Association to Preserve Cape Cod |
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| Indiscriminate Killing by Andrew Gottlieb, Executive Director |
Over the course of the last few days, I have had the pleasure of seeing two pairs of bald eagles, one set mature and the other juveniles patrolling a nearby pond. The beauty and majesty of these birds, along with the other raptors who grace our skies, serve as a reminder that their presence is not a given. They, and the ospreys we all now celebrate, are fairly new returnees to our skies, greatly aided by preservation efforts and the banning of the DDT that made their eggs too fragile to be viable.
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The progress made bringing these species back from the brink is being undermined by the use of poisons targeted at rats and mice, but which kill indiscriminately. Most of the rodent poisons sold work by blocking the coagulation of blood and effectively cause the consuming animal to die of internal bleeding. The problem for predatory birds that eat rodents and other small mammals is that in the act of dying, these poisoned animals are easier to hunt. When eaten by a raptor or owl, these poisoned rodents, squirrels, chipmunks or any other small animals attracted to the poison bait pass the toxins to the bird. Feasting on easy to capture dying animals provides a sometimes-fatal dose of poison that leads the birds to die of internal bleeding.
Pretty much no one sets out to poison raptors and owls, but that is one very real outcome of the use of poisons to control rodents. As we have often discussed, with the changing landscape practices to eliminate the use of herbicides and pesticides, the advice here is to save the life of a spectacular raptor or owl and stop the use of poisons to control rodent populations.
If you must deal with rodent populations, focus first on removing the reasons they inhabit your property. Remove outside food sources, carefully manage bird feeders, eliminate outside trash storage, disrupt underground nest holes, and attract raptors and owls to your yard to help with natural predation. Try live traps to avoid killing non-target species and, if you must kill, then use non-poison reliant traps. Good things don’t happen by accident. We have majestic birds of prey because of focused efforts to bring them back. The mindless use of rodenticides is a real threat to the very predatory birds who help bring balance to nature by keeping rodent populations in check.
This is an easy one folks; stop purchasing and using rodenticides in your home or yard, instruct your pest control company not to use poisons on your property and focus your efforts on making your property less appealing to rodents. And if a few mice or rats hang around your yard, maybe one of the owls, hawks or eagles that didn’t die from accidental poisoning will kill it and eat it for you. |
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The Cape Cod Bridges Program
This notice is to remind you of upcoming spring public outreach events for the Massachusetts Department of Transportation's (MassDOT's) Cape Cod Bridges Program. This Program will include the replacement of the Bourne and Sagamore bridges, new connections to the local roadway network, and improved multimodal accommodations within the Cape Cod Canal area.
On April 25, MassDOT will host a Virtual Public Meeting, and on May 13, MassDOT will host an in-person Open House in Bourne. At these events, there will be information on the status of the Program, project funding and federal grants, scoping of the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), and next steps. All views and comments submitted in response to these events will be reviewed and considered to the maximum extent possible.
Virtual Public Information Meeting Date: Thursday, April 25, 2024 Time: 6:00 p.m., EST Location: Zoom To Register: https://www.mass.gov/event/cape-cod-bridges-program-bourne-virtual-public-information-meeting-42524-2024-04-25t180000-0400-2024-04-25t200000-0400 In-Person Open House Date: May 13, 2024 Time: Afternoon: 12 p.m. to 3 p.m., and evening: 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. EST Location: Bourne Veteran's Memorial Community Center, 239 Main Street, Buzzards Bay, MA Note: This event includes display stations with visuals and team members, rather than a formal presentation, and the public is encouraged to attend at the most convenient time.
English Event Flyer Portuguese Event Flyer Spanish Event Flyer
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The Herring Are Running!
As of April 16, 2024, volunteer herring monitors reported herring counts in the following herring runs: |
Note: The reported counts are counts that volunteers have entered into APCC’s herring count data entry system as of 4/16/24, and have not been reviewed for quality assurance. These are preliminary data not to be used for final counts.
For future updates, visit APCC’s Herring Monitor Hub. |
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The plants are coming, the plants are coming... |
Due to construction at APCC's headquarters, the annual plant sale will be a one day sale - the location and date to be announced soon, so that you can
save the date! |
The Jewels of Cape Cod - Our Freshwater Ponds |
Cape Cod Ponds Network Meeting
The Ponds Network met last week via Zoom. We had 74 people in attendance. If you missed it, you can watch the recording here. If you are not already on our email list and would like to attend quarterly Zoom meetings, sign up here.
Any questions can be directed to Kristin Andres at [email protected] or Dr. Julie Hambrook at [email protected]. |
Two pond activity ideas for pond groups! |
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| Catch Basin Maintenance Program
Adapted from a program designed by Falmouth Pond Coalition, this program is a collaborative effort between volunteers and, in the case of public roadways, the town’s Department of Public Works, or if private roadways, a neighborhood association to ensure that existing stormwater catch basins receive necessary maintenance for adequate function.
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While the catch basin program requires some effort by the lead organizer(s), the data collection itself is relatively easy. A volunteer will measure the distance from the top of the basin grate to the sediment and record the measurement, along with any other observations, onto a field form that is then submitted to the organizer. More details about the value of the program and step by step ‘how-to’ are available here.
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| Weed Watchers Workshop
Request a Weed Watcher Training
MA DCR Lakes and Ponds Program staff will bring live plant specimens to the training location for a hands-on identification workshop. Trainings are conducted at a time, date, and location of your choice, but keep the following guidelines in mind: - Location should be a public space (no private homes please).
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Dates for trainings should fall between the last week of May and the end of September.
- Trainings can be requested for any weekday during normal business hours or Monday through Thursday evenings beginning no later than 6:00 p.m.
- Trainings typically last between two and three hours depending on the size of the group.
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Five to twenty participants is ideal.
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Resilient Roots hosts APCC's education director, Kristin Andres |
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The 2023 State of the Waters: Cape Cod report content can be viewed on this dedicated website: CapeCodWaters.org |
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Guidelines for Cape-friendly Landscapes - an APCC publication |
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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.
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Thank you for this important book! Hopefully everyone of us with a yard will read it and put it to use! - Vicky Titcomb of Titcomb Bookshop |
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?
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We are grateful for the several retail shops that are partnering with us 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 Cape Cod Lavender Farm, Heritage Museums and Gardens, Titcomb's Bookshop, Sea Howl Bookshop, Soares Flower Garden Nursery, and Eight Cousins Bookshop.
If you are a retailer and would like to sell this publication at your store, contact Kristin at [email protected]. |
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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. Please get on the map to show your support of pollinators on Cape Cod!
You can purchase now your 9-inch aluminum Pollinator Pathway Cape Cod sign at Hyannis Country Garden, Ponderosa Garden Center, and Cape Abilities Farm.
If you are a retailer, and you would like to sell the signs, you can order online here, or email [email protected]. |
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| APCC Caps are 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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| Rain Barrels for Cape Cod
Order online from Upcycle Products $122 each
includes FedEx shipping to your door APCC receives a portion of the proceeds. For more information, click here. |
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A Cape Cod Native Plant-selector ~ to help you choose the perfect native plants for your garden. |
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| Common Blue Violet Viola sororia |
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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 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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APCC is rated four stars by Charity Navigator and 2023 Platinum by Candid (formerly Guidestar). |
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