Association to Preserve Cape Cod - this week... |
Sunset at Paine's Creek, Brewster. Photo by Sue Machie. |
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| Do…..Something by Andrew Gottlieb, Executive Director
Last week I mentioned that I was viewing The U.S. and the Holocaust. Now done with the series, but only still just beginning to digest its implications for the present, one comment made by Deborah Lipstadt stands out as particularly relevant. To paraphrase, she said that authoritarians are always testing to see how far they can go, what they can take and where the resistance will harden. Certainly, that dynamic played out tragically in World War II and it continues to resonate in today’s world. Just ask the Ukrainians fighting for their survival against an authoritarian aggressor. At home, January 6 was an authoritarian test run against the basic tenets of self-determination fundamental to our form of democracy.
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When considering these large forces playing out at national and international scale it is easy to become overwhelmed and passive. I mean, what can I do about Putin anyway, right? Most of us have this general sense that the center will hold and dampen the threat before it gets out of control. The very human response is then to go about our daily business as normal. While understandable, such a response invites the incursion. We have ample contemporaneous, as well as historical, evidence that more vigilance is required to protect that which we value.
Pick your issue and its clear and obvious that there are forces not aligned with the broader public interest looking to take advantage for their own gain. Think Holtec. Their desire to release radioactive water into Cape Cod Bay is an expression of their corporate financial interest at the expense of the public’s interest in a clean Cape Cod Bay. Think about those who profit from delaying the needed transition to a low carbon economy. The public has an overwhelming interest in slowing the effects of climate change, hello Florida, and yet needed efforts are being slowed by monied interests mining every last dollar from carbon heavy investments they fear will become economically diminished stranded assets. Think about efforts to make it harder to vote. Attempts to ensure minority rule are fundamentally contrary to the broader public interest.
The first step to holding our ground is to become informed. Pick you issue, or issues, and learn. Dig beneath the headlines and slogans and learn what is really going on and who is pushing toward what outcome. From there, pick a side and get involved. The time to make your stand is before something bad happens. I can assure you that someone somewhere is planning to do something, and looking for the opportunity to do so, that you would consider beyond the pale. Just because you can’t conceive of how far some will go doesn’t mean they won’t try to get there.
The only thing standing in the way of the merely self-interested all the way to the authoritarians is us, you and me. Please join me in thinking about what it means to push back and protect that which we treasure. But don’t just think about it, do something. This is going to take all of us. |
Plant more native species that support pollinators. |
It's amazing that butterflies can find their host plants when you think of how far and few between their opportunities may be, especially in highly developed neighborhoods that have mostly non-native species and lawn. For example, the butterfly bush (from China) wows gardeners and attracts butterflies, but doesn’t support the butterflies in the way their populations need, which is to provide a food source for the larval stage – the caterpillar. The winged stage of the butterfly can drink nectar from most anything, but if you don’t have the host plants that support the caterpillars, you won’t have the butterflies.
About 25 percent of our native wild bees in the eastern part of the U.S. are pollen specialists. This means, like the caterpillar of a butterfly that can only eat foliage of certain plants, so too, the larval stage of these bee species has specific dietary requirements for which no other pollen will do. If the required pollen-producing plants are not in the landscape, neither will there be these specialist bees. [Click here for a list of eastern wild bees and the plants they depend upon.]
Maybe you are one of a dozen specialist bees that relishes asters. Like peanut butter and jelly, fall asters bloom with the goldenrods. Lots of generalist bees depend on the late summer bonanza of goldenrods and asters. Interestingly, the eyes of bees see the yellow and purple as reciprocal colors, so when flowering together, these two plant genera create the strongest color contrast. The result is a blast of color, attracting a great mass of pollinators that will help ensure successful seed production.
Residential landscapes comprise over 135 million acres in the U.S., and more than 40 million of those acres are lawn. Safe to say that if you are one of the majority of insects that depends on finding certain native plants for the survival of your species, you would be campaigning for less lawn and more native plants. You would be spreading an appreciation for your species and others, for in protecting biodiversity, the resiliency of ecosystems is safeguarded. Whether you are a generalist or specialist, you are critically important to life on the planet. And if you are an insect reading this, you are very special indeed!
- an excerpt from "You Are Special" by Kristin Andres, as appeared in the Cape Cod Chronicle 9-8-2022. |
Are You Part of the Pollinator Pathway on Cape Cod? |
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A GULP OF SWALLOWS
by Jillian Glover
I am most drawn to bird life. Where I live, there are abandoned cranberry bogs laying beyond a meadow to the south, a short walk to the west is a small kettle pond, looking both north and east, is primarily scrub oak and pitch pine forest. These surroundings offer a wide variety of habitats for plants and wildlife.
The month of September rolled in with temperatures in the 80s and drought conditions. Goldenrods, asters and Queen Anne’s lace were still blooming in dry areas. Sweet pepperbush, groundsel tree and meadowsweet were holding on in the wet areas. As the month progressed, branches of bayberry become lined with clusters of waxy berries, roses are laden with hips. The cranberries are coloring up nicely, and arched branches of pokeweed dangle with dark purple berries. Acorns are dropping through the leaves of tall and small oaks. The staghorn sumac thickets glow with compact spires of fuzzy red berries. The growing season is winding down while simultaneously producing forage for both migrating and wintering wildlife.
September is a busy month in the avian world. Many species are feeding heavily, putting on fat in preparation for long migrations. Others will cache food for use later in the winter. Some birds like chickadees, titmice, and nuthatches will join up in small mixed flocks. They travel and forage together and collectively have the ability to alert each other of danger.
Early September, the numbers of tree swallows noticeably increased over the pond and bog. Then, in the course of four days, the numbers rose dramatically. There were more than I could count. Research reports that in some areas hundreds of thousands will flock together, often referred to as a “gulp.” Before sunset, the flock would swirl around and tighten. Small groups would drop and alight in the nearby trees and shrubs, adjacent to the bog. Some would settle into the cattail marsh, closer to the pond. Arriving at the wetlands one morning, I found the birds were gone. Tree swallows are reported to migrate during the day, often flying 200 miles before roosting in the evening. The migration path usually follows the coastline. Their final destination ranges from the South Atlantic coast down to Central America.
Late March, you may see the return of these hardy little birds. The various wetlands, such as ponds, bogs, marshes, wooded swamps, beaver ponds with rotted stands of trees, and meadows are where they frequent. The cheerful twitter is an indication that the tree swallows are thriving in the habitats that Cape Cod offers.
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Please join APCC at the rescheduled
Cotuit Harvest Festival Saturday, October 8th from 11:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. The event was postponed from last weekend due to bad weather. Come learn about ways to protect the environment, improve water quality, and make your fall garden shine with eco-landscaping, rain gardens, and native plants to support pollinators. APCC will be sharing details about our new stormwater management project to improve water quality at public boat ramps as well as upcoming information about meetings we will be hosting to get your input on proposed plans at 20 sites across the Cape.
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Protect What You Love by Peter Gwillim Kreitler Recently I saw a bumper sticker on Rte. 28 that said, 'I love Cape Cod.' I thought to myself, has that affection translated into action to preserve the Cape? As a boy, somewhere along the line, I was encouraged to protect that which I love. Later on I learned that the word environs meant surroundings. I wondered, does environment derive from environs? Then good old Google came in handy. The first use of the word environment was in 1603. And yes, the French ‘environ’ means surroundings.
Put the two together and you end up with protecting your neighborhood. It is natural for us to love where we live or recreate. I have spent 80 summers at the same home on Cape Cod, and I try to express my joy in being here by trying to protect it from further degradation. |
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Registration's Open! Cape Cod Climate Change Collaborative's 5th Annual Net Zero Conference FRIDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2022 8:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. (virtual)
Register here |
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APCC staff often gets asked to speak on various topics related to our advocacy: |
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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The Jewels of Cape Cod ~ Our Freshwater Ponds
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Schoolhouse Pond, Chatham. Photo by Sue Machie. |
Pond Stories is 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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A Cape Cod Native Plant-finder ~ to help you choose the perfect native plant for your garden location. |
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Black Chokeberry - Aronia melanocarpa |
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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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APCC Enewsletters. Our weekly newsletters will now be archived on our website and easily shared.
You can find the months of July and August here. |
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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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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 |
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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