January 4, 2009 - Last summer Cape Cod discovered that a large colony of seals around Chatham and Monomoy had attracted an unprecedented number of great white sharks. Lifeguards as far north as Nauset Beach saw them on several occasions. Researchers tagged five of the sharks to track their movements. Cape Cod lifesavers may want to follow the results of a trial now taking place in Australia.

More than 70 white sharks have been tagged by scientists in Western Australia in a trial that will send a text message when one of the predators swims close to the Perth shoreline. The text messages will be triggered less than two minutes after a shark swims over any one of 18 acoustic seabed receivers. Wildlife officials and scientists will also receive the text or email warning when any of the tagged sharks move to within 500m of metropolitan beaches. Since the receivers were installed in May sharks have been picked up in Perth waters on four occasions. Here's more from Telegraph.uk.

December 16, 2009 - The Provincetown Community Compact offers Fellowships and Residencies for visual artists and writers to spend up to 3 summertime weeks at the tip of Cape Cod among the dunes of Provincelands - an opportunity to live in basic conditions far from hustle and bustle in the C-Scape Dune Shack.

C-Scape is the only surviving dune shack located within the original Provincelands—which has been public land since Colonial times. In 1978, C-Scape and other nearby shacks were relocated to their current sites from the eroding barrier dune. C-Scape is a 1.5 story 3 room structure that "features" no electricity, indoor plumbing, or telephone. There is a wood stove for heat, propane stove for cooking, a small refrigerator and a composting toilet. Its isolation allows for uninterrupted solitude and refuge.

1. Artist-in-Residence: Program for visual artists. Three 3-week stays in summer, with one including a $500 Fellowship. Artists must participate in the National Seashore's Interpretive Program, once per week, in which a group of up to 10 visitors will visit the shack. Residencies will be awarded by the Project Review Committee. (Students not eligible.) This is a highly competitive program. If applying for this program please include:

ALL APPLICATIONS MUST BE SUBMITTED VIA EMAIL (thecompact@comcast.net) with your name in the subject line. Your email submission must include: one page (or less) written statement addressing how the residency will enhance your work and further the public understanding of the dune environment; 5 DIGITAL IMAGES (72dpi), (no CDs, no prints and no slides will be accepted), with description/title of work, medium and date; and resume.

The postmark deadline for Artist-in-Residence applications is February 15, 2010.

2. Writers Residencies. We offer two one-week, subsidized residencies for writers of ALL genres, and we have eliminated the usual process of selection based on jurors' views on the quality of the writing. This process eliminates lots of time, paper work and more importantly, creates a level playing field for neophyte and accomplished writers. We employ a simple lottery. STEP ONE: Send us your name, address and email and we will put your name in a hat and select twenty names. STEP TWO: We will contact the twenty selected writers and ask that each send up to three pages of writing, along with an artist statement and/or a resume. We will then place the names of those submissions in a hat and select the two resident writers. Deadline: February 15, 2010.

C-Scape residencies are open to the general public. Here's the application.

November 30, 2009 - This week the US Supreme Court will hear a case about who owns the rights to a restored beach. On Florida's Gulf Coast, east of Pensacola, the beaches had been badly eroded by a series of hurricanes. In 2004 the State added 75' of shoreline sand at a cost of millions of public dollars. The restoration gave private beaches protection against further erosion but came with a string attached - the restored beach area, much of it above the mean high tide line, would be public. Since the mean high tide line defines the edge of private property in this part of Florida, this meant that property owners would lose private access to beach that should be "theirs" (even though it wouldn't be there but for the expenditure of public funds). Most homeowners were happy to accept public access on "their" restored beach in return for the expanded beach area. Five were not and sued to stop public access. Now the Supreme Court will decide. Here's more from Chicago Tribune.

MoreBeach bumper sticker
This is the first of a planned series of MoreBeach products featuring Cape Cod beaches. This bumper sticker of a wave at Marconi Beach is 11" X 3", printed on 4 mil vinyl with water and fade resistant ink and costs $3.95 +S&H at Zazzle. Check it out here.