State of Wellfleet Harbor Conference - November 3

Published: September 28, 2012

The 10th annual State of Wellfleet Harbor Conference is scheduled for Saturday, November 3, 2012 at the Wellfleet Elementary School. The goals of this FREE conference are to inform citizens about current and ongoing research, monitoring projects, and issues related to Wellfleet Harbor and its watershed; and to identify people’s concerns and questions about the health of the harbor.

“We want to showcase what is known about Wellfleet Harbor and then learn what new research or monitoring people feel is needed,” said Abigail Franklin, the original conference coordinator in 2003. When the conference was developed ten years ago, “our goal [was] to create an opportunity for researchers and the public to exchange ideas and information about one of our most important natural resources,” explained Franklin.

Sharing science with citizens and soliciting public input to aid in local decision making continue to be the driving forces behind the State of Wellfleet Harbor Conference, as reflected in this year’s 10th annual event.

Download a conference schedule (PDF)

Both oral and poster scientific presentations are featured, and time is allotted for question and answer. Many of the presentations this year will take a ten-year perspective of the changing nature of the harbor. Subjects focused on during this year’s conference include:

• Ten years of terrapin studies;
• An introduction to shoreline change in Wellfleet Harbor;
• Ten year results of the Shellfish Habitat Assessment Program;
• Horseshoe crab management and population trends;
• Water quality monitoring in Cape Cod Bay;
• Understanding the mass strandings of dolphins in our region.

And this year will also feature an interactive project that aims to illustrate, in an artistic fashion, the conference-goers hopes and concerns related to the harbor.

The State of Wellfleet Harbor Conference is held at Wellfleet Elementary School,100 Lawrence Road, Wellfleet. The conference is free and open to the public. No registration is required.

A free continental breakfast is also provided, donated by many generous vendors and local businesses.

Funding for the 10th Annual State of Wellfleet Harbor Conference is provided by Cape Cod Five Cents Savings Bank, Herring Alliance, Friends of Herring River, Mass Audubon, Mid Cape Home Centers, Sea Run Brook Trout Coalition, Town of Wellfleet, and Wellfleet Conservation Trust.

For more information contact conference coordinator Melissa Lowe at mlowe@massaudubon.org or 508-349-2615 x107.