NECWA News Blog

Thank you for your consideration. From all of us at NECWA

Happy Holidays from all of us at NECWA. If you are thinking about making a year-end donation for 2014, then please consider NECWA. We are a small, grassroots organization that does  BIG   things.  NECWA is a registered 501(c) 3 organization so all donations are tax-deductible. Any donation, big or small, makes a difference for it supports our many projects and activities.  Any donation counts, small or large.  NECWA helps protect marine wildlife in our New England waters through research projects, educational outreach and conservation activities including: studying marine wildlife from commercial whale-watching boats rescuing and studying ocean sunfish and sea turtles  offering an internship program for high school and college students conducting beach cleanups to collect marine debris offering free or reduced-priced educational programs for kids of all ages working with college students on research projects focused on various topics and issues regarding mari

Happy holidays from all of us at NECWA.  We thank you for your support over the years, especially this season with the overwhelming sea turtle strandings that have occurred on Cape Cod. The number of stranded sea turtles in now over 1200! Th is is close to 6 times the normal number of sea turtle stranding that are typical for this area at this time. We have a very special offer for our followers. If you provide NECWA a tax-deductable gift of $25 or more before the year's end, you will receive a personalized Sea Turtle Supporter Certificate. I created this certificate just this week to recognize the record number of endangered sea turtles that have stranded on our Cape Cod beaches. To donate and receive your personalized certificate, go to the NECWA website ( www.necwa.org ) and donate through Just Give or   PayPal . Indicate the names you would like printed on the certificate in the message box.  I will also be sending out certificates to those who have donated earlier this m

Tuesday, December 16th from 6 pm to 9 pm In the Grants Building at 40 North Main Street, Middleboro MA Join NECWA for a holiday fair in conjunction with Northbrook Academy on Tuesday evening from 6 pm to 9 pm. NECWA will offer free holiday activities and stocking stuffers for sale. The event will be in the Grants Building in Middleboro on 40 North Main Street. This is Northbrook Academy's location as well. Northbrook Academy is a wonderful private school for grades 5 to 12. NECWA buttons Support NECWA and Northbrook through your attendance and purchases. And since the NECWA office is right across the street, we can go over there if anyone is interested in our t-shirts and sweatshirt, both adult and children sizes are available. Thanks so much and look forward to seeing you on Tuesday evening. NECWA hats Great white shark t-shirt Peace for Whale sweatshirt.

Live sea turtles rescued from Truro beaches.  NECWA staff and interns have been assisting Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary with their sea turtle stranding activities. This season, there has been a record number of strandings on the beaches of Cape Cod with over 1,000 animals coming ashore. The 1000th sea turtle to strand in this 2014 season.  The majority of stranded sea turtles are juveniles that had been feeding in Cape Cod Bay and Massachusetts Bay over the course of the summer. Our New England waters are home to 5 species of endangered and threatened sea turtles so their presence in our area is not unusual. The most common sea turtles to strand are the Kemp's ridley sea turtle, the loggerhead sea turtle and the green sea turtle. Since all are endangered, recusing each individual is of critical importance. Most cold-stunned turtles wash up just as the high tide is receding. This means that you have to walk the beaches day and night as the tides change each day. NEC

NECWA News Blog: Successful and Fun Beach Cleanup at Scusset Beach State Reservation

Beach Cleanup at Scusset Beach State Reservation Date:  Saturday, Oct. 4th Time:  9 am - 11 am No rain date Meeting Location:  Bathhouse/Snack Bar at Scusset Beach We had a great time during our annual Scusset Beach State Reservation Clean-Up this past Saturday. Over 15 people joined NECWA staff as we worked hard to pick up the trash along the shores of Scusset Beach. Kerry, Mary and Jessica checked everyone in as folks met us at the beginning of the boardwalk. Once checked in, everyone picked up their Coastsweep data sheets, protective gloves and trash bags. Checking in.  Before heading to the beach, many participants checked out our free educational material that included buttons, bracelets and literature. Then it was time to get to work. NECWA Intern Fabi helping to set-up the table.  Food, drinks and free educational material for all! Once on the beach, each team headed in a different direction to cover as much area as possible. At the end

Beach Cleanup at Scusset Beach State Reservation Date: Saturday, Oct. 4th Time: 9 am - 11 am No rain date Meeting Location: Bathhouse/Snack Bar at Scusset Beach The New England Coastal Wildlife Alliance (NECWA) is sponsoring its annual beach cleanup at Scusset Beach State Reservation on Saturday, October 4th from 9 am to 11 am. This beach cleanup is part of a larger effort through COASTSWEEP, the Massachusetts-wide coastal cleanup that occurs during September and October. And our beach cleanup at Scusset Beach is in conjunction with the Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR). COASTSWEEP cleanups are organized by the Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management (CZM). Each fall, thousands of volunteers collect tons of trash from beaches, marshes, riverbanks and the seafloor. These cleanups are part of the International Coastal Cleanup organized by the Ocean Conservancy in Washington, D.C. Last year alone, 2,588 volunteers cleaned 139 miles of coastline,

September 7, 2014 Seabirds and Whale Tails Excursion A big thanks to Donna Lorello for helping to write this trip report.  With partly cloudy skies, the trip began by surveying Plymouth Beach taking note of gulls, terns, and cormorants.   Race Point, Peaked Hill Bars, the east side of the Cape and Stellwagen Bank were areas that were visited during the course of the trip.    Our first stop was the tip of Cape Cod and the beaches along the backside of the Cape, including Race Point Beach. Here a Sabine's gull was sighted in a large grouping of gulls and terns.   Our captain, Capt. Bob English, did a fantastic job maneuvering the boat close to the beach to track down the bird as it flew to shore.   With some effort, this Sabine’s gull was picked up again and all aboard were able to get good looks at it.   It proved to be an adult with full dark hood over the head and was one of the most notable sightings of the day! Gray seals and cormorants off Race Poi