One of the best aspects of volunteering at the information desk at Salt Pond is meeting people from across the United States as well as people from other countries. While winter attracts fewer visitors, the season gives me time to talk to people more in depth about their experiences at the Seashore. The most common question I get is about what trails to walk. Cape Cod National Seashore has many trails, from Fort Hill to Province Lands. My personal favorites are the Nauset Marsh Trail, the Atlantic White Cedar Swamp Trail, The Great Island Trail, and the Beech Forest Trail. All trails are maintained by volunteers through the Friends of the Cape Cod National Seashore.

The Buttonbush Trail, which is near the Salt Pond Visitor Center, is designed for people with various sight impairments. It is also the trail that needs the most work to bring it up to date. Through a generous donation to the Friends, seven new signs that have tactile elements, raised lettering and Braille will be in place by the end of April, early May. However, there is still a lot of work to be done. Walk this short trail and see what we’ve accomplished.

Another great part of working at the desk is spending time with various rangers. Each ranger, especially the summer people, bring different knowledge and experiences to the Park. I’ve been lucky to work with Brent Ellis a full-time interpretive ranger and volunteer coordinator. Brent retired in late March and will be missed by all the desk volunteers and other rangers. He joined the staff in 2004, having spent two years in the NPS Intake Program. He is an expert photographer and has presented programs about the Penniman House and the Whydah Galley that sunk off the shores of the Cape. There are a multitude of programs that he initiated, including the preservation of the Penniman photos and the Bike (helmet) Safety Day.  Brent created the Winter Film Festival with the support of Friends, and for many years has planned and programed this event. He built a film library which is housed at SPVC and will be accessible for years to come.  

Even more impressive is Brent’s opera career before coming to the park. Brent spent 34 years as a leading baritone. Among the places where he performed are the Metropolitan Opera, the Royal Opera House at Covent Garden, Paris Opera, Scottish National Opera, Welsh National Opera, and many symphonies around the world. If that doesn’t impress you enough, go on YouTube and look for “Brent Ellis and Pavarotti.” Personally, I will miss my time with Brent and the great talks we had.

U.S. Poet Laureate Ada Limón Brings Poetry to National Parks as Part of her Signature Project, “You Are Here”

Ada Limón’s signature project as the nation’s 24th Poet Laureate, “You Are Here,” will feature poetry installed as public art on picnic tables in seven national parks. Cape Cod National Seashore will be the kick-off for the project. This endeavor is a partnership between the Library of Congress, the Poetry Society of America, and the National Park Service. Limón will travel to each of the seven parks, which include Mount Rainier and Great Smokies.

“I want to champion the ways reading and writing poetry can situate us in the natural world,” Limón said. “Never has it been more urgent to feel a sense of reciprocity with our environment, and poetry’s alchemical mix of attention, silence, and rhythm gives us a reciprocal way of experiencing nature – of communing with the natural world through breath and presence.” Partnering with the Fine Arts Work Center in Provincetown (with whom Ada was previously an Artist in Residence) and local environmental poet Elizabeth Bradfield, a series of public and partner events are planned for Friday June 19th. Our picnic table will be installed at Beech Forest and feature the poem of Mary Oliver, Can You Imagine? Details for events on June 19th will be forthcoming on the park's events calendar.

Highland Links Golf Course Concessions Opportunity

Cape Cod National Seashore is offering a 10-year concessions opportunity at Highland Links, one of Cape Cod’s oldest golf courses. The selected concessioner would manage a 9-hole golf course and its associated operations. The new contract is expected to begin January 1, 2025.

Highland Links consists of a traditional Scottish links 9-hole golf course, maintenance garage bays, irrigation pump house, pro shop, and snack bar. The course offers recreational golf experiences, golfing equipment, cart rentals, and limited food and beverage sales under a concessions contract with the National Park Service. The course is located at 10 Highland Light Road, Truro, MA 02666.

The Prospectus explains the business opportunity and the terms and conditions under which the NPS will award the Concession Contract. Those interested in this opportunity may obtain the Prospectus and other required information online: https://www.nps.gov/subjects/concessions/prospectuses.htm

Re-Authorized Federal Advisory Commission Meeting Held April 8

The first meeting of Cape Cod National Seashore's re-authorized Federal Advisory Commission was held April 8. The purpose of the Commission is to consult with the Secretary of the Interior, or the Secretary's designee, with respect to matters relating to the development of the Cape Cod National Seashore, including matters of acquisition by condemnation and zoning regulations.

This past fall, U.S. Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland appointed 16 individuals from nominations made by the six outer Cape towns that encompass the national seashore, as well as members representing Barnstable County and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. A chairperson and alternate for the Commission were also nominated and designated.

As published in the federal register on February 29, 2024, the agenda for the meeting included: the introduction of the Federal Advisory Commission members and support staff, a review of commission charter filed by the Secretary of the Interior on April 26, 2023, the selection of the focus areas that the Commission would like to advise the Seashore on. and setting future meeting dates.

Learn more about the park’s Federal Advisory Commission: https://www.nps.gov/caco/learn/management/advisory-commission.htm

Park Awarded $112,000 In IRA Funding for Seagrass Research

Seven national park sites, including Cape Cod National Seashore, were recently selected for a collective $800,000 in funding from President Biden’s Investing in America Agenda, part of the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, aimed at investing in climate restoration and resilience projects over the next decade. The funding will allow National Park Service scientists to study seagrass meadow decline and identify strategies for regrowth in national parks along the East Coast. Cape Cod National Seashore will receive $112,000 of that collective funding.

The project will identify seagrass meadows from Maine to North Carolina with key traits that make them tolerant to climate stressors. These populations will then become donor sources used for future restoration across parks. The project will then identify and map optimal areas for future seagrass restoration, accounting for climate changes and other factors (e.g., light, sediment type, and currents) at Cape Cod, Fire Island, and Assateague Island National Seashores. Select locations inside Cape Cod National Seashore include sites in East Harbor in Provincetown, Wellfleet, and Pleasant Bay in Orleans/Chatham.

The local work for this project is being completed by Dr. Alyssa Novak, a coastal ecologist with Boston University. Dr. Novak presented her latest research at the park’s Science in the Seashore Symposium this past fall.

Seagrass meadows are a valuable and biodiverse habitat that serves as nurseries for commercially important fish, reduces coastal erosion, and improves water clarity,and efficiently captures carbon. Eelgrass (Zostera marina), the main seagrass species in eastern national seashores, is declining at an alarming rate, most recently due to increasingly high summer water temperatures.

Spring Projects at the Seashore

Spring is in the air! (Kind of?) Here is a roundup of the latest spring projects that you can expect to see happening around the seashore this spring!

•  Marconi Beach Stair Replacement – Prior to Memorial Day, the aging beach access staircase at Marconi Beach will be removed and replaced with a new, in-kind staircase to improve safe beach access.
• Fee Booth Replacement – Prior to Memorial Day, the aging fee booth at Race Point Beach and Head of the Meadow Beach will be removed and replaced with a new fee booth that will improve the visitor contact with fee collectors, reducing wait times to access the beach area.

• Sign Plan Installation (Parkwide) – Ten years in the making, ALL signs in the park are scheduled for removal and replacement with brand new, beautiful signage. This includes everything from road signs, trail signs, and parking signs. Phase 1 install May—June 2024, Phase 2 install September-October 2024.
• Captain Penniman Barn Structural Stabilization - During late spring/summer, the Captain Penniman barn will undergo structural stabilization to make the building safe for future visitors.
• Herring Cove Beach Area (South) Vault Toilet Replacement – During late spring/summer, a new double-wide vault toilet will be installed to replace the aging vault toilet to improve visitor comfort services at Herring Cove (South) Beach Area.
• Beech Forest Vault Toilet Installation – During late spring/summer, a new double-wide vault toilet will be installed to replace the aging restroom to improve visitor comfort services at Beech Forest Trail.
• Great Island Vault Toilet Installation – During late spring/summer, a new double-wide vault toilet will be installed to replace the existing port-o-potty to improve visitor comfort services at Great Island Trail.
• Hazard Tree Stabilization at Historic Properties – In early April 14, the NPS Arborist Incident Response (AIR) Team will be performing hazard tree stabilization at the park’s historic properties including Nauset Lighthouse, Captain Penniman House, and Atwood-Higgins House.
• Roads/Parking Areas Paving – This spring, the park plans to pave Pilgrim Heights, Head of Meadow Beach parking lot, and Old Dewline Road in Truro.

E-News Editor: Betsy Bray Layout: Marianne McCaffery

Unless otherwise indicated, photos are courtesy of the National Park Service.