Association to Preserve Cape Cod |
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| Just Say It by Andrew Gottlieb, Executive Director |
Last week, APCC broke the news that the National Guard has modified its proposed multipurpose machine gun range (MPMGR). I heard from a lot of people asking what they can do to help protect the Upper Cape Water Supply Reserve. It is our practice to only ask our members to act when the path to achieving an outcome is clear. Clarity is lacking in this instance because the Guard’s new proposal has raised more questions than it answers. |
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The interesting point here is that if this is really a serious proposal, the Guard should come out and answer a few questions. Nothing tamps down questions like an open and honest communication plan that anticipates and answers the concerns of the public.
Anticipating and forthrightly addressing public concerns has not yet been an approach that the Guard has embraced. Should that change, here are some top-of-mind questions the Guard might want to answer as a down payment on a better relationship: -
The justification for the size and scale of the original proposal was that the full 10-lane range was needed to meet training certification requirements. Does the scaled-back range meet certification requirements? If so, doesn’t that mean the original proposal was larger than it needed to be to meet certification requirements? If not, what’s the point of this revised proposal if troops will still need to train out of state?
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Will the Guard, if given permission to build the reduced eight-lane range, pursue the construction of the additional two lanes later? If yes, isn’t phasing the project simply a way to appear to have reduced the project when its full construction remains the objective?
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Is this scaled-down project a strategic move to size the project to the amount of money appropriated so that the original appropriation doesn’t expire?
- Since EPA recommended collection of spent munitions once every six months and the new proposal collects spent munitions every 10 years at each range, exactly how is that schedule responsive to EPA’s concerns?
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Explain why the very similar new range at Fort Devens cannot be used now that the two lanes accommodating the largest guns have been removed from the proposal.
- Will the Guard seek approval of the state's Environmental Management Commission for construction before signing a construction contract or beginning construction and if so, on what timeline?
There are many more questions that need to be answered, but addressing the ones above would be a reasonable start. The flipside of the coin is that continued silence from the Guard can reasonably lead to the conclusion that the withheld answers validate the concerns that we and many others have about the continued threat to the water supply. The Guard, and the Guard alone, can end speculation by speaking directly and forthrightly about what this revised proposal is and is not. Will they?
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Do You Know the Rainbow Smelt? |
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The above short clip is of a rainbow smelt observed in a fish tank at Harwich's Health & Environmental Fair held last Saturday. Thanks to Brad Chase of the Division of Marine Fisheries, visitors got to see some smelt and glass eels up close and personal in a tank. (See eels below). |
Rainbow Smelt, Osmerus mordax Like herring, the rainbow smelt is a common sea-run anadromous fish found along the northeastern coast of the United States. The adults spawn in freshwater, but spend their adult lives in the ocean.
Rainbow smelt are rather small fish, generally growing to between six and 10 inches in length. They weigh between one and six ounces. They are slender fish and have a pointed head with a relatively large mouth and teeth. Rainbow smelt are mostly silver, but have a pretty iridescence shine when fresh and smell like cucumbers (hence the name).
Female rainbow smelt lay roughly between 20,000 and 80,000 eggs depending on their size. - Smelt spawn in the spring from early March to early May.
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Rainbow smelt spawn in fresh water, and only at night. The eggs survive best in fast moving water and on aquatic vegetation.
- Young smelt eat zooplankton and adult smelt eat mostly small crustaceans and fish.
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Rainbow smelt are a favorite among predators; with estimates of up to 72 percent of adult smelt dying each year. Predators include striped bass, bluefish, birds, and marine mammals.
(Source: Mass Division of Marine Fisheries)
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American Eel, Anguilla rostrata
The eel is actually a fish and it has a catadromous life cycle; that is, it spawns in the ocean and migrates to fresh water to grow to adult size. As adult eels mature, they leave the brackish/freshwater growing areas in the fall (August to November), migrate to the Sargasso Sea and spawn during the late winter. The Sargasso Sea is a large area of the western North Atlantic located east of the Bahamas and south of Bermuda.
After spawning, the adult eels die. The eggs hatch after several days and develop into a larval stage (leptocephalus) which is shaped like a willow leaf. The larvae drift in the ocean for several months and then enter the Gulf Stream current to be carried north toward the North American continent. As they approach the continental shelf, the larvae transform into miniature transparent eels called "glass eels."
As glass eels leave the open ocean to enter estuaries and ascend rivers, they are known as elvers. This migration occurs in late winter, early spring, and throughout the summer months. Some elvers may remain in brackish waters while others ascend rivers far inland. Eels may stay in growing areas from 8-25 years before migrating back to sea to spawn. (Source: Maine Department of Marine Resources)
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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
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]. |
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Webinar hosted by Falmouth Ponds Coalition in cooperation with Friends of Peter's Pond and Save Mashpee-Wakeby Pond Alliance "Cape-friendly Landscapes ~ an ecological approach" Today, Wednesday, May 1, 4:30-5:30 p.m.
APCC’S associate director for education, Kristin Andres, will speak about some steps you can take to make your Cape Cod landscape more supportive of nature in its design and maintenance. Click here for more information and the zoom link. |
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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, Crocker Nurseries, 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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| Golden Alexanders Zizea aurea |
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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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