A Message from President David Bernstein | |
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Happy New Year from the Board of the Friends of Cape Cod National Seashore. Like many people, members of the Board have great plans for 2024. At October’s Board meeting, we voted to accept a Vision to Action Plan which gives us a blueprint for the direction of Friends for the next few years. Our new mission statement is to act as the not-for-profit fundraising partner of the Cape Cod National Seashore in order to help preserve, protect, and enhance the fragile environment, visitor experience, and unique cultural heritage of the seashore.
In addition, our major goal in 2024 is to raise enough money to hire an Executive Director. Towards this end, Board member Stephen Munroe and I attended the National Friends Alliance meeting in Cleveland in October. We participated in multiple workshops which included “Exploring Models of Co-Leadership with Indigenous People.” “Planned Giving,” “Enhancing Partnerships,” and “Community Engagement.” Our conversations with park superintendents, executive directors of parks, seashores, and monuments, as well as the staff of National Park Foundations reinforced our need for an Executive Director to help raise money and plan events. We are one of the most visited parks in the country; yet we are one of only a few of our size without an executive director. In future newsletters we will keep you informed of our progress to reach this goal.
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In November, Board member Betsy Bray and I attended the Philanthropy Partners of Cape Cod conference in Hyannis. At this conference most of the workshops were about raising funds, which of course is one of the major goals of the Friends. We use the funds we raise to support ongoing needs, and maintenance and restoration of park infrastructure and lands. We also partner with the Seashore to provide free cultural, historical, scientific, and local events to engage visitors.
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The Board has been working on a long-term strategic plan since March. With that plan as a guide, we are looking toward raising more money. According to the National Park Service, we average 4 million visitors a year which adds about $548 million annually to the Cape Cod economy. When I speak to visitors at Salt Pond, I often ask where they are staying. Many are staying in Harwich, Dennis, Yarmouth, and Hyannis. My hope is that, over the next few years, we can grow our membership and expand the amount of donations we receive, especially from businesses which benefit from the influx of visitors to the Seashore. | |
The Friends welcomes our new superintendent Jennifer Flynn and we look forward to working with her and her staff to meet the Seashore’s goals. | |
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Winter is a fantastic time to visit the Seashore, especially its many trails and the seashore itself. I was reminded how lucky we are to have a Seashore that is so accessible to residents as well as visitors from beyond Cape Cod. Friends also sponsors the winter film festival on Sunday afternoons at the Salt Pond Visitor Center. In the meantime, enjoy the quiet of Cape Cod and especially the National Seashore.
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David Bernstein, President | |
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New Superintendent Jen Flynn
Longtime National Park Service leader Jennifer Flynn has been named as the new superintendent of Cape Cod National Seashore and began her new role in November.
Jennifer’s National Park Service career spans over 30 years and six national parks where she served in a variety of leadership roles. Most recently Flynn served as the Associate Director for Visitor and Resource Protection in at National Park Service headquarters. Prior to that assignment, she spent 10 years at Shenandoah National Park in Virginia as the park’s superintendent and deputy superintendent.
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“I am thrilled to be selected as the Superintendent of Cape Cod National Seashore,” Jennifer Flynn said. “Thirty-two years ago, I began my National Park Service career at the Seashore as a temporary employee. I am forever grateful that the Seashore introduced me to the NPS mission and my life's work. I have been fortunate to have lived and worked in some of America's most iconic and special places over my career and I am excited to bring that experience home. I look forward to meeting the dedicated staff at the park and engage with the communities that make the Seashore the national treasure that it is.”
Immediately prior to her appointment to Shenandoah National Park, she managed the National Park Service’s Basic Law Enforcement Training Academy at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center in Georgia. She started her career at Cape Cod National Seashore, and went on to serve as a ranger in Yosemite National Park, California; Natchez Trace Parkway, Mississippi; and Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona. Flynn also served as the Chief Ranger at Harpers Ferry National Historical Park, West Virginia.
Jennifer officially relocated her family to Cape Cod over the winter holidays.
To reach Jen, send her an email at caco_superintendent@nps.gov.
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Atlantic White Cedar Swamp Boardwalk Replacement Work
The first phase of boardwalk replacement on the Atlantic White Cedar Swamp Trail has begun. The entire southern access to the boardwalk will be closed, so the public will only be able to access the northern entrance and most of the outer loop.
We will be working diligently to replace the junction area where the main boardwalk meets the new(ish) connector so that visitors will be able to complete a loop and return from the northern entrance. A hard closure of this section of boardwalk will remain in effect for this area for the duration of the project. Scheduled completion is April 1. Signage is posted at access and junctions to alert visitors of the closure and detour. Click on the image for a pdf map of the area.
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Vegetation Removal at Duck Harbor to Continue This Winter
Cape Cod National Seashore, in partnership with Ducks Unlimited, will continue to remove dead trees and shrubbery from the Duck Harbor area of the park. Clearing the dead vegetation has helped promote the growth of native saltmarsh vegetation as well as lower fire risk by reducing fuel loads.
Over 80 acres of dead woody vegetation, killed by saltwater overwash events that began in January of 2021, were cleared last winter and spring. Overwash events continue to be observed at Duck Harbor and roughly 40 acres of dead woody vegetation in the area remain to be cleared. The continued clearing will promote the natural recruitment of salt marsh plants and increase the ecological productivity of the area, while helping to minimize breeding habitat for mosquitoes by facilitating flow and drainage of water.
The project is managed by Ducks Unlimited with a grant from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Link here for more information.
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Funding Announcement for Herring River Project
Cape Cod National Seashore has awarded a contract for construction of the Mill Creek Water Control Structure (WCS), a crucial infrastructure component of the larger Herring River Restoration Project. The Mill Creek WCS will span the mouth of Mill Creek where it meets the Herring River, just upstream of Chequessett Neck Road bridge in Wellfleet. The Mill Creek WCS is expected to be completed by the spring of 2025, which is around the same time that the primary water control structure at Chequessett Neck Road is projected to be completed.
Link here for more information.
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Friends of the Cape Cod National Seashore, PO Box 550, Wellfleet, MA 02667 508-957-0729
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E-News Editor: Betsy Bray Layout: Marianne McCaffery
Unless otherwise indicated, photos are courtesy of the National Park Service.
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