Association to Preserve Cape Cod - this week... |
|
|
| Missing the Obvious by Andrew Gottlieb, Executive Director
Urban centers have experienced a renaissance in recent decades. Cities have enjoyed population growth, investment, and tax base expansion. Once seen as the answer to the needs of a population demanding more, cities have seen their fortunes change as suburbs and rural areas attract new attention as desirable destinations for an increasingly restless population adjusting to the remote work explosion and other changes driven by pandemic response. A thoughtful piece by Thomas Edsal should serve as a wakeup call to urbanists and to Cape Codders alike.
|
|
|
Why should the Cape care about what is happening to the cities? Simple. Think about the economics and demographics of the people leaving cities and looking at Cape Cod as relocation destination. According to the Cape Cod Commission, these people are wealthier and more financially liquid than the resident population of the Cape. In crass terms, the newcomers have the means to outcompete those who currently live and work on the Cape for housing. The outmigration from cities disfavors the ability of the Cape locals to effectively participate in the housing market, exacerbating the labor shortages and housing dislocation we are hearing so much about.
Much of the discussion about housing has focused on increasing supply as the answer. Notwithstanding the recommendations of the GrowSmart Cape Cod project to direct new housing to core town centers and to protect the critical habitat portions of the remaining undeveloped and unprotected 14% of Cape Cod, there is increasing pressure to develop all of it to meet the housing needs of the region. There are enormous water quality, climate, and landscape implications if the Cape decides to sacrifice its remaining open space to what will be a failed attempt to build its way out of the housing crisis.
Why will a market-based building solution fail? Look at the data. The disparity in buying power between current Cape Codders and those who want to enter this market makes it obvious that, as is often the case, those with money will win. The result is most likely to be that a “build our way out of it” approach will leave us with the same affordability problems we face now, only worse, and more of the negatives (traffic, poor water quality and degraded landscapes) we already have from existing development patterns. Nothing I have heard yet calms my fears that the market forces will consume new housing starts and price them above any affordability metric. In fact, the featured speaker at a recent housing forum boasted that the answer to the affordable housing crisis is a market-based housing approach without, for good reason, defining the many thousands of units that would be required and the undisturbed open space they would consume. While understanding that conventional subsidy programs are inadequate to address the needs of the region, throwing the solution to the same market that has helped create today’s problems and expecting a different outcome makes no sense.
APCC is no different than a lot of employers challenged to find staff in a very difficult housing market. We also have families and children who want to stay on Cape Cod but face economic challenges in doing so. That said, we also know that we cannot sacrifice our remaining open spaces to feed an insatiable market that will consume all it is fed and will always want more. The housing issue has the attention of decision makers at the highest levels and we hope that there is an openness to developing Cape specific solutions that are both effective and protective of what makes Cape Cod appealing in the first place.
|
|
|
Herring Count Volunteers Still Needed for 2023
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 [email protected].
Volunteer herring count training events:
Town of Mashpee: Mashpee River, Quashnet River, and Santuit Pond: A second herring count training event will be held at this Thursday, March 23, 2023, at 11 a.m. at the Route 130 crossing of the Mashpee River next to the Wampanoag Tribal Museum. The same count method will be used at all three herring runs that are being monitored this year (i.e., Mashpee River, Quashnet River at Johns Pond, and Santuit Pond). For more information or to sign up, contact Daniel Kent, assistant conservation agent, at [email protected] or call (508) 539-1400 ext. 8538.
Town of Dennis: Scargo Lake and Bound Brook: A herring count training event will be held at Scargo Lake and Bound Brook on Tuesday, March 28, 2023 from 1 to 2:30 p.m. Meet at the Scargo Lake parking area off Dr. Lord’s Road South (off Route 6A) for training for counting at Scargo Lake. The second counting site will be at Bound Brook at the Dennis Conservation Trust area on Airline Road south of Route 6A. For more information or to sign up, contact Jordan Halloran, shellfish constable, town of Dennis Natural Resources, at [email protected] or call (508) 760-6123 ext. 107.
Town of Sandwich: Mill Creek (Lower Shawme Pond): A herring count training event will be held on Wednesday, March 29, 2023, from 2 to 3 p.m., at Lower Shawme Pond near the Dexter Grist Mill at 2 Water Street, Sandwich, MA 02563. For more information or to sign up, contact Josh Wrigley, assistant director of natural resources, at [email protected] or call (508) 833-8054.
|
|
|
| Karen Malkus-Benjamin
Karen joins APCC staff as cyanobacteria quality control manager. Karen will assure rigor and accuracy of the cyanobacteria monitoring program. She helps to ensure the seasonal monitoring staff are applying the program protocols accurately and consistently, including timely communications and reporting to partners. She also serves as a backup for the monitoring team and cyanobacteria program staff when needed to keep the program moving effectively. As part of the overall cyanobacteria team, Karen participates in policy development and program refinements.
Karen Malkus-Benjamin spent much of her life on, in, or near water. During the 1960s through the 1980s she spent her summers in Falmouth on Sider’s Pond. Karen moved to Long Pond in Brewster with her own children in 1994. |
|
|
Starting at the inception of the Cape Cod Commission's Pond and Lake Stewardship (PALS) program in 2000, Karen volunteered to sample local water quality. She has been a member of several pond associations and groups, including the Brewster Pond Stewards. She was part of the team that built the Brewster Ponds Coalition (BPC) and was chosen as BPC’s first president. At the same time, Karen worked as a science teacher at a variety of Cape Cod educational institutions and served as the coastal health resource coordinator for the town of Barnstable’s Health Division.
Karen has always believed that more education and public understanding of our natural world empowers everyone to make better choices to protect ourselves, our children, our pets, and the environment. Karen is excited to help carry forward the novel and effective cyanobacteria monitoring program at APCC, and feels that regular monitoring of Cape ponds gives us all a greater window into the health of these ecosystems.
|
|
|
| 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 is accepting applications for seasonal interns and a year-round position. |
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 |
Elbow Pond, Brewster. Photo by Sanford Zevon
|
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] |
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 |
|
|
| Just a Teaser -
We will hold our third annual native plant sale in early June. More information to come in May. In the meantime, be thinking about where you have room for more native plants, and where lawn can be reduced and planting beds expanded. Click here for some garden examples and scroll down the page. |
|
|
|
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. |
|
|
| New Jersey Tea, Ceanothus americanus |
|
|
| 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 are now archived on our website and easily shared. You can find past newsletters and share with your friends to sign up for future enewsletters 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 |
|
|
Our Contact Information *{{Organization Name}}* *{{Organization Address}}* *{{Organization Phone}}* *{{Organization Website}}*
*{{Unsubscribe}}* |
| |
|
|