Meghan Taylor of the Brewster Ponds Coalition recently sent this to us:
“The boys and I have been working on a small project. With the help of our amazing neighbors, we’ve developed a simple pledge in order to help protect our beloved Sheep Pond and the waters of Cape Cod. The pledge is threefold:
1. Commit to not using chemical fertilizers in your yard. Over-fertilizing leads to an increase in nutrients in the pond which causes algae blooms.
2. Commit to having your septic tank pumped every 2-3 years. Septic tank material can seep into the Cape’s soil.
3. Commit to decreasing or eliminating phosphate containing household cleaning products. There are lots of natural cleaning options now available in stores.
Taking the pledge and donating $20 to the Brewster Pond Coalition will get you a fun yard sign and help make a difference in our local environment. The Brewster Pond Coalition works to test and monitor our local ponds in order to keep us all safe and healthy. Our ponds are about 2-3.5 feet lower than average this year. Less water means that pollution makes more of an impact.”
Great work Meghan! These are great ways to commit to keeping your own pond clean as well as sharing with friends and family to create better pond health in their ponds too.
Got a Pond Story you want to share? Email Kristin Andres at [email protected]
Pond Stories are a collection of writings from Cape Codders and visitors who love the 1000 local ponds that dot the Cape. We hope this collection of stories, that are as much endearing as they are environmentally aware, will awaken your inner environmentalist to think deeper about our human impacts to these unique bodies of water. Check out these valuable resources to learn more about the current challenges Cape Cod ponds are facing and how you can be a better pond steward in your town.
