Pilgrim Monument and Provincetown Museum Enhances Whaling History Collection with New Acquisition from the Schooner Cetacean

The Pilgrim Monument and Provincetown Museum recently acquired an account book that includes a ledger from voyages of the whaling schooner Cetacean of Provincetown. The acquisition bolsters the PMPM’s exhibition on Provincetown’s whaling history.

“The Cetacean ledger represents a significant acquisition to the collection of the Pilgrim Monument and this enhances our knowledge of this vessel as well as providing a glimpse into the whaling industry of Provincetown at a high point in the 1860s.” said Stephen Borkowski, Collections Committee Chairman.

“This ledger outlines the provisions bought for the voyage and the subsequent sale of the whale oil and rarely survive in such good condition and even more rarely are offered for sale in the open market. We are pleased to bring it back to Provincetown as it reinforces the significant contribution of Provincetown to the whaling industry and the economic impact it had on the town whose fortunes were tied so closely to the sea.

The Cetacean ledger will be on display at the Museum daily. Visit pilgrim-monument.org for more information.

New EPA Funding Opportunity for Coastal Watershed Restoration in Southeast New England

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is releasing a request for applications (RFA) from eligible entities to administer a sub-award grant program to support goals of the Southeast New England Program for coastal watershed restoration. EPA expects the total estimated funding for this competitive opportunity will be up to $5 million for FY2017, and up to $12 million over three years pending federal appropriations.

The Southeast New England Program (SNEP) serves as a collaborative framework for advancing ecosystem resiliency, protecting and restoring water quality, habitat, and ecosystem function, and developing and applying innovative policy, science, and technology to environmental management in southeast coastal New England. Objectives under these goals include improving water quality to reduce the impact of nutrients on water quality and aquatic life; restoring physical processes that support critical habitat and ecosystem function; and aligning restoration and management efforts on a regional scale to achieve greater effectiveness and efficiency.

This RFA focuses primarily on reducing the impacts of nutrients, especially nitrogen, on aquatic life and coastal ecosystems, restoring physical processes that support critical habitat and ecosystem function, and measuring, monitoring, and reporting change in condition and the effectiveness of actions. Under this focus, EPA intends to fund a single entity to manage a competitive sub-award grant program to support projects that build capacity to implement strategic protection and restoration of coastal ecosystems and their watersheds, including associated water quality and aquatic habitats, in southeast New England.

Eligible applicants under this RFA are tribal, state, regional, and local governments; institutes of higher education; nonprofit institutions and organizations; intertribal consortia; and interstate agencies. Applicants must have the authority and ability to work in all SNEP state, regional, and local jurisdictions, and be capable of undertaking activities that advance SNEP priorities. Applicants may include existing partnerships of organizations, partnerships of organizations formally created in response to this RFA, and individual organizations. For the purposes of this program, a partnership is an entity linked with or in a collaborative arrangement with other groups or organizations having similar goals for the restoration of southeast coastal New England. The selected recipient will manage the assistance agreement to bring together partners and to provide sub-awards to eligible sub-awardees. EPA expressly reserves the right to make no award or to incrementally fund a selected one.

Initial applications are due June 12. An information webinar will be held on Tuesday, May 9. EPA encourages all applicants to sign up for SNEP’s mailing list by sending an email to [email protected] requesting to be placed on the list to receive any updates regarding this RFA, the review process, and/or selections. For more information about EPA’s Southeast New England Program (SNEP), the RFA, and Frequently Asked Questions, visit epa.gov/snecwrp.

9th annual Run to the Top 

The 9th annual Run to the Top to benefit the Cape Cod Firefighter/EMS Cancer Relief Fund will take place at the Pilgrim Monument on Saturday, May 6 from 1 – 7 p.m. The timed race to the top of the Pilgrim Monument is an annual event that raises money for local firefighters and EMS workers who have been diagnosed with cancer. For more information about the organization, visit runtothetop.org.