Winter Talks

Are you curious about the nature
of Cape Cod?

Please join these educational winter talks
sponsored by Harwich Conservation Trust (HCT).

• All presentations take place in the Harwich Community Center at #100 Oak Street.
• Admission for each talk is $5 per person payable at the door. February 1st Eco-Restoration talk is free.
• Each talk lasts between 1 to 1-1/2 hours.

Saturday, January 4th - 1-2 p.m.
Coyotes in Your Neighborhood
PETER TRULL

Eastern coyotes, found throughout eastern North America, have a genetic make-up that can be a combination of two species of wolves, western coyotes, and domestic dogs. These wild canids thrive alongside the growing human population on Cape Cod, with its diversity of habitats, open space, and “island ecosystem.” Their presence in our yards and neighborhoods may cause unnecessary alarm owing to misinformation that generates fear and anxiety.

In this talk, biologist, field naturalist, and HCT walk leader Peter Trull will share his knowledge and research to offer an objective view about the eastern coyotes’ place in our world as well as our place in their world.

Eastern coyote photo by Peter Trull

Saturday, January 11th - 1-2 p.m.
Sea Turtles in Massachusetts Waters:
Mass Audubon’s Year-round Rescue,
Recovery, Research and Boater Outreach
KAREN MOORE DOURDEVILLE

Please join us for a winter talk with Karen Moore Dourdeville, Sea Turtle Research Coordinator for Mass Audubon Cape Cod, to discover why and when sea turtles are in our local waters. Karen will also describe Mass Audubon’s cold-stun sea turtle rescue project, summer strandings and sightings, conservation research from necropsies and outreach to boaters to reduce fatal vessel strikes.

Leatherback eating lion's mane photo by Courtney Johnson

Saturday, January 25th - 1-2 p.m.
Harwich’s Sustainable Shellfish
Harvesting & Propagation Program
DON YANNUZZI

Join Harwich’s Director of Natural Resources and Assistant Harbormaster for an in-depth look at sustainable shellfish harvesting and propagation practices on Cape Cod. This talk will cover the science and strategy behind shellfish propagation, including the role of the town’s shellfish lab and efforts to seed local waters with oysters and quahogs. Attendees will gain insight into sustainable harvesting methods and learn how these initiatives support the health of local estuaries and beaches. Discover the connection between conservation and community through the responsible stewardship of Harwich’s coastal resources.

Don Yannuzzi in the Herring River

Saturday, February 1st - 1-2 p.m.
Eco-Restoration at Hinckleys Pond at the Headwaters of the Herring River
NICK NELSON

In 2020, Fred and Barbara Jenkins wanted to sell their 31-acre retired bog property to Harwich Conservation Trust (HCT) instead of converting the upland into a subdivision. Thanks to generous HCT donors, the Jenkins’ land bordering the Cape Cod Rail Trail was preserved. Since then, HCT in partnership with the Brown family who owns a retired bog on the other side of the pond, completed the eco-restoration design and permitting process led by Inter-Fluve, which expertly led a similar process at HCT’s Robert F. Smith Cold Brook Preserve on Bank Street. Recently, the Association to Preserve Cape Cod joined the team by securing a federal grant that will fund eco-restoration construction.

Why is eco-restoration important? How many wetland acres will be rewilded? What will the trails look like? What happens during the eco-restoration construction phase? Learn the answers and ask more questions during this presentation led by Nick Nelson, who grew up in Harwich and is a fluvial geomorphologist with Inter-Fluve.

Aerial photo courtesy of Gerry Beetham