CCF Webinar Library

The Chatham Conservation Foundation introduced a free online lecture series in February 2023, running over three months when the weather limits participation in trail walks. The webinars feature noted conservationists and naturalists speaking on topics related to Chatham and the Cape. The webinars are presented as a community service thanks to the generosity of CCF members and donors. We hope to make this an annual lecture series during the winter and spring months.

Please enjoy the recorded lectures listed below if you were not able to attend the live presentations!

Note: All content is the intellectual property of the presenter and CCF.

2023 Webinars

Introduction to Lichens and Lichen Identification on Cape Cod with Tom Walker

Lichens are fascinating, symbiotic organisms formed mostly from the union of fungus and algae. Learn about their ecology and how to recognize them with naturalist Tom Walker.

Tom Walker is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts, Amherst with a Bachelor's Degree in Wildlife and Fisheries Biology. He spent several seasons surveying wildlife on the west coast for the US Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management prior to returning to New England. He has many natural history interests and has led walks and given presentations on lichens, fungi, trees and dragonflies for many different organizations.

Photo credit: Tom Walker

History of Land Conservation on Cape Cod with Mark Robinson

Mr. Robinson presents a chronological overview of attempts to “save the Cape,” which blossomed over the past 100 years as development ramped up, especially after World War II.

Mark Robinson has served as Executive Director of The Compact of Cape Cod Conservation Trusts since 1986. CCF is a member organization of The Compact along with 31 other land trusts and watershed groups in our region. The Compact provides technical assistance on land acquisition, land management, fundraising and administration for the groups.

Photo provided by The Compact

Bird Banding and Research on South Monomoy with James Junda

Monomoy has long been a draw for birds and birders alike. Every fall James Junda spends 76 days living in the 170-year-old lighthouse keepers' quarters and endeavor to survey some of the millions of migrating birds. Over the last 11 years, he has captured over 100 species of songbirds including some of the rarest birds in the state. Learn about why Monomoy is so special, how he monitors the birds, what he has seen, and how he lives on the island.

James Junda has been studying birds for 20 years but watching them his whole life. His journey started during summers with his grandparents at Schoolhouse Pond in Chatham and has taken him to five continents documenting birds. He has been operating songbird banding stations at Mass Audubon's Wellfleet Bay Sanctuary and around the lighthouse on Monomoy National Wildlife Refuge since 2011.

Photo credit: James Junda

Tracking the Land Mammals of Cape Cod with Todd Kelley

Learn about the art of tracking in this webinar presenting images of different tracks and signs from the mammals on Cape Cod for us to properly identify. Learn a little about the universal “science” of the track and accumulate some virtual “dirt” time in the exploration of animal behaviors and how that translates through the tracks they leave behind.

Naturalist Todd Kelley is a retired Nickerson State Park Interpreter, an old Cape family descendant and local cultural historian.

Photo provided by Todd Kelley