Association to Preserve Cape Cod - this week... |
Mid-summer salt marsh, Brewster. Photo by Sue Machie |
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| Bone Dry by Andrew Gottlieb, Executive Director
It was supposed to rain on Cape Cod Monday. It didn’t, nor has it recently, and as anyone with a garden knows, the soil is dry as dust. Belatedly, the state finally recognized last week what we have all known for some time: that Cape Cod is in the midst of a moderate drought. Brown lawns, droopy foliage and low water levels in streams and ponds are all obvious signs of current conditions. Stick a shovel in the ground if you need any more convincing.
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We have had droughts before, and we will have them again, but this is different because of the excessive and oppressive heat we have experienced this year. The year is not over but it is a pretty good bet that this will be among the hottest years on record. The warmest seven years in recorded history have all been since 2015, so this is not an anomaly despite what the “science” team at Fox News may tell you.
As you may know, we at APCC promote minimization of lawns and utilization of native plants, embrace Cape Cod lawn types and avoidance of herbicides and fertilizers. This drought is pretty good evidence of why. APCC’s headquarters is dominated by native plantings and admittedly, they look a little heat weary right now. That said, we are not using thousands of gallons of precious drinking water fighting a losing battle to keep them wet. And we do that knowing that because these plant types are acclimated to our climate and are drought tolerant, that they will come back strong next year. That stands in stark contrast to manicured bluegrass lawn types that don’t really want to be here in the first place and demand a lot of water and fertilizer to stay green and survive the drought.
A yard based on native plants is more resilient and better suited to handle the extremes of our altered climate. Now is a really good time to look out at your brown lawn and resolve to make changes, even if that means simply overseeding with clover instead of replanting grass. Better still, if your lawn remains green and lush because of all the water and fertilizer you are applying, please think hard about changing your yard care practices to become more compatible with the needs of the environment.
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Advocacy works! We would like to extend our appreciation to the Legislature for its support of state environmental agencies in the recently passed budget. Funding levels for multiple agencies were increased, thereby helping to support important environmental programs that will benefit Cape Cod and the rest of the Commonwealth. |
Lend your voice!
APCC signed on to a letter with 54 other organizations in support of S.530, An Act relative to maintaining adequate water supplies through effective drought management, and urge the Senate Ways & Means committee to report the bill out favorably. You can help too by emailing the committee members with this message: “Dear Chair Rodrigues, Vice Chair Friedman, and Members of the Senate Committee on Ways & Means,
My name is ___________ and I am a resident of ___________. I respectfully urge the committee to report S.530, An Act relative to maintaining adequate water supplies through effective drought management, favorably out of committee. This is a top priority for me and my community, since we are currently in a drought.
Climate change is bringing more frequent and severe droughts to Massachusetts, and our management is falling short. The drought bill would give the state the authority to require water conservation during drought, implementing a more impactful regional approach to drought management before an emergency hits. Scaling up our response will give our waterways (and the people and wildlife that depend on them) the best chance at a healthy future.
Please prioritize this bill for passage this session. Thank you for your time and consideration." |
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Pollinator Spotlight ~ Monarch Butterfly Danaus plexippus |
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This week, the monarch butterfly was listed by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (ICUN) as an endangered species. "The western population is at greatest risk of extinction, having declined by an estimated 99.9%, from as many as 10 million to 1,914 butterflies between the 1980s and 2021. The larger eastern population also shrunk by 84% from 1996 to 2014. Concern remains as to whether enough butterflies survive to maintain the populations and prevent extinction."
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What you can do to help monarchs...
1. Plant more milkweed species that are native to our area. Species include rose milkweed (Asclepias incarnata), butterfly milkweed (Asclepias tuberosa), whorled milkweed (Asclepias verticillata), poke milkweed (Asclepias exalta),clasping milkweed (Asclepias amplexicaulis), and where you have wild places, common milkweed (Asclepias syriaca). 2. Avoid use of pesticides in your yard.
3. Expect monarch caterpillars to eat milkweed leaves, as well as other insects that depend on milkweed for their life cycles. They will be living off of your milkweed, so if you are able, plant several milkweed plants!
4. Let nature takes its course. While it's interesting to rear a caterpillar if you've never seen the miraculous process, according to the invertebrate scientists and conservationists, it is not a good practice for the survival of the species, nor is rearing caterpillars from a purchased source for release.
5. Plant asters and goldenrods to support monarch butterflies in their fall migration to Mexico. |
APCC's Cyanobacteria Monitoring Program |
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Flume Pond, Falmouth 7/21/2022 |
| West Reservoir, Harwich 7/21/2022 |
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You'll find an interactive map with pond status and more information about our cyanobacteria monitoring program on our website APCC.org/cyano. |
Pond group volunteers help make APCC's cyanobacteria monitoring program work! They make observations and collect pond samples that APCC staff analyze for cyanobacteria. |
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APCC is offering an internship position that begins in mid-August and ends in mid-November. This is a paid internship with no benefits. The typical work schedule is a 37.5-hour work week over 4-5 days M-F. For the job description, click here. |
Our Freshwater Ponds ~ The Jewels of Cape Cod |
Cape Cod Ponds Network
Join us in person for the second ponds network meeting to be held Tuesday, August 2nd at 2:30 p.m. at Wequasett Resort, Harwich at OneCape. Space is limited. Please register here. The meeting will be recorded. More about the meeting and the link to registration can be found on the Cape Cod Commission's Ponds and Lakes webpage. |
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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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Water Use Restrictions Posted in Your Town?
How about a rain barrel (or two) to harvest rainwater for your garden! |
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| 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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Cutleaf Coneflower - Rudbeckia laciniata |
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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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