Association to Preserve Cape Cod - this week... |
|
|
| All In for '23 by Andrew Gottlieb, Executive Director We at APCC are all in on our work. We see challenges and opportunities all around us and we have upped our commitment to make a difference and advance the cause of environmental protection and advocacy for Cape Cod. |
|
|
The last few years have been good ones for APCC. We have made a difference on water quality, resource restoration, habitat preservation and restoration of native landscapes, just to name a few. We have been empowered to achieve our successes by the generosity of our supporters and, finding ourselves on firmer ground, we will be expanding our capabilities in 2023 to do more in the areas of freshwater water quality, wetlands assessment and restoration, and promotion of native plants and improved landscape practices. You will hear more about all of this as 2023 unfolds, but know that as the calendar turns, APCC is investing further in the environmental future of Cape Cod.
While increasing our response capabilities to meet the new challenges we face, we will keep our eye on the ball by: -
Ensuring that the Upper Cape Water Supply Reserve is not threatened by the ill-conceived siting of a multipurpose machine gun range.
- Preventing Holtec from using Cape Cod Bay as a nuclear waste dump.
- Keeping the pressure on to lower nutrient loads that are killing our marine and freshwaters, and seeing to it that the rules governing septic systems are updated.
-
Ensuring that the much-needed new canal bridges are designed to minimize any environmental impacts.
- Releasing an update of the State of the Waters: Cape Cod in early 2023 to keep the focus on improving water quality.
-
Highlighting the loss of habitat on Cape Cod due to development, and promoting strategies to ensure that the remaining unprotected open space is preserved to maintain water quality, habitat, and environmental quality.
- Preventing the mindless destruction of the native landscape in the name of housing development strategies we know will not address affordability, but will result in further degradation of the Cape.
There will no doubt be more issues that arise, and we will be ready to meet the challenges as they emerge. We are busy living here and hope the same for you and yours. Best wishes for a happy, healthful, and enriching 2023. |
In Appreciation: Dr. Brian Howes by Andrew Gottlieb, APCC Executive Director
The sudden and untimely passing of Dr. Brian Howes has left a huge hole in regional efforts to restore water quality. Brian was a giant in the field of understanding nutrient impacts on water quality and nowhere was the impact of his work greater than here on Cape Cod, his chosen home for decades. The basis of the entire nutrient management effort on Cape Cod is built on the foundational work Brian and his team led in the Massachusetts Estuaries Project. In that regard alone, Brian’s legacy is vast but, as with all of us, there was more to Brian than the work side.
Not only is Brian’s passing a blow to the work of improving water quality that is central to APCC’s mission, but it is also deeply personal as well. I have lost a companion and a friendship built over the span of more than three decades. Beyond a shared interest in restoring the waters of Cape Cod, we connected on a personal level. While Brian was older than me, a fact I raised often, his kids were younger than mine, so I found myself in the rare position of perhaps knowing just a little more than he did sometimes. While our conversations often had a work element to them, they almost always had a greater focus on kids and family. It is from those hundreds of conversations that my knowledge of, and appreciation for, the fullness of who Brian was formed. Brian’s spoke with great affection about his two daughters and did everything he could to help them through their personal journeys. No matter what we needed to talk about, there was always time to talk about Brian’s girls. It wasn’t an afterthought, nor was it for show. It was an expression of who and what Brian was.
I’ll miss our regular lunches at the pub. I’ll miss mocking Brian for getting the exact same thing for lunch, a cup of soup and half a sandwich, every time for over three decades. I’ll miss sitting alone at the table waiting for him despite knowing in advance that he would be late. I’ll miss having the ability to bounce ideas off him and having the benefit of his expertise to ground my thoughts. As much as anything, I’ll miss talking family with him. Cape Cod and all concerned with improving water quality will miss his acumen, historical insights, and persistent drive to make the environment better. While the work to improve water quality will continue because Brian helped start a movement that will not be derailed, it is going to be harder and a lot less fun without him.
When our bays are restored and the environment has healed, it will be in large part to the efforts of Dr. Brian Howes. The fact that he will not be here to enjoy the results of his work does nothing to diminish his centrality to the movement. All of us who value clean water will benefit from Brian’s work, and we all owe him a debt of gratitude. Thank you, Brian. Rest in peace. |
With Sincere Gratitude to Our Volunteers - Thank You! |
We are so grateful to all of you who volunteered your time in 2022 to APCC's programs and projects. These are just some of the many tasks you helped with:
- Counted herring every week from April to June to help state fisheries managers monitor the status of the herring population.
- Helped us monitor cyanobacteria in over 140 ponds around the Cape by collecting water samples and delivering them to APCC's office for analysis.
-
Planted and cared for APCC's vegetable garden.
- Weeded out invasive species and uninvited plants, mowed and helped maintain the APCC living landscape.
- Researched and compiled media articles on cyanobacteria.
-
Researched and assembled fact sheets for native plant species to make our CapeCodNativePlants.org website robust (currently at 100 species and more to add!).
- Helped review and edit outreach materials.
- Stuffed envelopes, filled seed packets, and distributed outreach materials to libraries.
-
Contributed photos, poems, artwork, stories, videos, and articles for the purpose of sharing your love of the Cape's environment, and to further APCC's programs.
- Helped to prepare, organize, care for plants, make signage, and prepare orders to make our second annual native plant sale a huge success. Thanks, Plant Sale Team!
You gave of your time and talents and expanded our capacity to achieve some important work. Thank you. And we look forward to working with you and new volunteers in 2023!
~ APCC Board and Staff |
|
|
The Cape is still in a Level 2 - Significant Drought
“Despite the fact that significant rain has fallen so far in December, droughts reflect deficits that build up over time and it will take time for water levels in some parts of the Commonwealth to return to normal,” said MassDEP Commissioner Martin Suuberg. “We continue to urge residents to follow the water-use recommendations of their local water supplier to help protect their water resources for the future.” Guidance from the Commonwealth related to significant drought conditions: Residents and Businesses: - Minimize overall water use; and,
- Follow local water use restrictions.
Immediate Steps for Communities: -
Limit washing of hard surfaces (sidewalks, patios, driveways, siding); personal vehicle or boat washing; and,
- Establish water-use reduction targets for all water users and identify top water users and conduct targeted outreach to help curb their use.
Short- and Medium-Term Steps for Communities: - Establish a year-round water conservation program that includes public education and communication;
- Provide timely information to local residents and businesses;
-
Implement or establish drought surcharge or seasonal water rates;
- Check emergency inter-connections for water supply; and,
- Develop or refine your local drought management plan using guidance outlined in the state Drought Management Plan.
|
APCC and the Brewster Garden Club hosting a webinar: Tidmarsh – A Study in the Restoration of Wetlands on Cranberry Farms Wednesday, January 4, 2023 at 10:00 a.m. Speaker: Glorianna Davenport, co-founder and president of Living Observatory
Virtual event is free. For more information and to register CLICK HERE. |
Looking for a Way to Celebrate the New Year? |
About #FirstDayHikesCapeCod
Championed by Barnstable Land Trust and supported by local conservation organizations, First Day Hikes Cape Cod is an initiative designed to encourage people to get outdoors with free guided walks and activities to explore Cape Cod’s parks, trails, and natural resources. Nonprofit conservation organizations offering hikes in 2023 include the Barnstable Land Trust, Brewster Conservation Trust, Chatham Conservation Foundation, Dennis Conservation Land Trust, 300 Committee Land Trust (Falmouth), Harwich Conservation Trust, Orenda Wildlife Land Trust, Orleans Conservation Trust, Friends of Bass River, and Friends of Herring River (Wellfleet and Truro). To find out more, check participating organizations websites or see the full schedule of events at www.blt.org/firstdayhikescapecod
|
APCC Supports Proposed DEP Water Quality Improvement Regulations - Your Comments Matter
The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection has drafted proposed regulations that significantly strengthen the rules governing the use of septic systems and encourage and incentivize towns to obtain watershed management permits. Both sets of regulations are critical, time sensitive and warrant support. It has been evident for decades that septic systems, even legal ones compliant with state and local rules, are the source of, not the solution to, the deterioration of water quality in the Cape’s marine estuaries and bays.
|
In response to requests made during the public hearings, the public comment period for the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection’s (MassDEP) draft amendments to the Title 5 regulations, 310 CMR 15.000, and the new, related Watershed Permit regulations at 314 CMR 21.00, has been extended until January 30, 2023. MassDEP will be hosting two additional public hearings: Remote Only, January 24, 2023 at 6:00 p.m. Register at:
https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_veLVS545RCqGZhI6tuN2rQ Remote Only, January 25, 2023 at 6:00 p.m. Register at:
https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_Is2pAS_cR_uXvNhhs5r3oQ
MassDEP also intends to hold two additional information sessions on: January 17, 2023 at 6:00 p.m. (remote) and January 18, 2023 at 6:00 p.m. (hybrid). More information about how to participate in these sessions will be provided on MassDEP’s website.
MassDEP has proposed these amendments and regulations to enhance protection of embayments and estuaries—particularly on Cape Cod, the Islands, the southern portion of the South Shore and the South Coast in Southeastern Massachusetts—from nitrogen pollution originating primarily from wastewater. The proposed amendments will allow MassDEP to designate new Natural Resource Area Nitrogen Sensitive Areas (NSA) and add nitrogen reduction provisions within these areas for Title 5 systems. The new Watershed Permit regulations at 314 CMR 21.00 provide a voluntary watershed permitting approach for communities to control nitrogen and other pollutants from entering the embayments and estuaries.
The draft regulations are published on the MassDEP website at: https://www.mass.gov/info-details/massdep-public-hearings-comment-opportunities and at: 310 CMR 15.000: Septic Systems ("Title 5") | Mass.gov and 314 CMR 21.00: Watershed Permit Regulations | Mass.gov
Recordings of previously held information sessions and public hearings can also be found here: 310 CMR 15.000: Septic Systems ("Title 5") | Mass.gov
Oral comments will be received at the above public hearings in January 2023 and written comments can be submitted via email to [email protected]. Please put “Title 5 and Watershed Permitting” in the subject line. Written comments may also be submitted by mail and should be sent to MassDEP, Bureau of Water Resources – Division of Watershed Management, 100 Cambridge Street, suite 900, Boston, MA 02114, Attention: Title 5 & Watershed Permit.
For your convenience, APCC has created an online form to submit your comments. Click here. |
What do you see when you go outside?
|
|
|
|
The Pollinator Pathway Cape Cod is a group of organizations promoting native plants and pollinator-friendly land care practices to create a load of safe oases for our native bees, butterflies and a whole host of other pollinators that are crucial to the health of our ecosystems. Join us! It's easy. There are no fees. You just need to pledge to ADD native plants, SUBTRACT a little lawn, AVOID yard chemicals, especially pesticides, and LEAVE the leaves. And, help us spread the word. If you wish, please get on the map to show your support of pollinators!
|
|
|
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. |
|
|
The Jewels of Cape Cod ~ Our Freshwater Ponds |
Wakeby Pond, Mashpee. Photo credit Donna Vorhees
|
|
|
Pond Stories is a collection of writings and other media from Cape Codders and visitors who love the 890 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] |
|
|
A Cape Cod Native Plant-finder ~ to help you choose the perfect native plant for your garden location. |
|
|
|
Christmas Fern, Polystichum acrostichoides |
|
|
| APCC Enewsletters. Our weekly newsletters will now be archived on our website and easily shared. Here, you can find past newsletters from July 2022 on.
Share this with your friends and they can sign up HERE. |
|
|
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. |
|
|
| Thank you to the homeowners who just contracted to install solar panels through E2 Solar. May the sun always shine for you! |
|
|
| 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! Look for the new label. 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. |
|
|
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. |
|
|
Thank you to our business sponsors |
|
|
Our Contact Information *{{Organization Name}}* *{{Organization Address}}* *{{Organization Phone}}* *{{Organization Website}}*
*{{Unsubscribe}}* |
| |
|
|