No Refuge: Cape Cod's Coastal Crisis

04/22/2024

Just in time for Earth Day!

”No Refuge Cape Cod's Coastal Crisis” is a wrap. We spent just over one year in production and completed the work early this month. The Chatham Orpheum Theater hosted two sold out shows on April 10th and 11th and will continue to screen the documentary over the next few months. Please check their website for times,

“No Refuge” can be viewed anytime, downloaded, and shared here:

https://vimeo.com/928576394?share=copy

Special thanks go out to our funders and supporters who helped us get this project rolling and assisting us in pushing it over the finish line:

• Care for the Cape and Islands
• Chatham and Harwich Cultural Councils
• Chatham Orpheum Theater
• Friends of Monomoy
• Kickstarter and PayPal Contributors

We are aggressively pursuing avenues to get this free documentary viewed by the public, so please help us in this effort by making any suggestions of who we might contact to set up screenings.
The message of the documentary is clear, denying climate change is not an option. Ignoring it is a reckless gamble with our future and our children’s future. Take a stand and fight back against climate change!

For more information visit:

www.capecodclimate.org
www.capecodcommission.org

Please share this work with everyone! More information on this project can be viewed at: jc-digimedia.com Denying climate change is not an option. Ignoring…

10/27/2023

We are moving from Facebook and all "No Refuge: Cape Cod's Coastal Crisis" documentary updates will be posted on the project website:

jc-digimedia.com

We will let you know here when there are new updates but all content will be on the project website.

The latest update features the interview work conducted by Tim Wood and my self (Jan Crocker) as we wrap up this portion of the production work. Interviews were conducted with the following:

Michael Moore_ Senior Scientist, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute
Rich Delany_President and CEO of the Center for Coastal Studies
Brian McGurk_ Faith Communities Environmental Network (FCEN)
Bill Amaru _Cape Cod Commercial Fishermen’s Alliance
Ted Keon_Director of Coastal Resources, Chatham
Eddie Horowitz_President, Friends of Monomoy
Brian Harrington _ Emeritus biologist with Manomet and Red knot and shorebird conservation advocate
Christie Beckley_Monomoy Regional High School Climate Change Advocate
Rick Nye_ Refuge Manager_Monomoy National Wildlife Refuge

We have a working draft for the script completed and will continue to shoot B-Roll during the fall. Editing will begin in December with the completion date coming around the first of the new year 2024.

Thank you for all who have become contributing partners with our project, and even though the Kickstarter fundraising program has closed, we encourage everyone who wishes to support our project to visit the project website and make a contribution via the PayPal button on the site. You can also make a donation by connecting with this direct link:

https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=ZGUMGRFQ4RDM4

We look forward to seeing everyone at the Chatham Orpheum Theatre next year when we debut the documentary!

Jan Crocker and Tim Wood
No Refuge: Cape Cod's Coastal Crisis

08/18/2023

Our friend Kevin McLain, Director of the Chatham Orpheum Theatre https://chathamorpheum.org/, recorded this video to help make a last-minute pitch for our Kickstarter Campaign https://tinyurl.com/norefuge, which ends Sunday at 9 a.m.

To those of you who have already contributed, thank you so much. We're hoping others can consider a donation, no matter how small, to help us complete "No Refuge: Cape Cod's Coastal Crisis," our documentary about the erosion on Morris Island and the impact of climate change on Cape Cod. Our final screening of our "No Refuge" preview and the "Explore Monomoy" documentary happens Saturday at 10 a.m. at the theater; we anticipate seats being available, so spread the word!

As we continue to work on the documentary, we'll keep you, our supporters, informed on our progress via occasional emails. As we get closer to completion, we'll provide details on where and when to see the final film.

For those who have come to our screenings and contributed to our project, we again extend our thanks. We feel this is an important topic for the entire Cape, and having the support of the community through donations helps make it even more vital.

Best to all.
Jan and Tim
https://vimeo.com/855533856

This is "Kevin McLain For No Refuge: Cape Cod's Erosion Crisis" by Jan Crocker_Digimedia on Vimeo, the home for high quality videos and the people…

08/17/2023

It's the little things, even when it comes to climate change.

In an interview for our film “No Refuge: Cape Cod's Climate Crisis,” shorebird expert Brian Harrington said he's already starting to see changes to the invertebrates that live along the shore. They are at the very bottom of the food chain that many avian and fish species depend on, he said. We need a better understanding of the changes to the invertebrate community in response to climate change in order to figure out how that will impact the birds that nest on the Monomoy National Wildlife Refuge as well as the species of fish that occupy the waters of the Cape.

It's also the little donations that help make a project like ours viable. We're closing in on the end of our Kickstarter campaign — it ends at midnight Saturday, Aug. 19 — and we're hoping to find a few more generous backers to contribute whatever possible, no matter how small, to help us make this important film the best it can be:

https://tinyurl.com/norefuge

We're working on a program to get the documentary into local schools, theaters and other venues to maximize exposure to help educate the public about the impact of climate change and sea level rise. If you haven't contributed, please consider doing so. If you have, we thank you.

We're also having two final screenings of the “Explore Monomoy” documentary and our five-minute preview at the Chatham Orpheum Theater on Thursday, Aug. 17 and Saturday, Aug. 19, both at 10 a.m. Please spread the word; there should be plenty of seats available.

We'll have further announcements coming later this weekend. Thanks for your support!

Jan and Tim

08/10/2023

10...9...8...Kickstarter Campaign is counting down to 0 days to become a contributing partner!...here is a post from the FOM page and our interview with the Fabulous Eddie Horowitz President of the Friends group...🎤🎬🎧

The "No Refuge: Cape Cod’s Coastal Crisis" documentary Kickstarter Campaign is counting down its last 10 days. There is still time to become a contributing partner to the project and support the effort to help raise awareness of the erosion crisis at the Monomoy Refuge and greater Cape Cod caused by climate change and sea level rise. You can view a preview of the documentary and sample the contribution awards here:

https://tinyurl.com/norefuge

The Friends of Monomoy have provided seeding funds to help start up the documentary and the No Refuge team stopped by the Monomoy visitor center this past weekend to interview Eddie Horowitz, President of the Friends of Monomoy. Eddie shared his take on how the erosion at the refuge has impacted the visitor experience and what he sees for the future of the Friends group if the erosion claims the refuge headquarters and visitor center.

You can follow the progress of the documentary on the page here:

https://www.facebook.com/norefugedoc

Additional information can be found on the filmmaker's website at this link:

https://jc-digimedia.com/

08/08/2023

After 50 years of commercial fishing on Cape Cod, Bill Amaru has seen many change, from the rise in regulations and decline in species like cod to the arrival of southern fish species as the waters in the Gulf of Maine warm. When we interviewed Bill at Rock Harbor in Orleans last week, he talked about how local fishermen have rolled with the changes, adapting to each new challenge. But as new species begin to populate the waters around the Cape, he worries what the lack of a catch history for these fish -- upon which regulators base quotas -- will mean, because without a federal quota, fishermen can't catch or sell these new species. He's also concerned that as cod and other traditional species become scarcer and scarcer, the techniques used to catch these fish will be lost.

It's another aspect of the many impacts the warming climate is having on Cape Cod. While the erosion plaguing the U.S. Fish and Wildlife property on Morris Island in Chatham is the most visible expression of the crisis, the peninsula is undergoing many other changes that are less obvious. Well be exploring some of those in "No Refuge: Cape Cod's Coastal Crisis."

We've got less than two weeks to go in our Kickstarter campaign to raise the money we need to complete the documentary. If you haven't contributed, please consider doing so:

https://tinyurl.com/norefuge

And please share this with a friend, page, or group who may have interest in the subject, and also remind them of the upcoming screenings of "Explore the Monomoy National Wildlife Refuge" and the five-minute preview of "No Refuge" at the Chatham Orpheum Theater at 10 a.m. Aug. 17 and 19. Although both are technically sold out, we expect there will be seats available for those who show up without a ticket. Thanks for your support!

Jan Crocker and Tim Wood

07/31/2023

The climate news has not been good. Deadly heat covers a large swath of the country, torrential rains are causing catastrophic floods, and wildfires continue to rage in Canada, sending unhealthy air south of the border. Even though it's been hotter than usual here on the Cape, we're lucky that we have ocean breezes and relatively cool nights to temper the worst of it.

Recently we interviewed Neal Shalom, whose Morris Island property abuts the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Monomoy Refuge headquarters. The erosion that's eaten away at the bluff next door has flanked the revetment that's protected his property for nearly 20 years. We detailed the steps being taken to forestall further damage in our previous email, and Neal told us he's made overtures to the Fish and Wildlife Service to extend the revetment onto the agency's property, but the federal bureaucracy moves slowly. He expressed frustration with the situation as well as a resolve to do what it takes to protect his home.

What does this have to do with “No Refuge: Cape Cod's Coastal Crisis?” Neal's story is not unique; many shorefront properties on Cape Cod will face similar situations in the coming years, as sea level rises and storms intensify. Revetments may be appropriate in some circumstances, but in other places shoreline retreat may be something local towns and property owners have to face.

We've just got a few more weeks to go on our Kickstarter campaign. If you haven't contributed toward completion of our documentary, please consider doing so. Check out our Kickstarter page for rewards:

https://tinyurl.com/norefuge

We'll be screening both the “Explore Monomoy” documentary and a preview of “No Refuge” at the Chatham Orpheum Theater Aug. 17 and 19 at 10 a.m. At this time all tickets for both shows have been reserved, but the theater has a waiting list you can add your name to here. At past screenings there were plenty of seats available on the day of the show.

Please spread the word!
Jan and Tim

07/18/2023

The erosion of the bluff at the Monomoy National Wildlife Refuge headquarters is certainly dramatic, but it isn't happening in isolation. Immediately to the west are six private properties; although they are protected by rock revetments, the volatility created by the 2017 Fool's Cut and the subsequent loss of South Beach has put them in danger as well.

Last week we interviewed Gareth King, project manager for Coastal Marine Construction, which is installing erosion protection on the most impacted property immediately west of the refuge bluff. Sheet steel is being driven 60 feet into the ground as the first line of defense against the ocean, which is flanking the property's existing revetment, eating away at the upland and threatening the home. The erosion is among the worst he's seen in his 20-year career of working on shoreline infrastructure, Gareth told us. As erosion scours the remaining land away, exposing the steel, a rock revetment will be installed, but with the adjacent refuge land remaining unprotected, there's no guarantee the structures will save the private property from future erosion.

Sea level rise and increasingly severe storms are causing similar situations for property owners along the New England coast, especially on Cape Cod. By shining a light on the issue through “No Refuge: Cape Cod's Coastal Crisis,” we hope to raise awareness and help shift attitudes and behaviors to lessen the impact of climate change. You can help by telling your friends and neighbors about our documentary and contributing to our Kickstarter campaign; visit our page here https://tinyurl.com/norefuge where you can see a preview of the film.

Thanks for your support!
Tim and Jan

07/14/2023

Why should we be concerned about the impact of climate change on Cape Cod?

Last week, Dr. Mark Borelli, a coastal geologist with the Center for Coastal Studies in Provincetown, gave a few good reasons. For those concerned about the erosion on Morris Island in Chatham, climate change, chiefly in the form of sea level rise, is contributing to uncertainty and volatility in the barrier beach process. In a talk at the community center, Dr. Borelli said a change in the way sand flows along the shore of the Outer Cape means less is moving toward Chatham. Combined with more frequent and more severe storms, this could mean more erosion and less predictability in the system.

We interviewed Dr. Borelli for “No Refuge: Cape Cod's Coastal Crisis” (see photo below), and he outlined what, frankly, is a rather pessimistic view of the Cape shoreline's future. There are steps that can be taken to minimize the damage, however. Help us get disseminate this information by spreading the word about our documentary, and if you haven't already contributed, please visit our Kickstarter campaign page and check out the rewards.

https://tinyurl.com/norefuge

We also encourage you to visit the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Monomoy Refuge headquarters on Morris Island to see for yourself what is at stake.

06/29/2023

We are grateful to the Friends of Monomoy and Kevin McLain of the Orpheum Theatre for there support of our documentary "No Refuge: Cape Cod's Coastal Crisis" This presentation examines the impact of climate change and sea level rise on the Cape, with a focus on what is happening with the erosion crisis at Morris Island.

The first screening on June 24th got us out of the gate running on our Kickstarter campaign page. We raised over $1,400 from that screening and we are grateful to all that attended and contributed to our efforts.

Two more screenings have been added on August 17 and 19 @ 10:00 AM. If you would like to become a contributing partner, please visit our Kickstarter site at:

A Cautionary Documentary

06/29/2023

Thanks to producer Amy Vince and Host Mindy Todd of The Point on WCAI Cape Cod's public radio for having us on to discuss our documentary "NO REFUGE: Cape Cod's Coastal Crisis" You can here the discussion here:

A tour of the different habitats, wildlife and research at Monomoy.

06/21/2023

We are pleased to share with you this short 5:23 preview video of our documentary "No Refuge: Cape Cod's Coastal Crisis" Feel free to comment and please share with your friends the preview video and this page.

Work in progress of the preview video for the documentary "No Refuge: Cape Cod's Coastal Crisis"