The Natural

Flight release of Northern Bobwhite quail

Link: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Brewster-MA/Cape-Cod-Museum-of-Natural-History/116896470109

   Baby quail.

On Saturday October 31, at 1:00 p.m., the Cape Cod Museum of Natural History will host the flight release of twenty Northern Bobwhite quail. The birds were raised by fourteen-year old Nicholas Fiore of West Yarmouth as a licensed project to help the species reform a habitat on the Cape.

Nick holds one of the quail he raised.

A large population of quail existed here many years ago. Numbers have been reduced by destruction of habitat. The relatively mild winters and protected area of the Museum area with its good berry supply, dense brush and grasslands provide a promising natural habitat for the birds.

The wonderful “Bob-Bobwhite” was once a natural sound in Cape woods and we hope that the Museum will become a premier preserve of the quail.

The flight release is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. and is a free event.

The flight could be a wonderful sight and educational event for visitors and the “flush” may be especially delightful for children.

We invite all nature lovers to stop by and join the fun.

Left: female quail; right: male quail.

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Cape Cod Bay: A History of Salt & Sea

Link: http://www.ccmnh.org

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Counting Butterflies in Brewster

One-day census is useful for scientists

Butterfly on Cape Cod by John Fitts of eCape.

The North American Butterfly Association Fourth of July Butterfly Count will be held locally on July 25 from 9am-3pm at the Cape Cod Museum of Natural History. (Rain date is July 26)

Everyone is encouraged to participate – both knowledgeable butterfliers and beginners are needed.

The result of this one-day census of all butterflies observed within each count area (a 15 mile diameter) is useful to scientists monitoring butterfly populations and habitats.

Participants are asked to pay $3 and to register with leader Alison Robb, 508.564.4331 or nature@cape.com.

The Cape Cod Museum of Natural History is located at 869 Route 6A in Brewster.

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KidSummer Natural History Day Programs

Link: http://www.ccmnh.org/index.php?name=Sections&req=viewarticle&artid=15

KidSummer - June 29 - August 21, 2009

Contact: 508.896.3867 or info@ccmnh.org

Instilling a sense of wonder and discovery to last a lifetime. We offer a range of four programs for ages 3 to 12, encouraging learning and appreciation of the environment through age-appropriate indoor and outdoor activities led by educators/naturalists.

Nature walks, field study, and habitat exploration give children a unique Cape Cod experience. The Museum campus is surrounded by 400-acres of marsh, dune, barrier beach, woodlands, alewife stream, and wildflower gardens.

Classes:

First Encounters for ages 3-4 - Children's sense of wonder and independence are fostered through fun, non-competitive peer interactions, live animal encounters, and exploratory activities with the natural world. Topics include plants, animals and habitats found both inside and outside the museum. 

Nature Sleuths I and II for Ages 5-7 - An opportunity to develop a child's science skills through games, stories, creative projects, experiments and lots of outdoor exploration.

Terra Nova for Grades 1-4 - Children explore nearby woodlands, ponds, marshes and beaches in age-appropriate science observations and activities.

Extreme Science for Grades 5-7 - Programs designed to engage the serious student in real scientific field studies in various types of wetlands. 

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13th Annual Cape Cod Maritime History Symposium

The 13th Annual Cape Cod Maritime History Symposium 
will be held Saturday, May 30, 2009 
from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. 
at the Cape Cod Museum of Natural History.
Cost to attend is $20. Pre-registration is required! 
Call 508.896.3867 or email info@ccmnh.org

The agenda for this interesting day of maritime lectures and exhibits is below:

8:30 – 9:15 a.m. 
Continental Breakfast 

9:15 - 9:30 a.m.
Opening Remarks 
Bob Dwyer, Executive Director, Cape Cod Museum of Natural History 

Welcome & Moderator 
Theresa Mitchell Barbo, Symposium Founder & Director 
Presentation of Lifetime Achievement Awards

9:30 – 10:30 a.m.
"The Last Breachs Bouy Rescue on Cape Cod: The 1962 Coast Guard Rescue of the F/V Margaret Rose" 
Daniel Davidson, CPO ENG, USCG (Ret.) 

10:30 – 11:30 a.m. 
"Encountering History Might Just Be A Walk On A Cape Cod Beach" 
Victor T. Mastone, Director, Board of Underwater Archaeological Resources, Commonwealth of Massachusetts
Luncheon 
Catered by Ardeo 
Exhibit tables 
Historical Societies' Gift Shop & Showcase Exhibits 
Book Sales & Signings 

12:30 – 1:30 p.m. 
"Celebrating Falmouth's Favorite Daughter: Katharine Lee Bates" 
Carolyn T. Powers, Executive Director, Falmouth Historical Society 

1:30 – 2:30 p.m. 
"From Whaling to Whale watching: A History of Whales Around Cape Cod". 
Heather Rockwell, Board of Directors, Cetacean Society International and 
Regina Asmutis-Silvia, Senior Biologist, Whale Dolphin Conservation Society 

Adjourn 
 
Following the symposium, enjoy a complimentary tour of the Cape Cod Museum of Natural History.

Sponsored by: Cape Cod Chamber of Commerce, Cape Cod Media Group, 

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Cape Cod Museum of Natural History - April School Vacation

The Cape Cod Museum of Natural History
on 6A in Brewster

presents

April School Vacation Week
April 20-24, 2009

Free with Museum admission.
All programs begin at 1 pm.

Spring into spring and discover ways to recycle and protect our earth. All week we'll be adding to our herring run mural. You can write your good deed for the earth on a fish cut out and we'll hang them in the museum for all to see.
 
Monday, April 20 - Fishy Tales
Learn what makes a fish a fish and discover the amazing alewife journey from the sea.
 
Tuesday, April 21 - Seed Spectacular
Recycle your newspaper and make a sign of spring.
 
Wednesday, April 22  - Earth Day
Rooty toot toot - recycling, art and games.
 
Thursday, April 23  - Birding Bonanza
Help us welcome back our Osprey pair. Learn more about birds through crafts and activities.
 
Friday, April 24 - Arbor Day
Start with your own tree sprouts.  Learn more about bark and leaves.
 
For further information, please contact the Cape Cod Museum of Natural History at 508-896-3867.

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Don't miss Erica Wheeler in concert!

Accomplished artist to fill the Museum with music

The Cape Cod Museum of Natural History in Brewster will become a mellow coffee house on Saturday, April 25 at 4pm with the concert of prize-winning singer/songwriter Erica Wheeler. 

Ms. Wheeler’s compelling music is inspired by the environment and evokes a poetic sense of place, with five critically acclaimed CDs to her credit, most recently "Good Summer Rain," sponsored in part by the Trust for Public Land. She has headlined clubs from Boston to Berkeley and has shared the stage with such notables as Greg Brown, Shawn Colvin, and Indigo Girls.

Her songs are “sharply detailed portraits of the American landscape and the lives lived there,” ranging in style from contemporary folk to country and bluegrass. Erica has also been deeply influenced by writers such as Aldo Leopold, Annie Dillard, Barbara Kingsolver, Terry Tempest Williams and the poet Mary Oliver.

Join us here at the Museum for an afternoon of memorable music by one of today’s truly inspiring musicians.

Tickets are $12 for member, $15 for non-member.  Reservations are accepted now at the Museum by calling 508-896-3867.

For further information, please contact the Cape Cod Museum of Natural History at 508-896-3867, Ext. 133.

The Cape Cod Museum of Natural History is located at 896 Main Street (Route 6A) in Brewster.

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"Where there's a Will… there's a way"

It's murder at the museum!

"Where there's a will, there's a Will...there's a way" is a special fundraiser performed by the Cape Cod Cabaret Murder Mystery Players.

Everyone was excited, when the Cape Cod Museum of Natural History staff received the letter from a local attorney, stating that an anonymous donor was considering leaving a 5 million dollar endowment to their building fund.

The excitement soon turned to dismay when one of the staff said he feared that the donor "just might be" the former employee who had been “let go” in disgrace, for suspected thievery from the gift shop.

The dilemma of “just what to do regarding the situation” is resolved when the donors’ lawyer announced that they would visit the Museum to make their final decision. A group of VIP’s, staff and volunteers gather for a cocktail reception to meet their ‘mystery’ benefactor… And things couldn’t get worse!

Join us for an amusing few hours to meet the anonymous benefactor and entourage on Saturday, March 28, 2009 at 3pm at the Cape Cod Museum of Natural History, Route 6A, Brewster.

Tickets are $25 and there is a limit of 80, so pre-registration is required. Please call 508.896.3867 and confirm your reservation now.

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February School Vacation Programs

The Cape Cod Museum of Natural History will be open every day during school vacation from 11:00am - 3:00pm.

We have a series of special programs for kids and families:

Monday, February 16th
Animals of the World - Who am I? Clues are given to our guests for them to guess which animal group is the answer.  Learning stations need assistance.

Tuesday, February 17th
Dig It - Archaelogy Discovery program.  Dr. Fred Dunford will dig deeply into history and take us back in time.  The guests will try their luck being an amateur archaelogist (indoor dig).  Help with the dig.

Wednesday, February 18th
Nature Rocks! Families will bring a rock or we have a few for them to create a creature or make a masterpiece.  Help our artists with their projects.

Thursday, February 19th
Think Spring - Butterfly program at the museum.  Guests will make a mobile showing the life stages of a butterfly.  They will make a butterfly mobile for a families window and design a butterfly card for a friend..  Help with craft.

Friday, February 20th

Beaks and Feathers - What makes a bird a bird with Sue Finnegan.  A talk about bird banding and afterwards an activity for kids to try their hand at banding.

Please check www.ccmnh.org for upcoming programs and schedule.

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The Horseshoe Crab, Living Fossil & Modern Medicine

The Friends of the
Cape Cod Museum of Natural History

monthly meeting will be held on
Tuesday, February 10, 2009 at 1:00pm,
followed at 1:30 by the program,

The Horseshoe Crab, Living Fossil & Modern Medicine
with Dr. Michael Dawson,

Friends members/free, guests/$3

Dr. Michael Dawson, Director of Regulatory Affairs at Associates of Cape Cod, Inc., will talk about the biology of the horseshoe crab, Limulus polyphemus. It has been called a living fossil.  Today this ancient animals defense mechanism against bacteria benefits the health of us all.  Dr. Dawson will describe how the discovery in Woods Hole of the blood clotting mechanism led to an important test that now provides a test for fungal infections and assures the safety of many drugs and medical devices.  His presentation will include a demonstration of the Limulus amebocyte lysate (LAL) test.

Dr. Dawson is Director of Regulatory Affairs at Associates of Cape Cod, Inc. (AAC).  He speaks frequently on LAL testing, has directed many courses, authored many publications and served on expert panels regarding the LAL test.  He received his Bachelors degree from the University of Wales, his doctorate from the University of Southampton, both in the United Kingdom.  He is a member of the Committee for the Conservation of Horseshoe Crabs based here on Cape Cod.

Cape Cod Museum of Natural History
869 Rte 6A, Brewster, MA 02631
508-896-3867 x 133  
www.ccmnh.org

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