Well, this is probably my last blog post about Cape Cod! It's crazy to think there is only a week left of the program--it'll be sad to see it come to an end but it also feels like the time is right. Everyone's getting a little tired of service and our housemates although the summer weather here is amazing! i understand why the cape is such a popular vacation spot. I've never been able to so easily take a refreshing dip in the pond or ocean. This week was our final week of service and this week is comprised of fun activities/thoroughly cleaning the house. I hope to give away some items to make the return trip easier...Anyway, I definitely need to take in the sea breeze before I go back home, it'll be a weird transition, and any lifestyle change is, but that's okay!
Some highlights from the past month:
-In June I took a wonderful hiking & camping trip to western MA with 7 friends in americorps. We stayed with the SCA americorps group out there for a few nights, who do similar work as us and live at a state park. They were friendly and showed us some of the local trails and rivers for swimming. It was so nice to be in the mountains in a different environment. There are so many different trees and plants there! My favorite part of the trip was backpacking up Mt. Greylock and setting up camp overnight. We cooked a rice/bean dinner and played charades around the campfire. Then early in the morning we hiked up to the summit to see the sunrise! It was a little nuts hiking in the dark but it was SO worth the view at the top. I'd love to live in or near the mountains at some point.
-Since it's the end of the year I've finished up some projects recently which has been a good feeling. My main COD day project for the past few months was working on a Piping plover educational backpack for Sandy Neck Beach in Barnstable. As you may or may not know, piping plovers are a small shorebird that migrate to the Atlantic coast during May-August. They nest on the beaches and are tan and white so they blend in extremely well. This is great for avioding predators, but not so good when humans are involved. Piping plovers are a threatened species, and require special protection under federal law. Therefore their habitat is fenced off when nesting and sometimes the whole beach can be closed when chicks are hatching. As you can imagine this is a highly debated issue on Cape Cod since many people find the decreased beach access to be an annoyance. My project was working with a ranger over at Sandy Neck Beach to create a backpack containing educational materials and activities about piping plovers for children and adults who go to the beach. In the future this backpack will be worn by a ranger who will walk around and talk to people about why the beach is protecting plovers. I enjoyed this project because I learned a lot about plovers and I also got to do an education-related project which I'm interested in.
-At my IP I finished a few projects, one of which was sending in paperwork for Vernal pools to be certified in the town of Chatham. As I think I mentioned before, vernal pools are temporary wetlands that occur in forested areas and are home to frogs, salamanders, and other species of animals. Vernal pools are important mating areas for some species, and without a vernal pool those animals would not be able to breed. I went to various vernal pools on conservation properties and looked for evidence that it could be a certifiable vernal pool. To be certified the pool must be providing mating ground for frog or salamanders, as evidenced by frog/salamander eggs. I sent in paperwork for 4 pools to be certified and if they are certified those pools will have special protection. This was another project in which I learned a lot & had an enjoyable experience.
-A highlight of July was seeing my friend Amy who came to visit for the 4th of July. She lives in NYC and got to have a little vacation on Cape Cod. It was fun to catch up with her and enjoy the lovely Cape beaches and summer weather. I was so glad to finally have a friend come visit, after seeing the rest of my housemates with guests! It's been fun to show family and a friend around Cape Cod and share all the places that have been important to me this year.
Well, that's about all I can think of at the moment, perhaps I'll keep updating the blog with my next adventures in Ohio!
Peace and love,
Margaret
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