Association to Preserve Cape Cod - this week... |
Bells Neck, Harwich. Photo by Sue Machie.
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| A Clean Water Win by Andrew Gottlieb, Executive Director
Short and to the point with this one. The June 23, 2023 finalization of DEP’s regulations governing septic systems and watershed permits was a milestone in the effort to both stop the decline of our marine waters and lay out the path for their restoration. The details are many (Regulations Fact Sheet and Summary), but the headlines are these. We no longer have a septic code that makes legal the installation of new septic systems that we know will continue to degrade our waters. We now have a set of watershed permitting regulations that incentivize and empower towns to obtain permits that let them shape the right mix of nutrient reducing approaches best suited to their community on an enforceable schedule.
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After years of knowing that conventional septic systems were the primary driver of water quality degradation, DEP has decisively moved to prevent them from being newly installed in sensitive areas. As for the much-discussed requirement to replace existing systems, there is a seven-year clock that starts ticking on the July 7, 2023 effective date of the regulations. That said, if any time in the next two years a town files a notice of intent to obtain a watershed permit, the clock stops and the state requirement to upgrade existing systems is suspended. All the power here rests with the towns to come up with town-scale remedial plans. It is only if and when a town chooses not to pursue a watershed permit that residents of that town will be subjected to the state timeline to upgrade existing septic systems by 2030. The focus of everyone, now that the rules are clear, should be to work within your town to make sure that it is prepared to pursue a watershed permit.
While the pace of clean up remains slower than we would all like in a better world, the road ahead is clear. DEP did good work on these regulations. The issues they confronted were complex and highly charged but from this view, the department did right by Cape Cod, and APCC thanks the department for charting a regulatory course that will lead to clean water. |
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Cyanobacteria Program ~ Brewster Ponds Coalition Volunteers! |
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Our cyanobacteria monitoring program is in full swing. Again this year you can sign up to receive an email whenever a cyanobacteria bloom is detected. Click here to sign up for the cyanobacteria alert. |
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APCC has QR code stickers that link to our cyanobacteria webpage. If you'd like one or more to post on or around your pond, request by email to [email protected] |
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What does a cyanobacteria bloom look like? ~ here are some photos from Cape Cod ponds taken over recent years. |
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| For a comprehensive guide to identifying cyanobacteria blooms, click here.
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Yarmouth Stormwater Management Project Review |
A public meeting was held on June 13th introducing this stormwater assessment and prioritization project in the town of Yarmouth. Learn more about stormwater management and see concept designs for top priority sites in Yarmouth. The zoom meeting recording can be viewed below.
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What Does Tick Safety Really Look Like? by Ben Silverstone, Eco-landscape Audit Program Manager
It seems like everyone is so petrified of ticks and mosquitos that even people who care about gardening for pollinators and wildlife are afraid to grow meadows in their backyard, or even to use ornamental native grasses in the garden. People insist that keeping the lawn short and dry is the only way they can be safe from pests, rather than be satisfied with bug repellent. We seem bent on molding a new nature that is devoid of the bugs we don’t want—but does this really work? And if it does, at what cost?
To really understand why tick populations have exploded in New England and why Lyme disease is so prevalent, we must examine some of the environmental changes of the last few centuries. Brushfires, which were once used to regenerate sandplain grasslands and heathlands and keep them free of invasive woody vegetation, have been systemically suppressed. Wolves have been driven out of New England, leading to an overpopulation of deer. Habitat fragmentation has led to an increase in forest edges and neglected roadside tangles, which are ideal habitat for ticks. On top of all that, we now have warmer springs and earlier thaws that give tick populations time to grow before the arrival of hungry insectivorous birds. We have engineered an anthropocentric environment that could not be more ideal for our own parasites.
The primary carrier of Lyme disease, transmitted by ticks, is the white-footed mouse, which is extremely common in the fragmented edge-habitats of suburbia and in homes. In deeply wooded areas or in biodiverse meadows where juvenile ticks are feeding on other woodland critters besides mice and chipmunks, their likelihood of carrying Lyme is considerably lower, and their populations have a better chance at being controlled naturally by birds and reptiles. I’m not suggesting that we go out culling rodents like we did in the days of the plague—I’m simply raising the more important question: Will short-sighted manipulation of natural habitats ever get us out of this mess?
The same is true with mosquitos. We have altered the drainage systems for wetlands and salt marshes across the state in the name of mosquito control, and in the process, we have destroyed critical habitat for numerous fresh and brackish water species, including fish, frogs and predatory insects that feed on mosquito larvae, along with tiny flowering plants that are pollinated by male mosquitos (only females suck blood). We are talking about a species that only needs a rain-filled flowerpot on your back porch, a puddle in your driveway, or a clogged gutter where it can multiply by the thousands over the course of a few days. When we go out and spray our lawns with the intention of sterilizing it, we are impacting ALL insects, and our actions unravel the food webs of our local wetlands and meadows. What have we really achieved?
Mosquitos and ticks will follow us to the end of the world, as long as there is water and brush, but fireflies, luna moths, monarchs, dragonflies, bluebirds, herring and striped bass, could be gone long before that. Those who do care about the health of wildlife populations need to accept that pests are always going to be part of that equation, like the weather, and we should be adapting our behavior accordingly.
As somebody who spends a lot of time in the woods and in the garden, and has immunocompromised relatives who do the same, the problems of pest and disease outbreaks such as Lyme, anaplasmosis or EEE in our community are not something I take lightly. I check myself for ticks constantly, almost neurotically so. I wear protective clothing whenever I am out, and if I do want to go barefoot or short-sleeved, I wear bug spray. For those who are uncomfortable with DEET, my dog and I have had a lot of success with organic bug sprays that have geranium and thyme oil (the lemongrass stuff doesn’t really do the trick). I’m not sponsoring anyone, but YAYA organics has consistently worked for me even when I worked in the swamps of the deep south. But when I go to weed out the native wet meadow I started in my backyard, I do so knowing that the habitat I made for dragonflies, star-nosed moles, frogs, pitcher plants, and redwing blackbirds is still producing a modest crop of ticks and mosquitoes, just as the ditch that existed beforehand did, but with added beauty and functionality.
The true value of any Cape Cod home comes from the unique surrounding environments that are host to an abundance of rare wildlife and recreation opportunities, and while we should always be wary of ticks and mosquitos, we shouldn’t let them take our peace of mind, or our appreciation for the outdoors. We definitely should not let them change the way we landscape for birds and pollinators—suitable habitat for mosquitos and ticks exists everywhere, but for other animals, it’s not so easy.
If you have kids and dogs, don't deprive them of the experience of intact natural habitat in your backyard or elsewhere—just leave time at the end of the day for a tick check! |
Celebrating Cape-friendly Landscapes! |
A pollinator garden by the Aptucxet Garden Club of Bourne Village Beautification program on the corner of Robinson and Williston Roads with plans to expand each season! |
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Do you have a Cape-friendly landscape to share? Tell us your story, send a few pictures and a brief description or comment to [email protected] |
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| Want to learn about ways you can make your landscape more Cape-friendly?
Our team will come visit with you at your property and help you identify steps you can take to conserve water, protect water quality, support pollinators and birds, reduce your carbon footprint.
A written report will provide you with more details and resources for more information about your interests. For more information CLICK HERE.
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Friday, July 14th at 10 a.m. Craine Room, Snow Library
67 Main Street in Orleans |
Kristin Andres, APCC's associate director for education, will talk about creating beautiful, environmentally friendly landscapes in this time of climate change.
Join us to learn about native plants, eco-friendly land care, reducing your carbon footprint, and adapting to extreme weather. Kristin's experience and expertise will help you make the most of your garden and be excellent stewards of your land.
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SEEKING VOLUNTEERS FOR
POND MONITORING PROGRAM IN AUGUST |
Want to contribute to the study of Cape Cod's freshwater ponds, learn more about our ponds, and have some fun? We are seeking volunteers to accompany APCC staff in a canoe and assist with the data collection. Minimum time commitment is a full morning: A volunteer shift is 7:30 a.m. to ~ 12:30 p.m. Sampling days are Monday through Thursday. Once per month. Sign up for one time or more!
Physical ability. Volunteer must be comfortable being on the water and have the physical ability to get in and out of a canoe, to paddle to deepest point of pond, and to safely pivot in their seat to assist with the sampling and recording information on a field data sheet.
Pond monitoring will be conducted by APCC staff at the deepest point in the pond. Staff will use a canoe, and with the help of volunteers will measure depth, Secchi disk depth, water quality parameters using a sonde, and collection of water samples for lab analyses of nutrients, chlorophyll, and alkalinity. Lab analyses will be done by the Center for Coastal Studies, a state-certified laboratory contracted by APCC. If you are interested in learning more, please SIGN UP HERE. |
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The Jewels of Cape Cod ~ Our Freshwater Ponds |
Cliff Pond, Nickerson Park. Photo by Sue Machie
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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, CLICK HERE.
Our most recent meeting was recorded and we will be sending out an email to all who have signed up with the network with the link to the recording, along with additional information. |
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| By popular request...
APCC Caps are now available for purchase! $25 includes shipping & handling Click here for more information and to order. ~ This is one great way to show your support for APCC's work. |
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A Cape Cod Native Plant-selector ~ to help you choose the perfect native plant for your garden location. |
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| Evening Primrose / Sundrops, Oenothera fruticosa |
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News from the Pollinator Pathway Cape Cod -
The National Organization of Pollinator Pathway has named Pollinator Pathway Cape Cod one of the top 15 pathways in the country. This wonderful designation is a reflection of the hard work and enthusiasm of all of the PPCC members and individuals who are making a difference with their properties. Congratulations to all!
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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!
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Sally Baer's rain barrel! |
| 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. |
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| APCC Enewsletters. Our weekly newsletters are archived on our website and easily shared.
You can find past newsletters and share with your friends to sign up for future enewsletters HERE. |
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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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Expressions Gallery, 578 Main Street, Chatham
CLICK HERE |
Expressions Gallery donates 20 percent of its profits to APCC's work. |
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Thank you to our business sponsors |
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