Wellfleet Bay's Conservation Work
Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary is actively involved with a variety of research projects that relate to wildlife monitoring, research, restoration, and conservation on the Outer Cape. Many of the projects focus on endangered or threatened species, or those that have declining populations. Current, on-going projects include:
- Protecting terns and plovers in the Coastal Waterbird Program
- Monitoring diamondback terrapins
- Surveying horseshoe crabs
- Mapping Osprey nests
- Counting migrating hawks
- Rescuing sea turtles
While we have dedicated science staff, the efforts of community science volunteers provide critical support to our science department, as well as to the wildlife themselves.
Wellfleet is home to the most northerly population of the Diamondback Terrapin (Malaclemys terrapin). Through our conservation work, we hope to protect this enigmatic species and the salt marshes it calls home. Learn More >
Wellfleet Bay, in partnership with Eastern Massachusetts Hawk Watch and with permission from the Cape Cod National Seashore, has been conducting a spring hawk watch at Pilgrim Heights in Truro since 1998. Learn More >
Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary is working to help stranded sea turtles on Cape Cod. You can also help by reporting strandings. Learn More >
Horseshoe crabs have been crawling ashore on Cape Cod to mate on full moon nights for about 350 million years, and Mass Audubon seeks to ensure this ancient rite of spring continues. But increased harvesting of these fascinating animals threatens their population. Please volunteer today to help preserve these very special creatures. Learn More >
Field Notes: Citizen Science at Wellfleet Bay
The 2021 Piping Plover breeding season on the Outer Cape has been unexpectedly robust: 17 pairs of birds with 11 fledged chicks compared to only 7 last year. What’s really exciting? We have more than 2 dozen chicks we’re still monitoring! For us, this is huge. Over the last ten years, the number of pairs […]