Barbara Brennessel

Barbara Brennessel, Ph.D. is Professor Emerita of Biology at Wheaton College in Norton, Massachusetts. She taught Biochemistry, Microbiology and other courses at Wheaton for 33 years. She currently lives on Cape Cod in Wellfleet. Her recent research is focused on the Diamondback Terrapin (Malaclemys terrapin). She wrote “Diamonds in the Marsh: A Natural History of the Diamondback Terrapin.” She also served on the Shellfish Advisory Board in Wellfleet, and wrote “Good Tidings: The History and Ecology of Shellfish Aquaculture in the Northeast.” Inspired by her volunteer work as a Board member for Friends of Herring River in Wellfleet, she wrote “The Alewives’ Tale: The Life History and Ecology of River Herring in the Northeast, ” and a book for children, “The Adventures of Allie the Alewife.” As part of the effort to educate others about the importance of restoring local watersheds and herring runs, she worked with colleagues to research and write a history of the Herring River in Wellfleet, “Tidal Water: A history of Wellfleet’s Herring River.”