Cape Cod Natural History Conference 2026

8:30 am-3:30 pm

Tilden Arts Center, Cape Cod Community College
2240 Iyannough Rd, West Barnstable

Cost: $25 per person, $15 per student

Expand your horizons at the Cape Cod Community College Tilden Arts Center in West Barnstable for the 29th annual Cape Cod Natural History Conference. Hear the latest natural history news and project updates directly from local researchers and environmental organizations across Cape Cod. 

Register

Presentations

Presenters will be debuting their work throughout the day, please reference the abstract packet (coming soon) for schedule and locations.

• Bogs to Brook Trout: Rebuilding Coldwater Habitat on the Childs River by Michael Palmer, Restoration Ecologist, Association to Preserve Cape Cod
• Implementing a Nationwide Mammal Monitoring Project on Martha's Vineyard by Silas Beers, Wildlife Technician, BiodiversityWorks
• Barnstable Clean Water's Marstons Mills River Bog Eco-Restoration by Luke Cadrin, Field Operations Manager, Barnstable Clean Water Coalition
• Sounds of Cape Cod Fishes by Rodney Rountree, The Fish Listener        
• Martha's Vineyard Butterflies: History, Status, and Trends by Matt Pelikan, Community Naturalist, BiodiversityWorks, Inc.           
• Resilience in Action: The Return of Eelgrass to Edgartown Great Pond, Martha's Vineyard, MA by Owen Porterfield, Scientific Program Manager, and Kendall Rudolph, Science Engagement Manager, Great Pond Foundation    
• Bayview Bogs: Healing the Landscape, Healing the Community by Julianne Busa, PhD, PWS, Senior Resilience Scientist, Fuss & O'Neill, Inc.    
• Building Coastal Resilience on Nantucket Through Monitoring and Living Shorelines by Emily Junkins, PhD, Coastal Wetlands Research Ecologist, Nantucket Conservation Foundation   
• Climate and Atmospheric Influences on Water Quality in Cape Cod National Seashore's Freshwater Ponds by Caitlin Sughrue, Cape Cod National Seashore and American Conservation Experience, and Sage Hellberg, Cape Cod National Seashore and Association to Preserve Cape Cod     
• Restoring Critical Water Resources Cape-wide: The Cape Cod Water Resources Restoration Project by Martha Craig, Program Manager, Cape Cod Conservation District    
• Drone Based Methods for Tracking and Characterizing Marine Mega Fauna with a Focus on White Sharks Off the Coast of Cape Cod by Kristian Sexton, Scientist and Engineer, Moosh Systems, LLC
• Partnering with Commercial Fishermen to Conduct a Benthic Survey of Nantucket Shoals by Natalie Jennings, Research Biologist, Coonamessett Farm Foundation
• Building Coastal Resilience on Nantucket Through Monitoring and Living Shorelines by Emily Junkins, PhD, Coastal Wetlands Research Ecologist, Nantucket Conservation Foundation
• Cold Brook Eco-Restoration: Otters, Odonates & Opportunities for All Ages by Michael Lach, Executive Director, Harwich Conservation Trust

Conference Details

The cost of the conference is $25 per person and $15 for students (with student ID). 

Coffee and refreshments will be provided, but attendees are encouraged to bring lunch and a coffee mug to reduce waste.

Register