Association to Preserve Cape Cod

Mother's Bog. Photo by Sue Machie

What I'm Thinking...

Remain in the Game

by Andrew Gottlieb, APCC's Executive Director

The Healey-Driscoll administration announced Monday that no construction contract would be awarded for the proposed multipurpose machine gun range (MPMGR) at Joint Base Cape Cod. The 2020 funding authorization has expired.

APCC has long considered that the construction of the MPMGR represents a significant threat to the Upper Cape Water Supply Reserve. APCC has argued that alternatives exist that would provide the required and necessary training to National Guard troops without threatening the water supply. The Healey administration validated our view with its decision.

A builder or developer only needs to win once and can then move on. Conservation and protection of resources is a forever job that requires constant vigilance and attention. No one group or person can do it all alone and we are blessed with an active and engaged membership. Your voices were heard and made a difference in achieving the right outcome. Take a breath and enjoy this moment, but remain ready for the next conservation fight. It is just around the corner...

APCC Ecosystem Restoration Program

Above: MassWildlife biologist, Steve Hurley, and APCC interns Rory Edwards and Hannah Brown electrofishing the Childs River in East Falmouth.

Shocking Finds! - Electrofishing the Childs River

Ecosystem Restoration Program staff joined Steve Hurley and his team from the Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife on a September electrofishing survey of the Childs River. Electrofishing is a non-lethal technique that temporarily stuns fish for examination. The group surveyed several sections of the river, catching and measuring brook trout. They were monitoring the trout population in the Childs River and gauging the success of the restoration work. Through regular monitoring, they hope to understand the steps that need to be taken to maintain the trout population long-term.

The survey isn’t a census—the objective isn’t to capture and record every brook trout in the river. A sample is taken and inferences are made about the overall health of the population. The larger the sample, the more precise the information. The group sampled five sections of the river, from the lower tidal section all the way to the upper river in the former Farley cranberry bog.

“Trout!” Steve shouted. There was a mad dash to net the writhing fish before the stun wore off and the fish skirted away. Success! The first brook trout of the morning. A nice sized fish that Steve passed back to APCC’s intern Rory Edwards, who was behind him. Rory placed the fish in a waiting bucket. A few more trout were caught in the lower tidal sections before the group stopped to record a host of information on the fish—location of capture, length, weight, and any unusual markings or coloration. The first fish sampled had several inverted ‘V’ shaped marks along its back—the telltale signs of a narrow miss with a blue heron. Steve also injected each trout with a tiny passive integrated transponder (PIT) tag. This is essentially a fish EZ-pass—allowing biologists to track its movement through the river and begin to unravel some of the mysteries of the sea-run brook trout.

The length of a fish tells biologists its approximate age. Brook trout in these rivers are not long-lived. The maximum age is about four years old, though most of the fish observed were age two and younger. In the cooler environments, like northern New England, trout live longer. In the warmer southern extent of their range, they grow fast and die young. One of the first fish measured was about 240 mm—likely a two-year old.

The group sampled two sections of the lower river before wading back down to their vehicles to drive the five minutes north to the middle section of the river. The catches from the electrofishing were decent, with a good number of small fish. These are called young-of-the-year. These are fish that were spawned in late fall and hatched in late winter. After a spring and summer of growth, they’re now about 110 mm. Young-of-the-year are an indication that the population is successfully spawning and self-sustaining.

As the group continued their electrofishing survey they encountered more trout, and a handful of other native species like American eels and pumpkinseed sunfish. The restored areas showed promise. There was a range of size classes present, including many young fish. This bodes well for the future of the population. Challenges remain, such as sedimentation in the restored river channel, highlighting that restoration work is a continual process, necessitating long-term monitoring. Despite these challenges, the preliminary survey results were extremely promising. The brook trout population is recovering, and the restoration effort, involving groups like the Falmouth Rod and Gun Cub and APCC, was a success.

Special note: Steve Hurley is retiring this month after several decades of service to the people of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and to fish conservation throughout the state. Here on Cape Cod, Steve has been instrumental in the efforts to return sea-run brook trout to their native rivers. APCC has worked closely with Steve through the years, most recently on the Coonamessett and Childs rivers projects. We at APCC are eternally grateful for Steve’s tireless work, knowledge, and graciousness, and wish him the best on a well-earned retirement.

Above: Steve Hurley, preparing to measure a brook trout.

The Ecosystem Restoration Program Thanks

Our Wonderful Interns

Above: APCC interns Rory Edwards and Hannah Brown (photo credit: Gerald Beetham)

This past week the Ecosystem Restoration Program said farewell to our seasonal interns, Hannah Brown and Rory Edwards. Working closely with Ecosystem Restoration Program staff, they conducted fieldwork, processed samples, and furthered our salt marsh restoration projects.

Hannah and Rory enthusiastically participated in data collection at several salt marsh sites, including Oyster Pond Marsh in Falmouth, Weir Creek and Sesuit Creek marshes in Dennis, Chase Garden Creek Marsh in Yarmouth, and Great Marsh in Barnstable. They calculated sediment accretion using marker horizons, identified and surveyed salt marsh plants, deployed water level and salinity sensors, and measured water quality.

In addition to their assistance in the marsh, they contributed to other key projects. Hannah helped with updates to the Cape Cod Water Resources Restoration project map and reviewed website content that is shared with the public. Rory managed calibration and maintenance of our new dissolved oxygen sensors at two of our marshes, aiding in our use of this new equipment with invaluable troubleshooting and lessons learned.

Thanks to their efforts, the Ecosystem Restoration Program team was able to successfully complete our summer fieldwork goals. The data they collected and processed will inform ongoing and future decisions about salt marsh restoration needs. The Ecosystem Restoration Program team and APCC thank them both and wish them the best of luck in all their endeavors!

APCC Volunteers, We Want to Thank You!

Please let us know if you plan to attend.

We hope you will! RSVP here.

APCC's Cyanobacteria Monitoring Program Partner Spotlight

Above: FWS members, Susan Baur and Judith McDowell

The mission of Falmouth Water Stewards (FWS) is to protect, preserve, and restore Falmouth’s bays, estuaries, salt ponds, and fresh waters through education, advocacy and citizen science. FWS informs the public about the most pressing water quality issues of the day, engages citizens as stewards and caretakers of our waters, and is a voice at town meeting.

With a board of directors comprised of scientists, policymakers, educators and concerned citizens, in addition to a broad grassroots membership base, FWS has earned its reputation for leadership in the preservation of Falmouth’s water resources.

There are currently four volunteers from FWS that assist with cyanobacteria monitoring. Falmouth Water Stewards are interested in the vitality of Falmouth's freshwater and coastal ponds, cyanobacteria monitoring is a vital component to assess the health of freshwater ponds.

To learn more about Falmouth Water Stewards, please visit FWS website, email falmouthwaterstewards@gmail.com, or visit FWS on Facebook.

APCC's cyanobacteria monitoring program wraps up November 7, 2024. Results are displayed on the interactive map. For a list of ponds being monitored through October, click here. For any information on Brewster ponds, email info@brewsterponds.org. You can sign up for cyanobacteria bloom alerts here—and receive a notice when a bloom is detected, except for any occurrences in Brewster.

Cape Cod Commission and the Freshwater Initiative

For the Birds

According to a 2019 report in the journal of Science, we have lost 2.9 billion (that’s a “B”) breeding birds in North America since 1970. That means for most of us, during our lifetime, bird populations have dropped by almost 30 percent.

One billion of the birds are those species that depend on forests. Grassland species have been the hardest hit with 73 percent of grassland bird species in decline. Not surprisingly, migratory bird species fared far worse than resident birds species. Wetland birds were the only group that appeared to have a slight increase, presumably due to our conservation efforts for the past many decades in protecting their wetland habitats. From the same 2019 report: “Losses among habitat generalists and even introduced species indicate that declining species are not replaced by species that fare well in human-altered landscapes.”

The significant decline of birds is attributed to loss of habitat from: development and industrial agriculture, the decline in insect species and the size of insect populations—aka bird food, coastal disturbance, mortality due to direct human causes, including the use of rodenticides and insecticides, window collisions, predation by pets, etc. And then there is also the wild card of climate change with more intense weather events, rising seas and loss of coastal habitats.

Here are some things that you can do to help our birds:

Keep cats indoors. The American Bird Conservancy says that in the United States alone, outdoor cats kill approximately 2.4 billion birds every year.
Make windows safer for birds. They perceive reflections in glass as a habitat they can fly into. Experts recommend installing screens or using film/paint to break up reflections. All About Birds has several examples.
Grow native plants that support birds with food: fruit, seeds, and insects.
Leave the leaves. Fallen leaves support overwintering insects and invertebrates.
Avoid pesticide use, including rodenticides, insecticides, and fungicides.
Retain oak trees. Oaks are a keystone species that support over 535 species of caterpillars that are crucial bird food.
Support the protection of woodlands and grasslands in your town and beyond.
Preserve standing dead trees that provide an insect food source and sometimes a nesting site for cavity dwelling birds, such as screech owls, flickers, and woodpeckers.
Buy bird-friendly coffee to ensure tropical habitat is not lost. Rainforests are cleared for typical coffee plantations, but bird-friendly coffee is shade-grown, thereby preserving tropical bird and other wildlife habitat—and it’s certified organic, too.
Reduce your contribution to light pollution. Lighting should be directed downward, or better yet, go dark—especially during migration right now. Going dark is good for lots of critters, including your neighbors.

The economic value of birds has been well-documented. Their contribution to our enjoyment of the natural world for many of us—priceless.

Birds play an essential role in ensuring that ecosystems continue to function. The loss of so many birds leads us to an unavoidable pun: They may very well be "the canary in the coal mine.” So let's pay attention and do what we can to support our birds and do right by nature.

EVENTS Hosted by Others

A Cape Cod Native Plant-selector

~ to help you choose the perfect native plants for your garden.

Email membership@apcc.org and we'll send you a CapeCodNativePlants.org decal.

Goldenrod

Solidago spp

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