Cape Cod's Seaside Celebration Offers Special View of Cape Sanctuaries

On a beautiful late summer evening overlooking Barnstable Harbor, over 200 Cape Cod Leadership Friends gathered at Long Pasture Wildlife Sanctuary to meet Mass Audubon Cape Cod staff members and  to learn about the many wildlife conservation and local educational programs they helped make possible over the past year.

The evening featured tables focused on programs such as Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary’s sea turtle rescue and research work; Mass Audubon’s Coastal Waterbird Program, which is based at Long Pasture; and some of the environmental and science programs taught in local schools throughout the year, including the watershed curriculum, Rivers to Sea, and the Science of Massachusetts.

Cape Cod Development Director Wendy O’Keefe says the Seaside Celebration is not a fundraising event but a chance to thank leadership level donors and to give them the opportunity to see what their support makes possible.

“They’re very excited to see their gifts at work. I think learning about our programs allows them to see that they are more than supporters—they’re really partners,” Wendy adds.

Seeing Something New

Special Events Coordinator Deb Friedman, who oversaw the Seaside Celebration, says supporters told her they loved having the chance to meet and engage with staff members to learn about the work going on across the region, and to see things at Long Pasture they weren’t aware of before, such as the Nature Preschool area. “Many of the folks I spoke to said they loved the various features of the preschool, such as the ‘mud kitchen’, and hoped their kids or grand kids could attend.”

Attend Next Year's Seaside Celebration

Leadership Friends have the chance to attend special programming to learn about their gifts at work throughout the year, such as a day cruise to Cuttyhunk Island, a sunset walk with sanctuary directors, and special lectures about efforts to protect and restore vulnerable wildlife, such as horseshoe crabs.

Become a Leadership Friend

If you’re interested in becoming a Cape Cod Leadership Friend and attending next year’s Seaside Celebration at Wellfleet Bay, contact us.

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