Richard Wheeler to paddle entire Buzzards Bay shoreline starting May 19.
The Buzzards Bay shoreline, from Westport to Cuttyhunk, is 281 miles long, but rather than letting that distance separate us, local historian and educator Richard Wheeler, along with the Buzzards Bay Coalition, is seeking to connect all the communities of the region.
Starting May 19th, the 81-year-old Wareham resident will be kayaking the entire shoreline of Buzzards Bay and meeting with school children from the cities and towns that make up the watershed community. The four week trip is in celebration of the Buzzards Bay Coalition’s 25th anniversary this year.
This is not the first long-distance paddle that Mr. Wheeler has undertaken. In 1991, driven by a concern for diminishing fish populations in the Western Atlantic, he undertook at 1,500-mile solo kayak journey from Newfoundland to Buzzards Bay, following the migratory path of the extinct great auk, the “penguins” of Buzzards Bay described by early explorers.
NOVA filmed the endeavor for a documentary, “The Haunted Cry of a Long Gone Bird,” which aired on PBS and garnered international acclaim. Time magazine named him a “Hero for the Planet” in 1998. Turning his attention closer to home, in 2008 Richard Wheeler paddled 1000 miles along the Wareham coastline as part of a Paddlethon to save the Wareham Library.
Now he is excited to explore the rivers and coastline that make up Buzzards Bay.
“There is no place quite like our Bay, whether you live in Dartmouth or Carver or Wareham or Bourne. It is magnificently beautiful and it connects us all,” said Mr. Wheeler. “I am excited to share that message with school children from across the region while celebrating the incredible achievements of the Buzzards Bay Coalition in these last twenty-five years.”
As Mr. Wheeler moves along the coast he will be meeting with over 500 school children hailing from Dartmouth, New Bedford, Mattapoisett, Wareham, Carver, Bourne, and Falmouth. Each participating school and community group will meet with Mr. Wheeler and will also participate in a hands-on, field-based experience provided by Bay Coalition environmental educators.
In addition to exploring the beaches, rivers and wetlands in their corner of Buzzards Bay, each group of students will bring a ‘Bay Neighbor’ gift that Mr. Wheeler will carry to the next community. The program intends to illustrate how our relationship and dependence on Buzzards Bay connects all of us, whether we live on the water or not. In addition to celebrating the Bay Coalition’s twenty-five year history it also highlights a primary goal of the organization moving forward.
“Our members, supporters and staff have worked tirelessly over the last twenty-five years to protect and improve the health of Buzzards Bay and its watershed, “said Rob Hancock, Vice-President of Education and Public Engagement at the Bay Coalition. “As we continue that important work we are also expanding our efforts to connect communities to the Bay in their own backyard. Richard Wheeler’s paddle is the embodiment of that effort.”
Schools are also excited to participate in the project. Cristin Petisca, a first-grade teacher at Mullen-Hall elementary in Falmouth, believes this program will be memorable for her students.
“We are tremendously excited to work with the Bay Coalition to help connect our students to the Bay and neighboring communities through this program,” says Petisca. “They will learn how our environment connects us, and will see in Richard Wheeler’s journey, how important it is to actively support what you believe in.”
The public and schools not directly participating in the program can still follow his travels at www.savebuzzardsbay.org/wheelerpaddle which includes a map documenting his progress and a blog that will be updated after every leg of the journey.
The public can also help kick off the event by participating in the Bay Coalition’s Bay Adventure Paddle on May 19th. The Bay Adventure starts at the Head of Westport, where participants can paddle the first stretch of the journey with Richard Wheeler. Information can be found at www.savebuzzardsbay.org/bayadventure