Association to Preserve Cape Cod

Photo by Sue Machie

What I'm Thinking...

Twelve and counting...

by Andrew Gottlieb, APCC Executive Director

If you listen to the news at all, the message has been impossible to ignore: The summer heat has arrived on the eastern seaboard. But as is often the case with the “if it bleeds, it leads” approach to news these days, the headline misses the point. Sure, it’s going to be really hot, but it didn’t just get that way this week. Nor is this just a little blip.

As reported in the New York Times, we are on a run of 12 consecutive months in which the average global temperatures have been the highest on record for that month. Once the data for May has been processed, it appears likely that the run will extend to 13. I’d lay money that June will make it 14. The point here is that global temperatures are on the rise with no end in sight.

Realistically, we have no reason to expect temperature increases to moderate until and unless the human contributions of greenhouse gasses to the atmosphere are reduced or otherwise mitigated. The economics and lifestyle changes needed to turn to a fuller embrace of alternative energy have improved but have not quite reached the point where mainstream adoption has become the norm beyond the first movers. Despite early optimism, progress on building a low carbon economy has been slower than hoped for or needed. That said, the change is coming, but while it does, the hole we will need to dig out from will get deeper.

This is all worth keeping in mind as we individually and collectively consider our response to alternative energy projects, especially offshore wind. The reality of alternative energy projects is that they can be local. The Northeast no longer has the luxury of being high and mighty about the need to address the climate without also being willing to bear some of the impacts that come with utility-scale power generation. Even clean power generation has impacts. Something has to give; we can be part of the solution or deal with the deadly consequences of remaining on the trajectory we are on.

This is the perspective APCC will apply as we assess the impacts of proposed alternative energy projects, and we encourage you to think about these issues as your develop your own opinions.

Advocacy Works!

APCC members sent over 1,700 emails to Senator Warren and Congressman Keating asking that no funding extension be approved for the proposed multipurpose machine gun range (MPMGR) at Joint Base Cape Cod. The result: The Senate Armed Services Committee approved for consideration by the full Senate in July a National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) that does not extend funding for the JBCC site. The full House approved its NDAA last week, also without JBCC MPMGR funds. The House and Senate both appear poised to make the right policy choice by continuing funding for an in-state MPMGR at Fort Devens—a location that assures essential training is provided without risking a water supply.

We thank Senator Warren and Congressman Keating for their wisdom and leadership for finding a pathway forward that both protects the Cape's water supply while meeting military training preparedness needs.

But even more, we thank our members for answering the call to act, and for participating in the political process. Our power as a united block is enormous and the advocacy on this issue proves it to be so.

This is progress, but the matter is not resolved. Stay tuned and stay ready.

Read WCAI report by Eve Zuckoff here.

A three-part podcast series by Scientific American.

Listen here or read the transcript.

Putnam Farm, Orleans – an up-and-coming frontrunner in farmscape ecology

by Erin Camire, APCC Eco-landscape Audit Program Manager

I was caught off guard when Rick Francolini first told us he didn’t have a formal affiliation with Putnam Farm—just a retirement goal for community building. I believe it speaks to how special a place this humble 14-acre farm is. The forester in me was very happy to see the display of management plans and guidelines from USDA, Xerces Society, and Mass Audubon—that’s quite the roster. And I was even happier once I noticed the girdled and felled trees in the newly created wetland restoration project the farm had recently taken on. The consideration of habitat types and plant niches was extensive: year-round ponds, vernal pools, wetland meadows, and highland meadows. The full scope was there and with matching seed lists to boot.

Before I could even wrap my mind around the budget for such an undertaking, I was presented with hedgerows stuffed with transplanted cedars, viburnums, and bayberries. Taken from the cleared woodlands, these humble shrubs had been given a second chance at life. That amount of care for the importance of site-specific vegetation is not something you see too frequently. It’s beyond clear that the folks at Putnam care for the land their farm plots rest upon. Which is great, because it checks my moral rule for clearing land: The only folks allowed to clear forests and cut trees should be the same people who love those trees and hug ‘em one last time before they fell them. That box is thoroughly checked at Putnam.

I’ve been farm-adjacent for the majority of my botanical career. It helps that farmers often want the opinions of both foresters and horticulturists, as well as the occasional eco-friendly landscape designer, so being botanically multilingual has always been helpful in that regard. The one big thing I’ve learned from farmers is to keep ideas reasonable and lower your expectations a good bit. Farmers provide vitally necessary goods for our communities, and in return they get a shoestring budget and a broken back. They don’t enjoy hearing big fancy ideas because they know just how unrealistic and overbudget they are.

I cannot emphasize enough how crazy it was then to walk around Putnam and gain an understanding of all they’ve already accomplished. I spent the visit waiting for the typical answer to a highly productive and advanced farmscape, that someone with deep pockets was nearby. I’ve seen a fair number of “sponsored” farms as well, from the Rockefellers to fashion designers—passion and money make quick work. But Putnam doesn’t seem to have that, at least to my knowledge. Underfunded and overlooked, just as much of our family and community agriculture is, Putnam has somehow been able to prioritize grower success, ecological land management, and community involvement, with nothing but a whole lot of passionate folks. That’s incredibly impressive, and it seems like things are only just getting started.

So, keep Putnam on your radar, and if you check it out to walk your dog or birdwatch, always be respectful to the growers and their plots, which are the culmination of their passions and are often their livelihoods. Soon, this small bowl of land may become the pride and joy of Orleans, and you’ll get to say you knew of it before it was cool.

A big thanks to Rick Francolini for giving the eco-landscape audit team a tour of Putnam Farm!

Photo credit: Charles J. Sharp, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>

Attention all garden lovers! We feel it's important to inform you that you may have some invasive invaders intruding on your insect friends. Praying mantises are not native to New England, and these precocious predators may be threatening the balance of our local ecosystems. While they have been presented as the perfect pest punishers, they are overbearing omni predators that prey on our native predators and pests alike.

We encourage residents to turn to more traditional insect terminators if they feel the need to import garden guardians. Wolf spiders (Lycosidae spp.) are a splendid species for controlling creepy crawlies. Perhaps consider adding a bird house to the perimeter of your fun sized farm, many of our avian neighbors can serve as nimble nixers of nasty non-natives. The bird family Tyrannidae (flycatchers) are particularly partial to nasty gnats. Whatever your method, please remain vigilant against these all-consuming aliens.

While some species of praying mantis are native to the southern portion of the east coast of North America, the Carolina mantis (Stagmomantis carolina) has begun to encroach upon southern New England due to climate change. The invasives most popular to the Cape are the Chinese mantis (Tenodera sinesis) and the European mantis (Mantis religiosa). These species are often imported and advertised as a form of “natural” pest control.

Regardless of species, it is important to know that there are no mantis species that are native to New England. Therefore, we encourage people to refrain from buying or distributing mantis egg casings (called "ootheca"). Instead, support native predators for natural biological pest control. Happy gardening!

Mantis ootheca. Photo credit: © Hans Hillewaert / CC BY-SA 4.0

The above article was written by William Patten, APCC eco-landscape intern, who was a field technician last summer and worked on a study through Wheaton College that monitored praying mantises in central Massachusetts.

We are taking appointments now through August (first come, first serve). Click here for more information.

2024 testimonials are flooding in:

This is so fantastic!! You have provided so many great ideas and lots of detail, everything I need to be successful!! Thank you, thank you, thank you!! Kathy W.

Thank you for your ideas, suggestions, recommendations, and education. Judith B.

Most excellent!! VERY well done, and SO much useful information. Definitely exceeded my expectations, which were pretty high! Eli W.

APCC's Ecolandscape Audit Program is hands down, the best investment for the money that I have made in my yard EVER. What a comprehensive evaluation! It will leave you inspired to better your Cape Cod landscape in relation to water use, plant selection, and pollinator & animal habitat. Wonderful, wonderful! Rick M.

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