I had a dream recently that reflects my view of the choice Cape Cod has before it. In my dream I was driving a car that was headed toward a bend in the road. My passenger reached over and held my arms to prevent me from changing direction. We missed the turn and went off the road.
Only about 14 percent of Cape Cod is not yet developed—or protected. Just 50,000 acres is up for grabs, and 80 percent of that is identified as priority natural resource areas. What happens to that land determines our future.
To understand what is at stake, understand this: priority natural resources areas are the land that provides the fresh drinking water we rely on; the land around ponds, rivers, and bays that determines if they are clean or dirty; the freshwater wetlands and marshes that provide a place for flood waters to be other than in your basement, yard or roads; and the forests and fields that provide habitat for the animals and plants that bring life to Cape Cod.
Back to my dream. Think of the road as the development pattern we have experienced over time. We have developed 46 percent of the Cape, and that development has created a place for many of us to live, raise families, vacation, and do business. The type of development that characterizes Cape Cod has also brought with it traffic, a high cost of living, poor water quality, and a fragmented landscape. The bend in the road is the choice we have today: Will we treat the remaining 14 percent of our land differently? Making the turn and protecting the priority natural resource areas that remain offers Cape Cod a better and more sustainable long-term economy and environment.
APCC has launched The Cape We Shape campaign to educate and empower citizens to help navigate the bend in the road so that we permanently protect the priority natural land that remains. I urge you to visit The Cape We Shape website to learn more and to see how you can get involved.
This first installment is just the why. Stay tuned, sign up, and get involved to learn about the how.
