The Environmental Studies Program operates a field station on the salt marsh side of Sandy Neck Beach in Barnstable, Cape Cod, approximately three miles from the paved parking facility. The field station is owned and operated by the Town of Barnstable and the Barnstable School department.
Long-term agreements between the town and Boston College have forged a collaborative teaching and research program that facilitates a variety of educational programs including graduate, undergraduate and secondary school student research projects, as well as science teacher training courses and field education programs. All programs are focused on the long-term ecological studies that are conducted on the Sandy Neck barrier beach system. The site serves as a data source for in-class analysis and discussion, plus a location for regularly scheduled field trips. In addition, Sandy Neck serves as a site for collaborative year-round independent undergraduate and graduate research in ecology and conservation biology.
Many of the Environmental Studies Program’s urban ecological studies stem from ongoing research conducted on Sandy Neck. The opportunity to use the barrier beach system and nearby suburbs for ecosystem comparisons has proven an invaluable resource in our quest to learn more about the adaptations that allow plants and animals to survive in urban centers.