Earth Day Event at Long Pasture Wildlife Sanctuary, Barnstable, MA

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Today NECWA joined Mass Audubon's Long Pasture Wildlife Sanctuary in Barnstable, MA for an Earth Day presentation on Salt, the humpback whale. The presentation was provided by Krill Carson with the help of NECWA intern Nick Schomburg.

Long Pasture Wildlife Sanctuary is a 110-acre sanctuary that is part of Mass Audubon Society. This beautiful sanctuary is nestled alongside Barnstable Harbor and comprises pastures, marshes, ponds and salt-water beaches. Inside the sanctuary building are wonderful eduactional displays as well as animal displays including a tank of juvenile diamondback terrapins.


Jodi Limon Montoya, Long Pasture's Education Coordinator, introduced Krill and Nick to an audience that included children of all ages as well as adults. During NECWA's presentation, Krill and Nick told the audience about Salt, the most loved and famous and well know humpback whale in the world. The PowerPoint presentation not only had color photos of Salt and the other unique coastal marine wildlife off New England, but also included short video clips.


At one point in the presentation kids (and even adults) were asked to stand up and sing the "Salt the Humpback Whale Song." Guests of the event were treated to a fascinating display table full of interesting marine wildlife artifacts such including humpback baleen, prey items like sandlance and krill, and all sorts of bones and jaws.


Among the other activities NECWA provided was a fun arts & crafts activity where kids (and adults alike) were able to make a "Salt" fluke of their own! Perhaps one of the most interesting displays NECWA offered was the viewing of an 25-ft inflatable humpback whale calf named Crystal. Crystal is the first known calf of Salt and the inflatable whale represented the size that Crystal would have reached on his first birthday!

Overall, everyone had a great time in this Earth Day event which was very successful and fun. We hope you had a wonderful and productive Earth Day as well. We invite all our members, staff and friends to make every day, Earth Day.

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