Association to Preserve Cape Cod

Photo by Sue Machie

What I'm Thinking...

A Turn in the Right Direction

by Andrew Gottlieb, APCC Executive Director

Ever so slowly, but inexorably, the momentum is turning towards a smarter handling of the proposed multipurpose machine gun range at Joint Base Cape Cod. Policy makers at the state and federal levels are beginning to coalesce around a policy outcome that demonstrates that, as APCC has said all along, a necessary military training site can be provided at an alternative site in Massachusetts (Fort Devens) while drinking water on Cape Cod can be protected.

Thanks to Congressman Keating, the House Armed Services Committee’s version of the 2025 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) extended funding for the Devens MPMGR while stripping from the bill an extension of the funding for the facility proposed at JBCC. The House got it right by providing an in-state training facility at a location that does not jeopardize water supplies. Next week, it is the Senate’s turn as its Armed Services Committee takes up the NDAA.

APCC has written to Senator Warren encouraging her to use her membership on the committee to ensure that that Senate follows the lead of the House to meet the dual objectives of protecting that Cape’s water supply while investing in needed training at Devens. If you have not yet written to Senator Warren, you should. Your voice matters in this debate and Senator Warren needs to hear it.

The state Environmental Management Commission, the state entity that gets the final word on if the MPMGR can be built at JBCC, met last week and provided some clarity on its approach to handling the project. The EMC chair Thomas O’Shea read this statement at the EMC meeting:

The Environmental Management Commission’s review of the proposed Multi-Purpose Machine Gun Range continues to be suspended pending resolution by the federal government of the issues.
Construction and operation of the proposed range cannot commence without final approval by the EMC.
The EMC’s review, if undertaken, would include consideration of advisory committee recommendations and evaluating whether the project meets specific Environmental Performance Standards, a set of standards that guide both military and civilian users in the protection of Camp Edwards' natural and cultural resources and the groundwater beneath the Upper Cape Water Supply Reserve.
The EMC has received the May 7th, 2024, correspondence from counsel representing the Association to Preserve Cape Cod. That letter is currently under review.

APCC applauds the EMC for making a clear statement ensuring that no work on the project can commence without its approval. The state law that created the EMC prioritizes the protection of the water supply at the Upper Cape Water Supply Reserve. If the EMC does its job and looks at the full record of information, including the EPA analysis of the expected impacts of the MPMGR on the water supply, the right outcome will be the protection of the water supply and the construction of the MPMGR at Devens. Because nothing good happens by accident, we all must remain vigilant to ensure that our decision makers continue down the right policy path.

APCC asks that if you have not already, please take a minute today to email the Senator’s staff: caleb_white@warren.senate.gov and janice_rottenberg@warren.senate.gov

Dear Senator Warren,

I am writing to urge you to use your position on the Senate Armed Services Committee to make sure that a funding extension for the multipurpose machine gun range on the Upper Cape Water Supply at Joint Base Cape Cod is not included in the Senate’s 2025 National Defense Authorization Act. Protection of the Cape’s drinking water supply is critically important and should not be put at risk by this ill-conceived and inappropriate project.

Thank you for your continued commitment to protecting the citizens and environment of Cape Cod.

[Your Name and Address]

The next wave of seasonal staff join the 2024 team: It's going to be a busy summer!

Erin Camire, 2024 Eco-landscape Audit Program manager

Hi everyone! My name is Erin and I'll be the Eco-Landscape Audit Program manager for the 2024 season! I just graduated from the University of Vermont with a degree in forestry. I'm excited to dive into the landscapes around the Cape and help folks connect with the natural world around them!

Rachel Pranga, 2024 APCC ecolandscape intern

Hi my name is Rachel! I'm excited to be working as an intern with the APCC this summer helping people with the ecological care of their landscapes. I grew up in Orleans and I'm currently attending the University of Massachusetts Amherst where I study sustainable agriculture and landscape architecture. I'm looking forward to learning more about the plants and ecology of the Cape and sharing this knowledge with our community!

Cece Simonetta, 2024 ecolandscape intern

Hi everyone! My name is Cece and I am excited to be APCC's full season ecolandscape intern. I am currently a senior at Canisius University in Buffalo, NY studying animal behavior, ecology, and conservation. I am looking forward to helping others learn how to make their land more sustainable!

William Patten, 2024 ecolandscape intern

Will is in his senior year at UMass Amherst in the Stockbridge School of Agriculture majoring in sustainable food and farming with a concentration in botany. He is eager to apply his academic background and diverse skillset to contribute meaningfully to the APCC’s focus on preserving Cape Cod through the restoration of natural resources.

May Lopopolo, Cyanobacteria Monitoring Program intern

Hi everyone! My name is May and I am excited to be APCC's full season cyanobacteria intern. I just graduated from the University of Vermont with a degree in environmental science. I am looking forward to gaining more lab experience and helping to protect the Cape's waters.

Jacob Scola, Cyanobacteria Monitoring Program intern

My name is Jacob. I have moved a handful of times in my life, having gone to New Canaan High School in Connecticut after living in New Jersey and London. I am currently going into my fourth year as a paleontology student at the University of Birmingham in England. What excites me the most about this internship is getting to travel to ponds in different corners of Cape Cod whilst also getting experience in a STEM related job.

Hurray! It's just two days away—this Friday!

Due to construction at APCC's headquarters,

this year's annual plant sale will be a

one day, in person sale - no advance orders.

Friday, June 7th

9:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m.

We will be set up in the parking lot of Bud's Go Karts,

9 Sisson Rd (Route 124) and Route 28, Harwich Port

Oodles of quart size perennials for purchase, representing over 15 species.

See the list here.

$10/qt pot or 12/$100 plus MA sales tax

Make your list!

You have two days until APCC's plant sale...

We will also have these items available:

Our sincere thanks to our business member and sponsor for our annual native plant sale event - BlueFlax Design, LLC.

APCC's Ecosystem Restoration Program News

Upcoming APCC Webinars

"Poison is Not the Answer"

Thursday, June 13th at 12:00 p.m.

with Stephanie Ellis, Executive Director of Wild Care Cape Cod

Wild Care is a wildlife rehabilitation center located in Eastham, dedicated to the rehabilitation of sick, injured and orphaned wildlife.

On a regular basis, Wild Care receives hawks and owls suffering from secondary anticoagulant rodenticide poisoning. Join us for an informative talk on the harmful impacts rodenticides have on our wildlife with Wild Care's executive director, Stephanie Ellis.

Stephanie will provide humane alternatives for controlling rodent populations long-term, discuss local efforts to curb rodenticide use at the town and state level, and dispel common "safe product" myths.

Stephanie has a special affinity for birds and mice and has worked extensively in the fields of wildlife rehabilitation and avian conservation on both U.S. coasts. She loves dancing, and enjoying Cape Cod's natural beauty.

Register here for the Zoom link.

APCC's Ecolandscape Audit Program

is now taking appointments.

The Jewels of Cape Cod - Our Freshwater Ponds

Cape Cod Ponds Network

Save the Date!

Next meeting of the CCPN will be in person at

the Cape Cod Museum of Natural History, Route 6A, Brewster on

Thursday, August 8th at 6 p.m.

We will have a presentation by Steve Hurley, fish biologist with MA Department of Marine Fisheries.

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 kandres@apcc.org or Dr. Julie Hambrook at jhambrook@apcc.org.

Events Hosted by Others

APCC's Cyanobacteria Monitoring Program

Our cyanobacteria monitoring map is live for 2024. The program begins in earnest this week and results are displayed on the interactive map. You can sign up for cyanobacteria bloom alerts here - and receive a notice when a bloom is detected.

Guidelines for Cape-friendly Landscapes - an APCC publication

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.

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?

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 kandres@apcc.org.

You can also 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. 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, Brewster Book Store, Orleans Conservation Trust, and

Cape Abilities Farm.

If you are a retailer, and you would like to sell the signs, you can order online here, or email pollinators@apcc.org.

APCC Merch