Spinnaker: An Entanglement Story, presented by Jesse Mechling of the Center for Coastal Studies

The Vineyard Haven Public Library is pleased to welcome Jesse Mechling, Director of Marine Education at the Center for Coastal Studies in Provincetown, for a presentation on Spinnaker–an 11-year-old humpback whale, whose skeleton provides important lessons for marine conservation. This event will be held at 6:00 PM on Tuesday, November 4th at the Katharine Cornell Theatre, located at 51 Spring Street in Vineyard Haven (above Tisbury Town Hall). Free and open to the public. No registration required.

Spinnaker is a 36-foot humpback whale skeleton installed at the Center for Coastal Studies in Provincetown in 2017. Spinnaker was an 11-year-old humpback, known to the Center since she was a calf, who tragically died after suffering many fishing-gear entanglements throughout her short life. Hear her story and marvel at images of the only large whale skeleton on Cape Cod, and the only whale skeleton in the world with the entanglement that led to her death still lodged in her bones. This program is suitable for all ages and tells the important message of long-term scientific studies and conservation efforts, as well as serious threats marine animals still face today. 

Jesse Mechling is the Director of Marine Education at the Center for Coastal Studies in Provincetown. The ocean and ocean life are among his great passions, and he relishes his role of introducing new generations to the wonders of the ocean. A lifelong visitor to Cape Cod and permanent resident since 2008, he received a masters from the University of Rhode Island in Marine Affairs and was a 2005 John Knauss Marine Policy Fellow in Washington DC, working for the National Ocean Service. He has over two decades of experience in marine policy and education, and has been with the Center since 2009. He lives in Eastham with his family.

For more information, please contact the library at vhpl_programs@clamsnet.org or (508) 696-4211.