Association to Preserve Cape Cod

Grey's Beach, Yarmouth. Photo by Sue Machie.

What I'm Thinking...

Keep Going

by Andrew Gottlieb, Executive Director

Last week was a good one for the Cape’s environment. Town meetings in Mashpee and Orleans decisively approved important articles that support improved environmental quality. In Mashpee the town voted to fund the next round of wastewater management and Orleans acted to reduce pesticide use. Both towns took the next steps in their long journey, one we are all on, toward fixing the effects of past environmental insults and living in greater harmony with nature.

While no single town meeting action, by itself, can solve the ills of the past, each represents progress. Doing better by the environment is a long slog that requires patience and perseverance. It also requires personal commitment and always asks something of each of us, perhaps as minor as changing from disposable cups to reusable ones, to rethinking how we manage our landscape, to sometimes stepping out into the public light and leading the charge for change.

Because the challenges are so daunting and the work required so profound, it is important to step back and not just recognize, but celebrate, successes such as those witnessed in Mashpee and Orleans, and those hoped for later this fall on wastewater at Dennis and Falmouth town meetings. Celebrating success is energizing and will sustain us all during the fight to take the next necessary steps on the road to being better environmental stewards in our own lives, homes, yards, and communities.

Keep going.

Make your voice heard and help protect the Upper Cape Water Supply Reserve from contamination.

Contact Congress and say no to more funds for the proposed multi-purpose machine gun range!

APCC has obtained documents from a public records search that indicate the cost to construct the multipurpose machine gun range, which according to EPA threatens the Cape’s water supply, is more than the funds appropriated for the project.

The Massachusetts National Guard has resisted APCC’s requests for information, but other sources of public information have revealed an apparent shortfall in funding needed to build this as-yet not permitted project.

APCC has had direct conversations with the offices of Senators Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey as well as Congressman William Keating, asking them to block any efforts the Guard may undertake to seek supplemental funding from Congress to build this ill-conceived project.

Now is the time to contact Congressman Keating’s office, Senator Markey’s office and Senator Warren’s office to let them know in your own words that you are opposed to Congress providing additional funds for this project.

Specifically, ask them to remain vigilant in trying to prevent any additional public funds to be set aside for a project that has been identified as a potential significant risk to the Upper Cape Water Supply Reserve.

Looking for a Speaker?

APCC has a Speakers Bureau!

And if helpful, we can help with your online event featuring an APCC speaker. We will provide the zoom meeting link and the technical support. We don't charge, although a donation to APCC is always appreciated. If interested, email outreach@apcc.org.

Great time of year to get outside! What will you see?

photos by Sue Machie

An APCC publication - Guidelines for Cape-friendly Landscapes

The Guidelines gives homeowners steps they can take in the design and maintenance of their properties that will support pollinators and birds, manage stormwater, conserve water, and protect the Cape's water quality.

This 40-page booklet is beautifully illustrated by Marcy Ford with content that is easily digestible and supported by numerous resources for additional learning.

We've enjoyed creating it and hope it will help you with ideas to help you steward your piece of Cape Cod and maybe foster an environmental ethic in the decisions we all make in our own managed landscapes. Get your copy here—and maybe one for a friend?

We are partnering with several retail shops to make this publication more widely available: Brewster Book Store, Birdwatchers General Store, Crocker Nurseries, Wellfleet Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary, Cape Abilities Farm, Cape Cod Museum of Natural History, the Lavender Farm, and Sea Howl Bookshop.

If you are a retailer and would like to sell this publication at your store, contact Kristin at kandres@apcc.org.

You can view the book's content as a pdf on our website.

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!