Association to Preserve Cape Cod - this week...

Photo by Sue Machie

What I'm Thinking...

Setting the Table

by Andrew Gottlieb, Executive Director

Back in 2021, APCC proposed that the Barnstable County Commissioners move forward on two critical water quality initiatives. Fast forward to 2023 and those two proposals, the Freshwater Initiative and a sliding scale loan program (AquiFund) for septic upgrades and sewer connections, are now a reality. APCC has always prided itself in being able to work on current problems, while also helping to set the agenda for what is ripe for discussion to address the long term needs of the Cape.

So then, the question is less about what we have most recently achieved, but rather what is next on the agenda. There is no lack of complex and difficult issues that require creative problem solving and we have many of them in our sights. There are plenty of issues raised in our recently updated State of the Waters: Cape Cod report as well as our newest natural resource assessment report detailing the impact of development pressures on the landscape and habitat of Cape Cod, called Hanging in the Balance. APCC will be outlining creative and thoughtful proposals on how to extend and improve financing options to help towns and homeowners manage the costs of water quality initiatives, how to rise above petty rancor and bridge differences of opinion on much needed regulations governing watershed permits and septic installations, how to provide major new protections of remaining critical open spaces and priority habitat while addressing the need for certain types of housing, utilizing existing statutory authority to prevent the use of Cape Cod Bay as a nuclear waste dump and to accelerate the pace of wetland restoration projects as a response to declining water quality and climate change.

That’s a full agenda but setting the table with the issues that shape our environmental future is why APCC exists and what we do especially well. Keep your eyes on this space.

Herring Count Volunteers Needed for 2023

Spring is just around the corner and we’re once again seeking volunteers to count river herring.

River herring include alewife (Alosa pseudoharengus) and blueback herring (A. aestivalis), both listed as Species of Special Concern by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. River herring are important in the coastal food web, but despite an ongoing moratorium banning their catch, sale and possession, herring populations remain perilously low. Count data are urgently needed to document their presence.

Volunteer counts of herring provide valuable scientific data on herring populations and are used by fisheries managers to manage and protect herring stocks. Herring counts also help to document the need for restoration or improvement of fish runs, and the success of restoration projects.

Cape Cod has many herring runs that provide opportunities for volunteers to view the spring herring migration while collecting valuable scientific data. This year, volunteers are needed to count herring along the following runs:

Stony Brook, Brewster
Bound Brook and Scargo Lake, Dennis
Bridge Pond and Herring Pond, Eastham
Trunk River and Coonamessett River, Falmouth
Mashpee River, Quashnet River and Santuit Pond, Mashpee
Mill Creek, Sandwich

See our website signup for a full list of runs where volunteers are needed.

Volunteers are needed to count several times a week between April 1 and June 1. Counts are done for 10 minutes. Volunteers must be able to safely traverse rough terrain, be able to visually see fish in the stream, and provide their own transportation to and from the counting site. The counts are reported to APCC via our website data entry system.

People interested in counting herring can sign up at APCC’s website. To learn more about APCC’s herring count program, instructions for counting, past run sizes, and our website data entry system for volunteers, visit APCC’s website. If you have questions, contact Dr. Jo Ann Muramoto, APCC’s director of science programs, at jmuramoto@apcc.org.

APCC Welcomes New Staff Members to the Team!

Dr. Julie Hambrook Berkman is APCC’s new pond and cyanobacteria program manager. Julie has a Ph.D. in biological sciences from the University of Rhode Island, and her environmental research spans ecosystems from coastal Venezuela to freshwater studies on Baffin Island and the Alaskan North Slope. She worked with the U.S. Geological Survey’s National Water Quality Assessment Program (1992-2009) evaluating the biological health of rivers and streams in relation to water chemistry, physical habitat, and watershed land use.

As a senior aquatic ecologist, she published methods for algae collection and algal biomass indicators, provided training, and organized a symposium on Algae as Water Quality Indicators Past, Present and Future that included a press conference on algal toxins (1999). In addition to research, she collaborated with state agencies to secure funding for a citizen’s lake sample collection training program while president and board member of the Ohio Lake Management Society (2004-2008).

Julie has a master’s degree in education from the University of New Hampshire and enjoys engaging people in thinking about their environment on many different levels. In Cambridge, UK, she formed and served as director of the Foundation for Good Governance of International Spaces (Our Spaces), an NGO.

Julie recently moved to Falmouth and is delighted to begin working with APCC, where she will be managing APCC’s new Pond Monitoring Program and the ongoing Cyanobacteria Monitoring Program. Julie looks forward to meeting the many citizens and organizations who care about Cape Cod’s 890 ponds and how we can preserve and improve pond water quality for the benefit of all.

Dorria "Dee" Marsh is APCC's new assistant education and outreach coordinator. Dee is responsible for assisting with the coordination and care of APCC's volunteer program, and the development of educational and outreach materials in support of APCC's initiatives, programs, and special projects. She provides support for creative content development, communication, and event management.

Dorria is the founder and co-leader of the Cape Cod Conservation Communication Cohort, a group that connects Cape Cod and regional conservation communication professionals. She was lead coordinator for Brewster Conservation Day, a Cape-wide educational fair.

Advocacy works! Back in 2021, APCC urged this action, and we are glad the County has acted on our recommendation.

AquiFund Launched

Barnstable County has expanded and rebranded its low interest loan program for repairs and replacements of septic systems to include loans for sewer connections. The program is now called AquiFund.

Barnstable County residents can apply for low-interest betterment loans for repairing or replacing failed septic systems, upgrading to alternative septic system technologies, as well as installing sewer connections.

Interest rates for new applicants will be calculated based on financial need along with additional qualifying criteria:

Zero percent interest rate betterment loans are available to year-round homeowners with a household income less than $100,500 living in a single-family, owner-occupied, primary residence located in a nitrogen-sensitive watershed.
Two percent interest rate betterment loans are available to year-round homeowners with a household income less than $150,500 living in a single-family, owner-occupied, primary residence located in a nitrogen-sensitive watershed.
All other new projects are eligible for loans at 4 percent.

APCC in the Field...

APCC's restoration ecologist, April Wobst, was out in the field with Horsley Witten Group, Inc. in the town of Yarmouth last Friday, completing a field assessment to identify potential sites for stormwater improvements in south Yarmouth.

Team managers (left to right) April Wobst (APCC), Amanda Lima (town of Yarmouth) and Michelle West (Horsley Witten Group) met with the team to strategize and review sites prior to heading out in the field.

April Wobst with Horsley Witten staff review existing stormwater infrastructure at Wilbur Park to identify areas where additional green infrastructure may be added to improve treatment of runoff before washing into Bass River.

Gemma Kite of Horsley Witten Group examines the large amount of sediment buildup coming from road runoff. This site might provide opportunity for a constructed wetland to address sediment runoff and remove pollution from the stormwater before it enters the adjacent wetland resource area north of Bass River.

APCC volunteer photographer Gerald Beetham joined the team to document the work and proved again to be an ever helpful resource able to help fix a flat on the fly. Thank you, Gerry!

An In Person Event

On Saturday, March 25th at 1:00 p.m., the Barnstable Youth Commission, Barnstable High School Green Club, and Sturgis East Environmental Club are hosting an event called "PFAS and Your Community." There will be a screening of short films about the impact of PFAS pollution on human health and the environment followed by a panel discussion.

Panelists include Massachusetts State Senator Julian Cyr and Dr. Laurel Schaider, senior scientist at Silent Spring Institute, among other local leaders and experts. Dr. Schaider is the lead investigator of the Massachusetts PFAS & Your Health Study, which is sponsoring the event. See below for more details.

APCC Request for Proposals for Weir Creek Tidal Restoration

APCC is seeking experienced and qualified consultant(s) and/or engineering firm(s) to complete feasibility studies, alternatives analysis and design plans for the tidal restoration of Weir Creek. The purpose of this project is to complete early planning and design for this tidal restoration including: a comprehensive hydraulic and hydrologic study; an alternatives analysis for culvert design to maximize ecological restoration and minimize flooding to low-lying properties; site survey and existing conditions plan; and preliminary design plans (30/60%) for the preferred alternative.

The project period is March of 2023 through June 30, 2024. Proposals are due no later than 4:00 p.m. on Wednesday, March 15th, 2023. A Zoom meeting will be held on Tuesday, February 28th at 2 p.m. to answer questions from bidders. Contact awobst@apcc.org for questions.

Download the full RFP with information and details here.

APCC is Accepting Applications for

Seasonal and Year Round Positions

We are accepting applications for the following positions

For more information on these position openings,

CLICK HERE.

Hanging in the Balance - A New APCC Report

Hanging in the Balance: An Urgent Call for Protecting Cape Cod’s Natural Resources is a report by APCC that provides a comprehensive analysis of key natural resources on Cape Cod. The report examines past and present impacts to natural resources, current threats, case studies, and recommended actions that promote protection, preservation and restoration of the region’s most important resource areas.

^{Click here for the report pdf.}

It's Storytime!

Click on the photo below to reach the Hanging in the Balance story map. Don't know what a story map is? It's a format that allows images, both still shots, maps, and video to be linked together in one smooth transition accompanied by text. Once you click the photo, you will be at the story map. Then simply scroll down through the images and text that tell the story.

The Jewels of Cape Cod ~ Our Freshwater Ponds

Springtime photo of Dollar Pond, Brewster by Steven Koppel.

If you are interested in starting a pond group, or just want to know more about what others are doing around the Cape to protect freshwater ponds, join the Cape Cod Pond Network.

Sign Up Here.

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 kandres@apcc.org

Have a favorite pond? Want to connect with others who are active in protecting their ponds? Join the Cape Cod Ponds Network. For more information about past meetings of the Pond Network and to sign up (scroll down the page), click here.

SAVE THE DATE!

Thursday, May 11th at 7 p.m.

For an APCC Film Event

The Erie Situation

with panel discussion to follow

at the Cape Cinema, Dennis

Tickets $15 through Cape Cinema

Proceeds support APCC

The Pollinator Pathway Cape Cod is a group of organizations promoting native plants and pollinator-friendly land care practices to create a boat 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!

A Cape Cod Native Plant-finder

~ to help you choose the perfect native plant for your garden location.

Common Sneezeweed, Helenium autumnale

Email kandres@apcc.org and

we'll send you a CapeCodNativePlants.org decal.

Rain Barrels for Cape Cod

Order online from Upcycle Products

$99 each

includes FedEx shipping to your door

APCC receives a portion of the proceeds.

For more information, click here.

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!

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

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