Association to Preserve Cape Cod

White Crest Beach, Wellfleet. Photo by Sue Machie

Video Throwback! - Cape Cod The Sands of Time A good summary of the geology of Cape Cod and the coastal processes that keep molding our shorelines.

APCC Ecosystem Restoration Program

Above: Ecosystem Restoration Program staff members April Wobst, Molly Autery, Mike Palmer, and Jordan Mora (left to right).

The Ecosystem Restoration Program is Growing!

New Faces and New Roles

This summer, APCC welcomed two new members, Molly Autery (salt marsh specialist) and Mike Palmer (restoration ecologist), to bolster our growing Ecosystem Restoration Program. Their arrival marked a significant step forward in our efforts to address the growing demands for ecological restoration services on Cape Cod.

To further enhance our program's capacity and reach, April Wobst was formally appointed as restoration program manager and, with the retirement of science director, Dr. Jo Ann Muramoto, April is APCC’s new MassBays regional coordinator for Cape Cod. In this pivotal role, April oversees the implementation of our ecosystem restoration goals and cultivates strategic partnerships with local, state, and federal agencies. Her leadership is instrumental in ensuring that our initiatives align with the broader regional objectives for environmental conservation and sustainability.

We are also delighted to announce the appointment of Jordan Mora as APCC's lead ecologist and science advisor. Jordan brings a wealth of experience and knowledge to her new position, and her expertise will be invaluable in managing salt marsh restoration projects and ensuring the scientific rigor of our data collection and monitoring efforts. Additionally, Jordan will provide invaluable scientific guidance to all APCC programs, such as GIS mapping, field surveys, data quality control, and data analysis.

With the expanded growth and capacity of our team, APCC is well-positioned to meet the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead in our mission to restore and protect Cape Cod's ecosystems. We are confident that our dedicated team, working in collaboration with our partners, will make a lasting and positive impact on the health and resilience of our local environment.

The Role of the Ecosystem Restoration Program

The Ecosystem Restoration Program focuses on maintaining an inventory of restoration projects on Cape Cod. To maximize the impact of our restoration work, we collaborate closely with various partners across the region. This collaborative approach allows us to coordinate our efforts, share resources, and leverage expertise from different organizations.

To support towns and communities in their restoration efforts, we offer a range of resources, including expertise in funding strategies and grant management, as well as technical assistance for site assessment and monitoring. Regular monitoring and reporting are essential for evaluating the success of ecosystem restoration projects. By tracking the progress and outcomes of various techniques, we can identify areas for improvement and incorporate adaptive management strategies where needed.

APCC provides these services to empower local stakeholders to take an active role in restoring and protecting their natural environment. Public education and engagement are crucial for the long-term success of our restoration programs. By raising awareness about the benefits of ecosystem restoration and encouraging community involvement, we can create a shared sense of ownership and stewardship for our natural resources.

Mussels, the Muscles of a Pond Ecosystem

Like the saltwater shellfish we are most familiar with, mussels are bivalves—two hard shells hinged and held together by an abductor muscle and a fleshy inner body. They have a foot that is used to help them burrow into the sand, gravel, or muck bottom of our kettle ponds. They don’t move around and pretty much stay in one place for life. If undisturbed, some can live for decades and you can determine an individual's age by counting the rings on the shell.

These mollusks have a unique life history, requiring the use of fish in their life cycle. The male mussels release sperm into the water and the females syphon in the water and the eggs are fertilized. The embryos then develop in the gills of the female until becoming mature larvae, called glochidia (pronounced glo-kid-dee-uh). The female then releases the glochidia out into the water. But that’s not the end of their journey! They must attach to a fish where they develop and catch a ride to a new location to ensure genetic diversity and expansion of their population.

Like many complex intriguing relationships between species, some mussels select certain fish species to evolve with as their host. To ensure the glochidia reach their chosen fish host, the glochidia evolved to look like fish’s favorite food, typically resembling a worm or insect larva. Some mussel species entice fish to come closer by angling or waving a modified portion of their mantel, similar to a fisherman creating some action with a lure. The soon-to-be mussels are then dispersed into the water and have a better chance to latch onto the fish’s gills or fins where they “encyst” and grow into baby mussels. When ready, the young mussels then “excyst” and drop to the bottom of the pond where they settle into the substrate. Here they mature and spend their lives partially buried, busy filtering the water and producing the next generation.

Similar to the historic records about the massive amounts of oysters that filled our New England harbors before the 20th century, journal entries of pioneers Lewis and Clark noted the mussels were so plentiful that they created shoals in the riverbeds. For eons, Native Americans harvested mussels for food and made use of the shells for utilitarian purposes. But as Europeans settled North America, the resource became depleted from industrial harvesting for the shells for button-making and other decorative purposes.

Eastern eliiptio. Westcott Phillip, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Of the 297 species of native freshwater mussel species in North America, we’ve lost 35 species all together and 75 percent are at risk. In Massachusetts, there are a dozen species, six of which are at risk. On Cape Cod, the eastern pond mussel and the tidewater mucket are listed as species of special concern and are found in just a few ponds of the Upper Cape.

Threats to the mussels in Cape ponds include alterations to habitat caused by development, nutrient pollution, warming water temperatures due to climate change, acid rain, mercury deposition, and invasive species, such as the aquatic plant—European milfoil and another mussel, the Asian clam. All of these threats contribute to the overall degradation of pond health for wildlife and for us.

Mussels play a crucial role in preserving water quality in their water world. One mussel can filter 18 gallons of water per day, thus improving the clarity of the water. As they suck in all around them, they take in organic matter, algae, bacteria, and viruses. If pollutants are present, they are able to sequester chemicals and heavy metals. For these values, mussels are the muscles in freshwater ecosystems.

We don’t seem to know a whole lot about our freshwater mussels, but what we do know is that if this group of animals goes missing, it will be a huge loss in the web of pond life in our ponds.

Learn more on the MassWildlife website.

Keeping with the topic of mussels: Video Share!

This six minute video is an excerpt from a film by FreshwatersIllustrated.org, Hidden Rivers. While this is about mussels in the streams of Appalachia, the basic biological cycle is the same and just as fascinating as the freshwater mussels found in our ponds on Cape Cod.

APCC's Cyanobacteria Monitoring Program Partner Spotlight

Above: Jamie Demas, Merilyn and Ed Hafner

Orleans Pond Coalition (OPC) is an all-volunteer nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting and enhancing the saltwater estuaries and freshwater ponds and lakes of Orleans.

We have 20 volunteers who sample six lakes and ponds in Orleans for cyanobacteria. We feel the residents and visitors in Orleans deserve to be kept up to date on potential harmful algal blooms in the freshwater lakes and ponds where we swim and recreate throughout the spring, summer and fall.

For more information, visit our website at orleanspondcoalition.org or contact us at info@orleanspondcoalition.org.

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.

APCC Volunteers, We Want to Thank You!

Please let us know if you plan to attend.

We hope you will! RSVP here.

NEW! A Cape-wide Conservation Event Calendar

The first-of-its-kind calendar highlights regional nature programs

The Compact of Cape Cod Conservation Trusts (“the Compact”) and its nonprofit members are excited to launch a new regional calendar of events. The Conservation Calendar includes programs from villages and towns across Cape Cod, encouraging both visitors and residents to take part in nature and environmental events.

The new Conservation Calendar helps to spotlight programs without going to individual towns or organizational websites. Powered by the “Communications Cohort,” an informal group of dedicated community outreach volunteers and professional staff co-led by the Barnstable Land Trust and APCC, this initiative illustrates the powerful impact of nonprofit collaborations. Events can be sorted by date, town, organization, and type and is constantly being updated.

Other 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.

Groundsel Bush

Baccharis halimifolia

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 the 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