Category: Nature

NASA’s Cosmic Dawn Documentary Screening

Posted on by Jessica O'Connor

Cosmic Dawn is the incredible true story of the James Webb Space Telescope – humanity’s largest and most powerful space telescope – on a mission to unveil the early universe, against all odds.

On Tuesday, September 23rd at 6:30pm in the library’s Hermann Room, come join us as we watch this NASA+ documentary that brings viewers on an unprecedented journey through Webb’s delicate assembly, rigorous testing, and triumphant launch, showcasing the sheer complexity and breathtaking risks involved in creating a telescope capable of peering billions of years into the past. Follow the telescope from an idea developed at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center all the way to the launchpad in French Guiana, with never-before-seen footage captured by the Webb film crew offering intimate access to the challenges and triumphs along the way. 

This documentary screening is free to the public and all are welcome!

Cosmic Dawn is Not Rated and has a running time of 1 hour and 36 minutes.  To register to attend, CLICK HERE or visit/call the Adult Service Desk at 508-457-2555 x7.

Project ITCH (Is Tick Control Helping?) Public Presentation

Posted on by Kristin Nelson

As tick-borne illnesses continue to pose a significant public health risk across the Cape and Islands, researchers are stepping up public education and outreach efforts to help residents stay informed and protected.

On Monday, July 28 from 4:00–5:00 PM, the Falmouth Public Library will host a public update on Project ITCH (Is Tick Control Helping?), a CDC-funded research initiative that aims to assess the effectiveness of common tick control methods in real-world settings.

The event will take place in the Hermann Foundation Meeting Room at the Main Library, 300 Main Street, Falmouth.

The presentation will be led by Dr. Stephen M. Rich, a professor of microbiology at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and Executive Director of the New England Center of Excellence in Vector-borne Diseases. Dr. Rich has been at the forefront of tick-borne disease research in southeastern Massachusetts, working in close collaboration with Barnstable County Extension and the Department of Health and Environment.

Now in its third year, Project ITCH is being conducted across all six New England states. The Cape Cod portion of the project includes field visits to residential properties, tick sampling, and resident surveys. The data help researchers evaluate the effectiveness of various tick prevention strategies and inform future public health efforts.

Dr. Rich will share preliminary findings from the current field season, highlight trends observed across the region, and offer guidance on effective tick control methods for homeowners and communities.

This event is free and open to the public. Registration is recommended. 

For more information, contact the Falmouth Public Library at (508) 457-2555 or visit www.falmouthpubliclibrary.org.

 

July is Love Your Lake Month!

Posted on by Kristin Nelson

Celebrate Love Your Lake Month with the Falmouth Public Library and Falmouth Pond Coalition

This July, the Falmouth Public Library invites residents and visitors to dive into Love Your Lake Month, a celebration of local water stewardship presented in partnership with the Falmouth Pond Coalition. Taking inspiration from the Libraries Love Lakes organization, a nonprofit based in the Finger Lakes region of New York that encourages the use of libraries to educate about freshwater issues.

Join us for two special and free screenings of pond-focused short films produced by the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) on Tuesday, July 15 and Thursday, July 17 at 4:00 PM in the Library’s Hermann Room. These engaging films highlight the ecological importance of our local ponds and efforts to preserve their beauty and health.  Concurrently, there will be crafts for children to complete in the Bay Room and pond lovers will lead a story hour for children in the Children’s Room (also, July 15th and 17th at 4:00 PM). 

The event also features a spotlight on OLAUG – Old Ladies against Underwater Garbage, a spirited community group dedicated to restoring water quality and keeping our ponds safe—for people and pets alike.

Come learn how you can contribute to clean, thriving local waterways while enjoying an inspiring mix of science, storytelling, and community action.

For more information, contact the Falmouth Public Library at (508) 457-2555 or visit www.falmouthpubliclibrary.org.

Author Talk with Lawrence Millman

Posted on by Kristin Nelson

Outsider: My Boyhood with Thoreau with Lawrence Millman

 

Join us at the Falmouth Public Library on Tuesday, October 1st at 6:30 PM in the Hermann Meeting Room for an author talk and book signing with mycologist and author Lawrence Millman!  He will be discussing his latest memoir Outside: My Boyhood with Thoreau.  Copies of the book will be available for purchase at the event from Eight Cousins Books.

Early on, Millman found in Thoreau a kindred spirit, far outside of the mainstream social, sporting, and educational interests he was expected to be cultivating. And like Thoreau, he would rather be out-of-doors — where he could socialize with mushrooms, insects, or earthworms — than stuck in any indoor locale.

“Lawrence Millman is my kind of guy–kind of like a cross between Henry David Thoreau and a badger (the Eurasian badger, as the American badger is sometimes considered ill-tempered). Like Larry, I am always happiest among the salamanders and caterpillars, but reading Larry’s vivid, honest, often hilarious accounts of how nature shaped his quirky, abundant life makes for excellent company. Everyone who loves animals and nature will love this.”

— Sy Montgomery, author of Of Time and Turtles: Mending the World, Shell by Shattered Shell

Writer, ethnographer, mycologist Lawrence Millman has made over forty trips and expeditions to the Arctic and Subarctic. His twenty-seven books include such titles as Last Places, Northern Latitudes, A Kayak Full of Ghosts, Our Like Will Not Be There Again, Hiking to Siberia, Lost in the Arctic, At the End of the World, The Book of Origins, Fungipedia, The Last Speaker of Bear, Foraging with Jeeves, and the Coyote Arts title Goodbye, Ice. He has written for Smithsonian, National Geographic, Outside, Atlantic Monthly, and The Sunday Times (London). He lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts. 

For more information about Lawrence Millman: https://lawrencemillman.com/This event is free to the public and registration is required as seating is limited. Register HERE or visit/call the adult services desk at 508-457-2555 x7.

Walk This Way!

Posted on by Kristin Nelson

Join the library’s new monthly LGBTQIA+ walking group and discuss new/classic queer literature, film and culture.  The first walk is scheduled for Friday, August 16th at 3:00 PM – 4:00 PM and we’ll  meet at the Katherine Lee Bates Rd Library entrance. 

Walks will be short (under .5 miles), leisurely and end on the library lawn where all are welcome to enjoy more fresh air and make new friends with fellow walkers.  This event is free, inclusive and open to the general adult public.  

Registration is required along with a waiver and release form.  The waiver and release form will be handed out at the first walk. 

*Walks are planned alongside Shiverick’s Pond Pathway and are accessible with the use of wheelchairs, walkers and other walking aids. 

Register online using the library’s online event calendar or visit/call the adult services desk at 508-457-2555 x7.

Sharks Don’t Sink: Adventures of a Rogue Shark Scientist with Jasmin Graham

Posted on by Jessica O'Connor

Join us at the Falmouth Public Library on Wednesday, August 14th at 4pm in the Hermann meeting room for an author talk and book signing with Jasmin Graham!  She will be discussing her new book Sharks Don’t Sink: Adventures of a Rogue Shark Scientist.  Copies of the book will be available for purchase at the event from Eight Cousins.

“Sharks Don’t Sink is a riveting, moving, and ultimately triumphant memoir at the intersection of science and social justice: a guidebook to how we can all learn to respect and protect some of nature’s most misunderstood and vulnerable creatures–and grant the same grace to ourselves.”

“Jasmin’s journey, along with her love of sharks, is both fascinating and inspiring, sitting at the cross section of science and social justice. This book is a triumph.” —Emily Giffin, TODAY

“Jasmin Graham is a marine biologist in the field of elasmobranch ecology and evolution, currently specializing in smalltooth sawfish and hammerhead sharks. She is the co-founder of Minorities in Shark Sciences (MISS), an organization providing support for women of color in the field of shark biology and ecology, in order to foster greater diversity in marine science. She is a recipient of the WWF Conservation Leadership Award, the Safina Launchpad Center Fellowship, and a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship.”

This event is free to the public. CLICK HERE to register online event calendar or visit/call the adult service desk at 508-457-2555 x7.

Upper Cape Camera Club

Posted on by Jessica O'Connor

Falmouth Public Library Exhibit and Sale

The Upper Cape Camera Club’s (UCCC) annual Falmouth Public Library Exhibit and Sale will be held from Tuesday, July 2nd through Wednesday, July 31st during regular library hours in the Adult Collections Room.  The 44 photographs will feature Cape Cod sunrises and sunsets, wildflowers, and other members’ favorites from 27 photographers.

Exhibit Reception

An exhibit reception will be held on Wednesday, July 17th from 4pm-6pm in the Adult Collections Room. Refreshments will be provided with the opportunity to talk with the photographers.

About UCCC

From beginners to professionals, the UCCC welcomes all interested in photography.  The Club’s mission is to provide photographers at all levels an opportunity to develop skills and share their work in a supportive environment. For more information about UCCC, go to https://www.uccameraclub.com. The UCCC is a member of the New England Camera Club Council and of the Photographic Society of America.

Solar Eclipse Viewing Party

Posted on by Clint Johnson

On Monday, April 8th bring a chair or blanket and join us on the library lawn from 2pm-4:30pm for games, music and solar eclipse viewing!

In Falmouth, the solar eclipse starts around 2:16pm with a 89.3% max coverage around 3:30pm and ends around 4:39pm.  A free pair of solar eclipse glasses (provided by Solar Eclipse Activities for Libraries) will be available to attendees while supplies last.  

This event is weather permitting.  

Solar Eclipse Viewing Party Flyer

 

If you have any questions please feel free to reach out to us at (508) 457-2555 x7 or by email at info@falmouthpubliclibrary.org

 

Falmouth Osprey Project

Posted on by Library User

Join the Falmouth Osprey Project’s Kevin Friel and Barbara Schneider on Tuesday February 20 at 11am in the Hermann Room for a presentation about the project’s work.

The Falmouth Osprey Project formed in response to the 2021 nesting season, which saw 9 fires and power outages directly linked to the fact that ospreys love to nest on utility poles. Since then volunteer teams have helped build replacement nesting platform sites on nearby non-utility poles so that the birds can nest safely, without the risk of electrocution. The Osprey Project has also worked with Eversource to help identify utility poles that need nest deterrants installed, since ospreys like to return to their nests year after year. The project has been successful enough in Falmouth that other Cape towns with many ospreys have looked to it as a model! Kevin and Barbara will share interesting facts about ospreys and their habits as well as many excellent photos, like the one illustrating this blog post.

This presentation is appropriate for all ages, although small children should be accompanied by an adult. Space is limited, so we encourage you to register.

 

Coming to a Neighborhood Near You with Ian Ives of Audubon

Posted on by Library User

Falmouth is abuzz with the talk of coyotes – what other wild animals are on the increase? On Thursday January 11, from 2-3pm in the Hermann Room, join Mass Audubon‘s Long Pasture Wildlife Sanctuary Director Ian Ives as he explores the local increase in abundance of deer, coyote, fisher, turkey, bobcat and osprey and the conflicts, management measures and ethical considerations that arise as a result.

Ian Ives is the Director at Mass Audubon’s Long Pasture, Ashumet Holly, Barnstable Great Marsh and Skunknett River Wildlife Sanctuaries on Cape Cod. His job responsibilities include overall management of the sanctuaries and staff, community outreach, advocacy, environmental stewardship and education. One of his primary goals is to engage the community in Mass Audubon’s mission work and expand activities at the wildlife sanctuaries he oversees. He holds a Master’s degree in conservation biology from Antioch University – New Hampshire. Ian has a strong background in wetland restoration and endangered species management and is leading environmental advocacy and conservation projects across the Cape to help protect rare wildlife and threatened natural resources they depend on. Formerly, Ian was a Field Biologist for Hyla Ecological Services in Concord MA and was a zookeeper at the Franklin Park Zoo in Boston.

This lecture is courtesy of the Board of Library Trustees. Please register as space is limited.