News & Events
Join us for community learning!
Our Speaker Series consists of informational gatherings designed to spark discussions on topics relevant to our Cape Cod community and PBCB’s mission: boating, marine science, and environmental stewardship. The guest speakers and topics are varied and presentations are followed by a Q&A as we encourage guest participation.
Each year we plan for 8-10 events that are a mix of virtual via zoom, hybrid (both on campus and via zoom), and in-person on our campus. All are welcome to attend. These events are offered free to the public, but contributions are accepted. We thank the Chatham and Orleans local councils, as well as the Mass Cultural Council for their support of this program.
Click here to access previously recorded talks.
Join us in person or via zoom. All attendees must register.
Thursday November 20, 2024 at 5 PM (Free)
Speaker Series: Awareness Inspires Conservation, an understanding of white shark research with the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy.
This program will provide audiences with an understanding of the ongoing white shark research projects being conducted and funded by the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy, how that research is impacting conservation and public safety efforts, as well as up to date information on what that research has taught us. Audience members will have an opportunity to view videos and photographs during the research season and develop their knowledge of what a shark is and what it takes to conduct white shark research. This event is FREE, but all participants need to register. For any questions, please reach out to Jeanna Santana santanaj@pbcb.cc
REGISTER HEREThursday November 7, 2024 at 5 PM (Free)
Speaker Series: No Refuge, Cape Cod’s Coastal Crisis
Join us to watch this 30-minute documentary film that explores the impact of climate change and rising sea levels on the Monomoy National Wildlife Refuge and Cape Cod. The film examines the erosion of the Monomoy National Wildlife Refuge in Chatham, and the broader changes in the Cape Cod Coastal region. Jan Crocker and Tim Wood are the producers of the film and will be giving a talk following the presentation, along with local Captain and fisherman Bill Amaru. Carole Ridley from Ridley & Associates rounds out the panel. Carole’s team leads the practice for Strategic Planning and Project Management for Natural Resource Restoration and Resilience, and Land Use and Smart Growth Strategies.
We will be meeting in the PBCB Hillside Classroom at 2287 Route 28, Harwich, MA, and will be offering a zoom option to watch from home. Event is FREE but all participants need to register. For any questions, please reach out to Jeanna Santana santanaj@pbcb.cc
REGISTER HEREWednesday September 25, 2024 at 5 PM (Free)
Speaker Series: Bog Walk with Herb Heidt and Eliza McClennen
Guests enjoyed a guided tour of the Three Towns Cranberry Bog, just across the street from the PBCB campus. Local naturalist, Herb Heidt and Eliza McClennen, talked about the history of the commercial cranberry industry, and specifically the history of this bog–which does span 3 towns! Everyone enjoyed learning more about cranberry growing and harvesting, as well as the bog’s flora and fauna. The guided walking tour was followed by refreshments in the PBCB boathouse.
Tuesday September 24, 2024 at 5:30 PM (Free)
Speaker Series: Mushroom Identification Walk with Wesley Price
Guest speaker and local fungi enthusiast, Wesley Price, gave attendees a n informative presentation while sharing some local mushroom for identification, and lead a foraging walk with mushroom identification on the PBCB campus and nearby cranberry bog. Guests were encouraged to bring their own findings in for identification.
About the guest speaker: Wesley Price is an amateur mycologist (one who studies fungi), who founded the Cape Cod Mycological Society in 2013. He earned a B.S. in Biology with a concentration in Microbiology. Wesley has led various talks and walks around Cape Cod and shares his passion for fungi to inspire a deeper understanding and respect for the ecosystems, which supports the biodiversity of life on Earth.
Thursday September 12, 2024 at 5 PM (Free)
Speaker Series: Wampanoag Art for the Ages with Lee Roscoe
Guest speaker Lee Roscoe eagerly discussed her book, Wampanoag Art for the Ages, Traditional and Transitional. The book looks at the lifeway of the tribe which greeted the English at Plymouth, through its arts, starting in the wetu, including ancient arts of pottery, wampum, mat making, regalia, adornment — and more modern arts of painting and mixed media, featuring some of the foremost artisans of the tribe. She led a Q&A after the talk, and signed her book for those who purchased one.
About the guest speaker: Lee Roscoe is longtime freelance journalist, currently for Artscope and Provincetown magazines. She is the author of Wrap Yourself a Designer Dress; and of Dreaming Monomoy’s Past, Walking its Present (a subjective and objective look at the interacting nature and history of a typical coastal area) which is being revised for republication under a grant from the Chatham Cultural Council. She’s a state commended environmentalist who’s a Woods Hole Ocean Science Journalism fellow. A former Equity actress, Lee appeared off-Broadway and in independent films; theater is her first love. You may have heard or seen some of her plays (occasionally supported in part by the Massachusetts Cultural Council) such as The Mooncusser’s Tale, a Cape Cod radio drama or the play Impossible? about a tyrannical take over of America, and you can view on Vimeo, Dreams from a Planet in Peril, which she wrote and directed, with Janet Murphy Robertson as producer and filmographer. A piece of it premiered at the prestigious Chelsea Film Festival, NYC. Cape Cod Museum of Art’s director calls the film, “an important piece of art.”
Thursday September 5, 2024 at 5 PM (Free)
Speaker Series: Pleasant Bay: A Focus of Environmental Stewardship with Dr. Robert A. Duncanson
Pleasant Bay is incredibly beautiful, environmentally significant, recreationally important, and provides many ecosystem services closely linked to our quality of life on Cape Cod. Dr. Duncanson will share the results of 24+ years of water quality data, discuss some of the key “take-aways”, and address how the future will present new challenges. Learn how many individuals, organizations and government entities support actions that help protect the health of this critical water body.
About the Guest Speaker: Robert A. Duncanson, Ph.D., is former Director of Health and Natural Resources for the Town of Chatham. Dr. Duncanson has a BS from the University of Miami and a Doctorate in Microbiology from the University of Rhode Island. In Chatham, he oversaw staff and programs in the areas of public health, conservation, environmental protection, coastal resources, harbormaster, and shellfish. He managed the Town’s 12-year Comprehensive Wastewater Management Planning program completed in 2009, including integration of the Massachusetts Estuaries Project (MEP),and other scientific and engineering studies into the planning process. Dr. Duncanson managed construction of the Town’s new wastewater treatment facility, pump stations, and over 11 miles of new sewers as well as planning for future wastewater infrastructure projects. He was part of the restoration team that opened Muddy Creek estuary and built the new bridge on Route 28. Dr. Duncanson is currently working with the Chatham Conservation Foundation, MA DOT, Cape Cod Conservation District, Pleasant Bay Alliance, and the USDA Natural Resource Conservation Service on the issue of under-sized culverts impacting Frost Fish Creek.
This event is co-sponsored by the Friends of Chatham Waterways. Current and prospective volunteers are invited to stay for an appreciation event after the lecture. Friends of Chatham Waterways was founded in 1983 as a non-profit organization committed to the protection, wise use and enjoyment of Chatham’s fresh and salt waterways and adjoining lands. Their purpose is to serve as an informational resource regarding the condition, development, preservation and enhancement of our waterways and adjoining lands, and to take action on these issues.
We also thank the Chatham and Orleans local councils, as well as the Mass Cultural Council for their support of the Speaker Series programs.
The event is free and open to the public. All attendees must register.
Monday July 29, 2024 at 5 PM (Free)
Speaker Series: Marine Weather on Cape Cod
Thank you to guest speaker Dick Moore for entertaining a full crowd! Dick is a member of the Buzzards Bay Sail and Power Squadron (Founded in 1962) and teaches many of their classes to boaters across the country. Classes include Boat Handling, Navigation, Engine Maintenance, Marine Electronics, Communications, Weather and others.
About the guest speaker: Dick is a physicist who is one of the world wide experts in electrical contacts and switch technology. He is the chair of the International Electrotechnical Commission sub committee 23 J and a member of the Underwriter’s Laboratories standards technical panel which write standards for switches. Dick is the education officer for Buzzards Bay Sail and Power Squadron and the assistant education officer for United States Power Squadron district 34. He teaches classes in basic boating; seamanship; coastal navigation; offshore navigation; weather; marine electrical systems; marine communication systems; marine navigation systems; marine engine maintenance; and instructor qualification. He holds a USCG masters license and teaches on
water boat handling. Dick is also a motorcycle safety foundation nationally certified rider coach and teaches motorcycle safety and advanced skills classes in the Massachusetts Rider Education Program.
Friday April 19, 2024 at 5 PM (Free)
Speaker Series: Navigation and Sea Stories Part 1
Please join us in Hillside meeting room to hear guest speaker Dale Harper talk all things Navigation. For those interested in taking it one step further, Part 2 will be a hands-on workshop on Saturday morning.
This event is free, includes refreshments, and is open to 40 participants. This can be a stand-alone event, you are not required to attend Part 2.
About the guest speaker: Dale grew up spending summers on Cape Cod learning to sail at the Orleans Yacht Club on Town Cove, as well as racing & cruising on Nantucket Sound with his aunt & uncle. After graduating from High School in Wells, Maine, he went on to pursue a degree in Navigation from the Massachusetts Maritime Academy. Dale raced with the MMA sailing team, and other big boat sailing programs around Cape Cod, Buzzards Bay and Narragansett Bay. Upon graduation, he began working in the Commercial Shipping Industry Marine Transportation. Starting out on Tug Boats in New York Harbor as a deck hand, then a Mate. Dale was eager to get onboard larger ships and upgrade his USCG license. He then went on to the oil industry working as a Mate onboard 600’ Tankers. After getting his Unlimited Tonnage Masters License, he began a 5-year training apprenticeship program with Northeast Marine Pilots and became a full Pilot in 2020. Dale still races sailboats and cruise for recreation and loves every moment spent on the water.
Saturday April 20, 2024 from 10 AM to 1 PM ($30)
Workshop: Small Boat Navigation of Pleasant Bay and Beyond Part 2
Thank you to everyone who joined us for the hands-on navigation workshop with the pros and learn to read charts, chart your own course using wind, tide and time.
Thursday March 28, 2024 at 5 PM (Free)
Speaker Series: Community-Based Collaborative Fisheries Research; Cape Cod Fishermen and Scientists Studying the Ocean Together
Thank you to Owen Nichols for the informational talk on how local fishermen and shellfish farmers in the area are working with scientists to understand the effects of environmental change and human activity on marine habitat, collecting vital data for sustainable fisheries management while building community.
About the guest speaker: Owen Nichols is Director of Marine Fisheries Research at the Center for Coastal Studies in Provincetown, Massachusetts, where he conducts research in collaboration with Cape Cod fishermen and shellfish farmers. His primary interests include distributional ecology, fisheries oceanography, marine mammal/fishery interactions, and ecosystem-based fishery management. Owen is a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Massachusetts – Dartmouth School for Marine Science and Technology, a guest investigator at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, and an adjunct professor at the University of Massachusetts – Boston, the Massachusetts Maritime Academy and the Shoals Marine Laboratory.
Friday November 17, 2023 at 3 PM (Free)
Speaker Series: Identifying Fungi of Cape Cod
Guest speaker and local fungi expert, Wesley Price, led us through an informative 30-minute slide show presentation on mushroom identification in the PBCB Hillside classroom. We walked around the campus to collect fungi, and then gathered back in the Hillside classroom to observe magnified structures under microscopes.
About the guest speaker: Wesley Price is an amateur mycologist (one who studies fungi), who founded the Cape Cod Mycological Society in 2013. He earned a B.S. in Biology with a concentration in Microbiology. Wesley has led various talks and walks around Cape Cod and shares his passion for fungi to inspire a deeper understanding and respect for the eco system, which supports the biodiversity of life on earth.l.
Thursday October 19, 2023 at 5 PM (Free)
Speaker Series: CG36500 with Johnny Sinopoli and John Norton
Thank you to our guest speakers John Norton and Johnny Sinopoli and all who came out to the detailed story of the heroic rescue by the U.S.Coast Guard of 32 men from the sinking SS Pendleton. Fighting tremendous wave action, they crossed the Chatham bar and proceeded to the wreck site without a compass or stars to guide them. Numerous conditions combined to cause the breakup of the T-2 tanker in the first place, and still more factors impeded the rescue. This rescue is considered the greatest small boat rescue in Coast Guard history. After years of neglect, the refurbished CG36500 now summers at Rock Harbor, Orleans MA.
Thursday September 28, 2023 at 5 PM and October 5, 2023 at 5 PM (Free)
Speaker Series and Tour: Bog Walk with Herb Heidt
Guests enjoyed a guided tour of the Three Towns Cranberry Bog, just across the street from the PBCB campus. Local naturalist, Herb Heidt, talked about the history of the commercial cranberry industry, and specifically the history of this bog–which does span 3 towns! Everyone was thrilled to learn more about cranberry growing and harvesting, as well as the bog’s flora and fauna. The guided tour was followed by refreshments in the PBCB boathouse.
Friday July 28, 2023 at 5 PM (Free)
Speaker Series: Over the Bar with Joe Nickerson
We were thrilled to welcome 40 guests for a talk with Joe Nickerson, author of Over the Bar, in the boathouse. Books are available for purchase at the Yellow Umbrella Bookstore on Main Street, Chatham.
About the author: Once upon a time, Chatham was a bustling little fishing village with shanties along the shore and all manner of boats in the harbor. In his debut, longtime fisherman Joe Nickerson shares his experiences growing up on and along the water, the fishing practices that made the region noteworthy, and why the days of yesteryear mattered. From the unique cast of characters you meet along the way, to the unforgettable moments at sea, “Over the Bar” keeps a part of history alive.
Friday June 30, 2023 at 5 PM (Free)
Speaker Series: An Introduction to Sailboat Racing with Chris Snow
Thank you to Chris Snow for sharing his experience and knowledge with racers of all levels. He covered some fundamentals like understanding the start, “reading” the wind, deciphering your sailing area, and the rules of racing and why they should not intimidate you.
About the guest speaker: Chris grew up in Orleans and learned to sail at Orleans Yacht Club. Sailing around the lower Cape he sailed Daysailers, Widgeons, Beetle Cats and whatever else he could get his hands on. After college, he started a 35 year career in sailmaking, eventually managing the One Design division for North Sails based in San Diego, CA. He worked selling, making and developing sails for a wide range of one design classes from Opti’s to the Olympic classes. Chris is an 8 time National/North American champion in the J/24 class and has many top finishes in a wide range of classes. The Snow family is a group of accomplished sailors, Chris’s wife Mary and his son’s Nevin and Patrick were all All-American sailors in college. Their son Nevin is currently pursuing an Olympic campaign in the 49er class. Chris and Mary are excited to be back on the Cape and recently settled into North Chatham. Chris is the current chair of the US Sailing One Design class committee.
Tuesday April 4, 2023
Speaker Series: PBCB Environmental Stewardship, Kelp, and Eelgrass
Thank you to everyone who could join us! Pleasant Bay Community Boating is continuing its’ efforts to promote environmental stewardship. and we enjoyed sharing the various projects we are working on and ways to get involved. We are currently involved with an eelgrass restoration project, in which we will be hosting more workshops to learn more about eelgrass and recruit volunteers to assist in collecting citizen science data.
About the guest speakers: Jamie Nye started at PBCB in May of last year and is our new Science Coordinator. Previously he worked at the Catalina Island Marine Institute teaching Marine Biology, and at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute and the Marine Biological Laboratory working in both aquaculture and animal husbandry. He also has worked at Walrus and Carpenter Oysters in Rhode Island where he started a kelp farm. Jamie is loves to teach, free-dive and scuba dive, hike, go clamming, and grow kelp! Lily Gooding is an AmeriCorps Cape Cod year 24 member originally from Beverly, Massachusetts. Lily recently graduated from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor where she studied Global Health and the Environment. Lily is serving with Pleasant Bay Community Boating, helping with estuary stewardship and our citizen science program. She has been working on and developing our current eelgrass project.
Friday March 31 and Saturday April 1
Workshop: Navigation
PBCB was thrilled to offer this unique two-day workshop focused on navigation skills – including understanding basic chart information, weather apps and plotting a course on the Bay. Guest speaker Neil Tomkinson shared his many years of cruising and sailing experience, and discussed the basics of navigation using the Navionics App and paper charts The 2nd day was a hands-on navigation workshop. Participants plot their own course using wind, tide and time-the logistics we all need to sail comfortably and arrive home on time. About the guest speaker: Neil Tomkinson began sailing on Long Island Sound with his dad in a Cape Cod Knockabout. He made his way to Cape Cod in the early seventies sailing into Saquatucket Harbor on his Swedish Weekender, Valhalla and has continued to sail, race and cruise on many boats. He and Priscilla now cruise on Chinook, their 37′ Nordic Tug with their furry crew, Lucy. Many of you might recognize their Sandpiper, Sophie, sailing around Pleasant Bay and joining the Wednesday Catboat Series. Suzanne Leahy joined the PBCB staff in 2019 to develop a Catboat Program. Now in its 4th year, the program continues to grow and expand, encouraging folks at all levels to discover the joy of sailing on Pleasant Bay. Suzanne has worked and sailed on the Bay since moving to the Cape in 1993. She loves sharing her passion for both sailing and for Pleasant Bay. Teaching has always a core value and one that Suzanne shares with PBCB. Her position here is a dream come true, incorporating her love of sailing, catboats, teaching, and sharing the knowledge that she has gained from the many generous sailors and teachers she has met over the years.
Thursday March 23, 2023 at 5 PM (Free)
Speaker Series: Can Art Save the Ocean?
Thank you to everyone who joined us! The ‘A Year of Plastic’ project was started after photographer/conservation artist Sarah Thornington realized the sheer quantity of plastic marine debris she was picking up on a regular basis from Cape Cod beaches. She spent a year doing a beach clean-up every single day, counting and documenting the plastic debris she found as well as posting daily on her Instagram account, @EbbtheTide. To keep awareness on the plastic problem, she creates art and displays with some of the almost 21,000 objects she found during that time and ongoing, her count is now well above 30,000 pieces rescued from the sea. She’s had many shows of this work, locally and across the country. In addition to exhibits and shows, Sarah presents programs and workshops for adults, youth and children, recently completing a mural project with 60+ teens/tweens.
About the guest speaker: Sarah Jane Thornington is a portrait photographer & conservation artist who has lived on Cape Cod for the past 30 plus years. A passionate protector of the planet, she can often be found cleaning the beaches- alone or as part of the Center for Coastal Studies ‘Beach Brigade’, creating with the marine-debris found to keep awareness on our single-use plastic problem, or talking about the issues through workshops and presentations. Sarah has completed both the Expert and Leadership tracks of the UN Environment Massive Online Open Course on marine debris through the University of the Netherlands. She recently completed a course of Communicating the Value of Biodiversity. Sarah is also a recipient of the national volunteer award, A Daily Point of Light for her continued work to keep awareness on the issues facing our ocean.