Association to Preserve Cape Cod - this week... |
Morning at Paines Creek, Brewster. Photo by Sue Machie |
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| You think it says what? by Andrew Gottlieb, Executive Director
In case you were still wondering if Holtec, the limited liability corporation in charge of decommissioning the Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station, can be trusted, read this letter from EPA. The letter speaks for itself, but in summary, EPA is definitively telling Holtec that the EPA permit that Holtec holds means what it says in plain English. Holtec is prohibited from discharging radioactive water that contains conventional pollutants regulated under the federal Clean Water Act into Cape Cod Bay. The EPA permit is crystal clear about this prohibition despite Holtec’s outrageous efforts to both reinterpret and modify the permit language to suit its own objective.
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The EPA’s refutation of Holtec’s blatant attempt to alter the public record is a hopeful sign that Holtec’s effort to use Cape Cod Bay as a dumping ground will be resisted. It should also serve as due notice to us all that we must watch Holtec closely and take nothing for granted even if you think you know what the meaning of the word "is" is. |
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APCC in the news...
WCAI - Toxic blue-green algae blooms are back in local ponds |
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Cape Cod Ponds Network
Are you part of a pond group or pond association? Maybe you live on or frequent a favorite freshwater pond and would like to be more involved in caring for your pond. APCC and the Cape Cod Commission would like to learn more about you and your interests. Help us facilitate the new Cape Cod Ponds Network. Take the SURVEY. |
Registration is open.
The OneCape Summit, presented annually by the Cape Cod Commission, is a regional forum for information, collaboration, and innovation across major policy issues and areas. Attendees will hear from thought-provoking speakers and learn from peers engaged in efforts to address housing, climate change, water quality, and economic challenges. |
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Our Freshwater Ponds ~ The Jewels of Cape Cod |
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Above photo credit Beth Greeley |
| Above photo credit Francis Barton |
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Memories on Eagle Pond, Cotuit by Phil Odence I was just old enough to read and inquire about the somewhat crude sign that, among other restrictions, instructed, “No Fishing.”
With poles in hand, my uncle and I strode right past. He explained that we had permission from Otis Barton. Uncle Gates swooped in only every few years from Korea but certainly knew his way around Cotuit and remained a well-known character. Although my father took me fishing plenty, often with my grandfather, he was the sailing brother while Gates was renowned for his fishing enthusiasm and skill. He quite enjoyed taking me along as his sidekick. I wasn’t completely comfortable but figured permission or not, my uncle was more than capable of talking us out of any trouble. Actually, I’m sure he knew Mr. Barton although I don’t think I ever met the man.
Frederick Otis Barton, Jr. was a super-interesting Cotuit character, a marine scientist who, along with a guy called William Beebe, is credited with developing the Bathysphere, a sort of submarine, used for deep sea exploration. Born in 1899 to a wealthy family, Barton spent summers in the Little River part of Cotuit. In his teens, he experimented with a homemade diving helmet exploring the harbor floor. Evidently, the two also tested early Bathysphere prototypes in Cotuit Harbor before setting a depth record in 1930 with a dive off Bermuda.
Barton owned Eagle Pond and the lands around it from 1952 until 1980. He would have been in his sixties, about my current age, when we fished the pond. The property had been transferred to Barton from his brother Francis and his aunt Ellen Coolidge. The deed included a number of restrictions designed to protect the pond from development. The entire parcel, almost a mile along one of its triangular sides, was consolidated after the Civil War by Augustus Thorndike Perkins from pieces owned by Colemans, Lovells and other old Cotuit families.
It is a classic kettle pond, one of many on Cape Cod. They were all formed by retreating glaciers during the Ice Ages, which left large standing hunks of ice in their wake. Runoff from glacial deposits along the north edge of the Cape carrying solid material and flowing around remaining ice, which built up over time. Ultimately the ice chunks melted and left water-filled “kettles.”
Many of these silted in over time and formed cedar swamps like the nearby Almy Swamp. This and other such groves provided valuable cedar for shipbuilding. Many, though, were spring fed and thus remain as ponds – this being one of the most beautiful. Read more...
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Pond Stories are a collection of writings and other media from Cape Codders and visitors who love the almost 1,000 local ponds that dot the Cape. We hope this collection of stories awakens your inner environmentalist to think deeper about our human impacts to these unique bodies of water. |
Send us your favorite pond photo, story, poem, video, artwork--we want to share with everyone why the Cape's ponds and lakes are so special! Email your pond connection to [email protected] |
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| The Practice of Grounding
by Carol Marcy I am tired. It’s after lunch, a choice point. I’d love to take a nap but probably it would be helpful to do the Qigong practice that I missed this morning. It might give me some energy.
Standing bare footed in cool green grass under the grand canopy of the multi-trunked maple, I begin breathing deep belly breaths. Becoming aware of the soles of my feet connecting with solid earth, I begin to swing my arms. Moving through the warm-up, my feet feel more and more rooted mirroring the old maple. The rhythm of breathing connects with the movement. I become more aware of my body and its |
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plumb line, crown over heart over the base of my spine over the center of my feet. Energy begins to flow. The gentle wind, dancing maple branches, provides soothing leaf music. As the routine of The Eight Brocades series with Mimi Kuo-Deemer on YouTube unfolds, I am feeling calmed and centered.
During the last exercise in the series, I reach down, touch Earth and grass, uttering a blessing for the profound beauty of our beloved Mother Earth. I draw Her energy up through my legs and into the “sea of qi”, a very powerful energy center in the belly. Smiling, I feel the fullness of my heart. Then standing, arms by my sides, I gather up the energy of Earth lifting palms on either side, skyward joining the green light of Nature. Fingers reach through the green crown of the maple through the white puffy clouds into the vast blueness of sky to touch the light of the Sun. Slowly, both palms face the crown. With breath I bring that energy down through the marrow of my bones joining Heaven and Earth.
I become aware that I am no longer tired but ready to write this article. Aliveness that results from similar exercise patterns that are done with breath and awareness help us become grounded, like slow paced meditative forest bathing walks, a slightly faster paced mindful walk on woodland trails or along sandy beaches, planting and tending our gardens and sifting our fingers through rich soil. The simple practice of touching a tree, a flower or a favorite plant, pausing, connecting, feeling our roots join together is another way to ground. When our feet or hands have a conscious conversation with the Earth, we are providing a tremendous opportunity for healing and maintaining excellent health and well-being.
There are many studies, such as the work of medical doctor and author of The Earth Prescription: Discover the Healing Power of Nature with Grounding Practices for Every Season, Dr. Laura Koniver, that demonstrate “grounding” as a very helpful technique for regulating body, mind, emotions and spirit. Blood pressure is regulated, circulatory, nervous and meridian systems are optimized. Even the thyroid is brought into balance. My thyroid levels were a little high late last summer. My doctor wanted to put me on medicine. I asked her to give me six months during which time I was more careful with my diet and mindful of creating a consistent yoga and qigong practice. It worked!
It is no secret that we live in difficult and very tumultuous times. We all need ways to find more balance and harmony. I find that the practices that slow me down and create a profound sense of grounded connection are indispensable. The other day I read another article about the number of species dying even in our own Cape Cod Bay and in our ponds. It made my heart break. I looked outside into Nature’s wild garden behind my house at the trees being buffeted about by a cold June wind. I felt the strength and resilience of those trees. In that moment I knew that I too can be strong, do what I can to create balance inside and out in spite of a world turned upside down.
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Water Use Restrictions Already Posted in Your Town?
How about a rain barrel (or two) to harvest rainwater for your garden! |
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Jim and Alice's rain barrels. |
| APCC Rain Barrel Program
$99 includes delivery to your door via FedEx.
Upcycle Products repurposes food barrels, otherwise destined for the landfill, to make these rain barrels. Choose your color - gray, black, blue, or terracotta. For more information and to order online,
CLICK HERE. For a how-to-use video, check this out from
Brewster Conservation Trust! |
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A Cape Cod Native Plant-finder ~ to help you choose the perfect native plant for your garden location. |
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Black-eyed Susan, Rudbeckia fulgida |
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Email [email protected], 482 Main St, Dennis, MA 02638
and we'll send you a CapeCodNativePlants.org decal. |
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Looking for a speaker? Check out APCC's Speakers Bureau. APCC staff speak on a variety of topics and are available by Zoom. If interested, please contact the staff person directly to make arrangements. |
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Are you thinking of going solar? We hope so! In partnership with SUNPOWER BY E2 SOLAR in Dennis, APCC receives $500 for every solar installation when APCC is named as referral. |
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| Thank you to the homeowners who just contracted to install solar panels through E2 Solar. May the sun always shine for you! |
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| Every cup of coffee you drink could be supporting APCC's work and a local Cape Cod business.
But ONLY if it's Coastal Cape Blend from Cape Cod Coffee!
Order online. A portion of the proceeds for every bag of Coastal Cape Blend sold is donated to APCC. It's important to know that Cape Cod Coffee sources beans are Fair Trade & Rainforest Alliance certified,
and grown without the use of pesticides. |
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Expressions Gallery 578 Main Street, Chatham
CLICK HERE |
Cape Cod Businesses ~ Cape Cod photography to enrich the workplace
Ocean to Office. APCC has partnered with EXPRESSIONS, a fine art photography gallery located in Chatham center, to provide Cape businesses the opportunity to beautify their offices with coastal photography while directly supporting protection of our cherished environment. This special offering gives back to APCC. CLICK HERE to learn more. |
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Thank you to our business sponsors |
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