At 60 years old, he took a four-month, 1,500 mile kayak trip from Newfoundland to Buzzards Bay to raise awareness about the untimely extinction of the great auk.

His upcoming four-week, 281 mile paddle from one tip of Buzzards Bay to the next is a bit shorter, but its cause is no less important.

On Saturday, May 19, 81-year-old Onset resident Richard Wheeler set off to kayak the entire shoreline of Buzzards Bay, advocating for clean water and celebrating the 25th anniversary of the nonprofit Buzzards Bay Coalition, which works to protect and restore the bay.

"It's always appealed to me," Wheeler said of his upcoming paddle through the bay. "I can imagine once it's done it can be stylized and people can do it in small chunks under the auspices of the Coalition" or a local kayak club, he added.

The adventure began on the Westport River, where the Buzzards Bay Coalition and supporters sent Wheeler off at Osprey Sea Kayak at the Head of Westport.

"I'm doing this as I try to live a normal life," said Wheeler, pointing out that he will not be camping out along the shore for this trip as he did for the big 1,500 mile paddle. "I'm kind of a truncated commuter!"

Wheeler has, he says, "my pick-up man" who will drop him off at his start-off location and pick him up after he meets various points throughout the bay, where he will stop to speak with local school children along with the Buzzards Bay Coalition.

The students will explore their area of Buzzards Bay with Wheeler and the Coalition. The groups will then give Wheeler a "Bay Neighbor" gift that he will carry to the next community.

Wheeler "saw this as a great way that he could highlight what connects us in this region and how all of these communities are brought together by the bay," said Rob Hancock, Buzzards Bay Coalition Vice-president of Education and Public Engagement. He noted: "He's been a great friend of our organization for many years."

In 2010, the Coalition named its learning center in honor of Wheeler, commending him for the 1,500-mile trip from Newfoundland to Buzzards Bay which followed the migratory path of the great auk, a bird humans drove to extinction in the 1800s. The trip was documented by PBS and is still shown across the world.

Wheeler will make two stops in Wareham along the trip. He will meet fifth-graders from Carver Elementary School on the Weweantic on June 5 during a stop at the Route 195 boat launch. He'll be in Onset on June 6, meeting with members of the Boys & Girls Club at Onset Beach.

Wheeler said simply: "It'll keep me busy for the next three weeks."

Want to track Richard Wheeler on his journey? Visit www.savebuzzardsbay.org/wheelerpaddle to view a map of the route and read a blog, which will be updated after every leg of the trip.