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Marine Education in the Field






                                                                       Guided Hikes

                                                                       Cape Cod offers exceptional opportunities to view
                                                                       marine wildlife. Throughout the year, CCS educators
                                                                       and researchers lead guided outings, allowing
                                                                       participants to observe local marine wildlife,
                                                                       including viewing critically endangered right whales
                                                                       from the shore in early spring, the best and only way
                                                                       to view these federally-protected animals. CCS also
                                                                       offers guided hikes to seal haul-outs, where visitors
                                                                       learn about these animals while observing them
                                                                       safely and respectfully in their natural environment.



                                                                       Right whales visible from the beach on a CCS guided hike.
                                                                       Over 250 people attended CCS whale and seal walks in
                                                                       2024.





        Bringing Hands-On Coastal Science
        to Local Youth


        Jesse Mechling, Director of the CCS Education Program,
        has been offering his water quality monitoring program
        at local schools for 14 years. The program takes 5th and
        6th graders out of the classroom and into the field to
        conduct hands-on experiments in Cape Cod waterways
        and explore the region’s marine ecosystems. This year
        alone, more than 200 students and 11 teachers from five
        schools participated in the ever-expanding program.
        The   Land-Sea    Interaction  Program’s  Coastal
        Oceanography After School Team (COAST) Program is
        a six-week after school program for girls and gender-
        expansive youth that engages students with the world
        around them through  hands-on activities,  including
        field trips, sample collection, and lab work.
        After a successful pilot survey season in spring 2024, this
        fall’s team is focusing its explorations on Duck Harbor
        in Wellfleet. Students will use a variety of techniques
        to survey the geologic and biologic aspects of Duck
        Harbor, including sediment traps, seine surveying, and
        sediment cores.




               Nauset Regional High School students deploy sediment traps
                   and use an RTK-GPS during the first 2024 session of the
                Coastal Oceanography After School Team (COAST) Program

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