7:30 pm: The Turtle Whisperer

Turtles and tortoises have existed relatively unchanged for nearly for

over 215 million years, yet the world's 300 species of chelonians are

arguably the most endangered vertebrates on earth! Long Pasture

Director and Herpetologist Ian Ives will focus on the turtles of Cape

Cod (with living examples) such as the rare Diamondback Terrapin, the

domed Box Turtle and the prehistoric looking Snapping Turtle. He will

also discuss the diverse and threatened turtles of Asia, where virtually
all

species are heavily harvested for food and traditional medicinal trades,

and highlight the conservation actions being taken to save the world's

turtles!

August 4th at 4:30 pm (note time difference):

August 4th at 4:30 pm (note time difference): 
Tracking Great White Sharks off Cape Cod

Tracking Great White Sharks off Cape Cod

In early September 2009, more than a dozen white sharks ranging in

length from 2.5-6.0m were sighted in close proximity to the gray seal

colony on Monomoy Island in Chatham. This event sparked international

media attention and resulted in the closure of beaches. Shark researcher

and author, Dr. Greg Skomal, tagged five of these sharks with pop-up
satellite

archival transmitting tags in order to examine site fidelity, seasonal

movements, and habitat use. In this presentation, he will explore the

implications of increasing seal populations in this region and present
the

first results of PSAT tagging efforts in the North Atlantic.

August 11th at 7:30 pm: "They Came While We Slept:

August 11th at 7:30 pm: "They Came While We Slept:  
The Secret Lives of Coastal Striped Skunks"

he Secret Lives of Coastal Striped Skunks"

Wildlife Biologist, Luanne Johnson, studied striped skunks on the

beaches of Martha's Vineyard for her doctoral research. In this talk she

will tell us about the diet, behavior, and activities of skunks at the
beach

and how you can help to limit their impacts on beach-nesting birds.



August 18th at 7:30 pm: A Hike to George's Bank

August 18th at 7:30 pm: A Hike to George's Bank

No, we won't actually be hiking or snorkeling to this famous fishing

ground off the coast of New England. Join Robert Buchsbaum, Mass

Audubon's Conservation Scientist for the Southeast, Cape, and Islands

for an imaginary journey through the underwater habitats of the

New England coast. As we travel from the coast out to sea, we will

explore the geology of the area and learn how it was sculptured by the

glaciers. We will see a number of different underwater habitats from

shallow seagrass beds to deep basins and meet their resident fish and 
invertebrates.

 

All lectures $6 for members, $8 for non-members

345 Bone Hill Road, Cummaquid

For information, call 508-362-7475

 

Jodie Limon Montoya

Education Coordinator

Ashumet, Long Pasture, and Skunknett River Wildlife Sanctuaries

345 Bone Hill Rd.

P.O. Box 235

Cummaquid, MA   02637

Tel: 508-362-7475

E-mail jmontoya at massaudubon.org <mailto:jmontoya at massaudubon.org> 

---------------------------------------------------------

Join Mass Audubon today online at www.massaudubon.org
<http://www.massaudubon.org/>  and help Protect the Nature of
Massachusetts

 

Long Pasture Wildlife Sanctuary is located on the north side of Rt 6a in
Barnstable.  Trails are open daily dawn to dusk.  Sanctuary admission is
free for members; $4 adults, $3 children for non-members. Call (508)
362-7475 for information.

 

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