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.
We plan quarterly 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 and past line-ups!
Join us in person or via zoom. All attendees must register.
Tuesday March 3, 2026 at 5 PM (Free)
The Old Ladies Against Underwater Garbage (“OLAUG”) with Susan Baur and 3 other “OLAUGers”
A video presentation will show OLAUG in action and will focus on the important roles of the swimmers, kayakers, and Beach Bosses. Each portion is narrated by a swimmer, kayaker, etc. The presenters will explain how the movement began and how it interacts with communities, as well as what OLAUG hopes to accomplish both short- and long-term.
About the speakers: Susan is a retired psychologist and author of seven trade non-fiction books that reflect her early interest in marine science and psychology. Recently, she has privately published children’s books on the pond turtles of New England.
At the moment, she is best known as the founder of the Old Ladies Against Underwater Garbage (OLAUG). In April 2024, she received the American Red Cross (Massachusetts chapter) first Hero’s Award for Climate Resilience. She was selected by the Explorers Club as an EC 50, a person who is changing the world.
Susan and OLAUG have appeared in Readers Digest and AARP publications, a Boston Globe photo essay, the NBC nightly news, and on both ABC and CBS. OLAUG is being considered for a pilot series on TV called “Join the Club.”
Past Events
Tuesday October 21, 2025 at 5 PM (Free)
Naval Architecture and Offshore Energy with Roald T. Lokken
The oil and gas industry has been producing from oil reservoirs under the ocean for more than a century, in ever deeper waters. Today, the deepest oil production comes from a reservoir beneath 9,500 of water in the Gulf of Mexico. Finding and producing oil and gas in these deep waters requires floating vessels, which are designed by Naval Architects. The talk will explain how industry finds and produces oil and natural gas from reservoirs below thousands of feet of ocean waters, and the role that Naval Architects play in this industry and in the newest offshore energy industry: wind.
About the speaker: Roald is a retired naval architect who spent his working career researching and designing offshore platforms for the oil and gas business. He is a Fellow of the Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers and is a docent at the Houston Maritime Museum and the Godfrey Windmill in Chatham. He was raised and educated in California, spent his working career in Houston, and has been a summer visitor to Chatham since 1990 and a summer resident since 2020.
He particularly enjoys sailing, kayaking, and fishing on the Cape. Roald has been sailing for 55 years now. He has been sailing at PBCB since 2018 and started skippering PBCB Simply Sails in 2025. Roald and his wife split their year between Chatham and Houston. They have three grown children.
Tuesday September 9, 2025 at 5 PM (Free)
Cape-Friendly Landscapes with Kristin Andres
We can do better with some of our landscape choices—for Nature’s sake: from the plants we choose, to the design choices, and the land care and maintenance we undertake. Hear about why it’s time to put nature first in our landscapes and some steps you can take to become better stewards of your own piece of Cape Cod.
About the speaker: Kristin Andres is the director for education with the Association to Preserve Cape Cod, the Cape’s leading science-based environmental advocacy nonprofit. APCC’s initiatives, programs, and projects focus water quality improvement and critical habitat protection. In her APCC role, Kristin is responsible for APCC’s educational programming, including the development of the living landscape on the grounds of APCC’s headquarters in Dennis. She is a former board member of the Ecological Landscape Alliance and is the regional liaison for Grow Native Massachusetts. She serves on the state’s conservationist pesticide advisory council and the town of Chatham finance committee. She currently is serving as the president of Friends of Chatham Waterways. She writes a bi-weekly nature column for the Cape Cod Chronicle and is a self-described nature and native plant enthusiast.
Friday August 1, 2025 at 5 PM (Free)
Design with Nature on Cape Cod and the Islands with Jack Ahern
A critical look at current landscape design and management practices on the Cape shows an un-sustainable approach, favoring exotic species, reliance on irrigation, unnecessary use of fertilizers and herbicides, and not supporting the unique character and ecology of the Cape and Islands. An alternative approach, based on ecological principles is advocated that addresses the concerns above and that can provide beauty through the seasons, supporting habitat for other species, regenerate rather than compromise the environment and reinforce the unique sense-of-pace on the Cape. This “design with nature” approach will be illustrated with built landscape projects on the Cape and Islands.
About the speaker: Jack Ahern is emeritus professor of landscape architecture at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. He is a Fellow of the American Society of Landscape Architects and of the Council of Educators in Landscape Architecture. Jack is a registered landscape architect. He researches and writes about how ecological knowledge and theory can be applied in landscape design, planning, and management. His latest book is Design with Nature on Cape Cod and the Islands (UMass Press 2022). He is currently researching how novel urban ecosystems can be designed and managed, globally, in the Century of the City.
Thursday June 19, 2025 at 5 PM (Free)
Speaker Series: Right Whale Ecology and the Technology to Understand It with Christy Hudak from the Center for Coastal Studies
The Center for Coastal Studies has been delving into the right whale ecology in Cape Cod Bay and surrounding waters since the early 1980’s. While the research technology has changed over time, right whales continue to be a fascinating enigma when it comes to why and how they continue to find their food to survive. We will briefly touch on the multiple research projects we have going on in the Right Whale Ecology Program at the Center for Coastal Studies.
About the speaker: After gaining her Masters in marine science at Nova Southeastern University, Christy Hudak began her career on the Florida manatees. In 2011, Christy became a research associate in the Right Whale Ecology Program at the Center for Coastal Studies. Her main work focuses on the assessment of the zooplankton resource in Cape Cod Bay in terms of right whale habitat, behavior, and distribution trends. In addition, Christy collaborates with multiple organizations in the fields of statistical modeling, genetics (eDNA), acoustics, and microplastics involving multiple species including seals, Great Shearwaters, and right whales. Her eDNA research includes collaborating with Oregon State University in right whale eDNA detection since 2018, and with University of Maine in seal eDNA detection since 2020.
Friday June 13, 2025 at 5 PM (Free)
Landscaping for Native Pollinators with Gary Bowden
Gary Bowden will explain how to adapt your current yard and gardens into a more habitat-friendly environment that will support our native pollinators year-round. He will share insights about how to best garden on the Cape in light of our changing climate conditions. The work underway on Sipson Island to remove invasives and create a native plant habitat will be featured. He has tips on lawn and garden maintenance to create pollinator habitat in all seasons. You will see photos and hear tips on native plants that will help attract and support pollinators, as well as which native plants will do best in shady and sunny yards.
About the speaker: Gary is a certified Master Gardener. As a member of the Master Gardeners of Cape Cod, he serves as Vice President. He was a founding member of the Pollinator Pathway Cape Cod, a collaborative of Cape non-profits and businesses supporting native plants and pollinator protection. He is a frequent lecturer on the benefits of native plants and Cape landscapes. Gary is also a Trustee with the Orleans Conservation Trust and is on Sipson Island Trust’s Land Management Committee.
Thursday April 10, 2025 at 5 PM (Free)
Speaker Series: The Other Pleasant Bay – Getting to Know our Winter Visitors with Walter McClennen
In this ninety-minute presentation, Walter will share the details of his 2016-2017 seven-month-long study of the winter birds visiting Pleasant Bay. He will also share the many birding lessons he has learned through the last thirty years. Twenty minutes at the end will be reserved for questions, comments and sharing of the favorite winter birding places and experiences of the participants. This talk is for birders of all levels, as well as those who might be thinking of getting into this very pleasing shore and inland activity. It is hoped that participants will leave with increased confidence that they can successfully enter in to this winter birding experience and enjoy Pleasant Bay in new ways in the coming years.
About the guest speaker: In his early years, for Walter McClennen, Pleasant Bay was a place to sail, swim, windsurf and paddle board. No time for birds in that distant past. As retirement approached, he found himself spending more time in the “Three Towns” (PBCB) section of Pleasant Bay where he – as well as his parents and grandparents before him – had summered for decades. He was struck by the beauty of the winter birds as they settled into the full length of the western bay shore in October and November. As a result, binoculars became his ever-present companion as he walked the beach and marsh borders of the Bay. Walter McClennen is a retired educator and local author who focuses on primary-source-document history. His most recent book, Looking East – Short Histories and More, 2004-2023, has a significant chapter focusing on his seven-month recording of winter ducks and other birds visiting Pleasant Bay in the winter of 2016/17. The book (available on Amazon) will be available for purchase at the presentation.
Thursday March 20, 2025 at 5 PM
Speaker Series: Eelgrass and Benthic Ecosystems of Pleasant Bay with Dr. Agnes Mittermayr, Center for Coastal Studies
Eelgrass beds are vital coastal ecosystems that support biodiversity, fisheries, and carbon storage, yet they are declining rapidly. In Cape Cod, over 3,500 acres of eelgrass have been lost since 1995, accounting for 63% of Massachusetts’ losses – the largest in New England. This decline is attributed to various stressors, including nutrient loading, climate change, and human activities. Projects to monitor and restore eelgrass beds are underway, particularly in Pleasant Bay, where eelgrass monitoring began decades ago, making it the third oldest SeagrassNet monitoring station in the world. Agnes will talk about the status of seagrasses on a global scale with a focus on the eelgrass beds and other benthic habitats in Pleasant Bay.
About the speaker: Dr. Agnes Mittermayr is a benthic ecologist at the Center for Coastal Studies. For the past 10 years she has researched biodiversity and food webs along the coasts of Cape Cod, creating benthic habitat maps, monitoring eelgrass and studying how the physical and chemical environment influences biological communities underwater. In 2023, Agnes became director of SeagrassNet, a global monitoring effort of seagrasses from South Korea to Brazil.
Thursday March 13, 2025 at 5 PM (Free)
Speaker Series: The Lifecycle of an Oyster with Liv Woods, Massachusetts Oyster Project
The Massachusetts Oyster Project is a non-profit working to strengthen our coastal environment by restoring native shellfish populations to our beaches and coastal estuaries. Through oyster cultivation, shell recycling, education, and advocacy we can improve water quality, increase the diversity of sea life, and mitigate the effects of climate change.
About the speaker: Liv joined the Massachusetts Oyster Project (MOP) as Executive Director in May 2023. Liv brought 20 years of experience across a breadth of industries: healthcare, health insurance, hospital management, and academic organizations. In addition, she has been active in a range of consulting engagements with for-profit and non-profit organizations. Liv was employed previously by one of Boston’s largest health insurance companies, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts, where for almost a decade, she was part of the strategic planning division and a member of the internal consulting group. Liv was Director of Fundraising and Operations with the American Amputee Soccer Association in her most recent role. Liv has a B.A. from the University of Connecticut and an M.B.A. from the Simmons School of Management.
Wednesday February 12, 2025 at 5 PM (Free)
Speaker Series: Navigating by the Stars with Bob Sweet and Dick Moore
For centuries, mariners relied upon the stars to determine where they were. With the introduction of GPS it was thought that celestial navigation was no longer needed – they were wrong. The Naval Academy has reintroduced celestial navigation into its curriculum. Whether you intend to use it or not, it is really interesting to know how it works and how truly effective it can be.
We will provide an overview of celestial navigation showing what tools are required and the process by which you can tell where you are by using the Sun, Moon, Planets, and Stars with a sextant, watch, nautical almanac and a calculator or computer.
Come join us and find out…
About the guest speaker: Bob Sweet is a Senior Navigator and author of “The Weekend Navigator,” “GPS for Mariners,” and dozens of other published marine books, guides, courses, and seminars. He was formerly the National Educational Officer for the U.S. Power Squadrons, and is a frequent instructor for coastal and celestial navigation courses.
Thursday January 30, 2025 at 5 PM (Free)
Speaker Series: Coastal Water Quality Stories: The power of data collected by citizen scientists with Sarah Griscom, PhD
For the past 25 years, the Towns surrounding Pleasant Bay and the south side of Chatham have successfully run an all-volunteer coastal water monitoring program. Some of the nutrient and dissolved oxygen data that has been collected by hundreds of citizens throughout the years will be presented. Attendees will learn about the significance and power of long-term data sets and will have the opportunity to handle the sampling equipment.
More about the speaker: Sarah completed her BS in Earth and Marine Science at the University of California, Santa Cruz and worked as a Marine Geologist for the US Geological Survey. She completed her PhD in Coastal Oceanography, focusing on the cycling of radioactive contaminants in the coastal zone. For five years she was a research fellow at the Harvard School of Public Health and collaborated with the Institute of Radioprotection and Nuclear Security in France. The collaboration brought her family to France for a year. Sarah left research and taught undergraduate oceanography and high school sciences after she gained her Massachusetts’s teaching certificate in chemistry. She was hired by Pleasant Bay Community Boating to build an environmental science program to compliment the sailing program. The program evolved into the award-winning summer day-camp. Sarah presently works part-time with the Town of Chatham as a water quality scientist, volunteers on several committees, and is focused on finding solutions to adapting to future climate extremes.