Association to Preserve Cape Cod

Above: Mayflowers, Maianthemum canadense. Photo by Sue Machie.

What I'm Thinking...

Self Reliance

by Andrew Gottlieb, APCC Executive Director

The environment has had a good spring at Cape town meetings. Voters across the region have continued to approve investments in clean water despite growing concerns about looming economic disruptions. Approval of environmental improvement articles has been the rule, not the exception, at every town meeting I have heard about. The voter message is clear: Environmental restoration is a very high priority that voters have continued to fund while also approving other town initiatives.

It has been clear for several years now that the fundamental dynamics around environmental protection have flipped. Voters now expect town officials to give them the opportunity to vote to advance better environmental practices. Voters have rejected past practices and policies that have led us to poor water quality, degraded lands, and lost critical habitats. The price to be paid now is when select boards fail to support an environmental agenda. Look no further than Harwich, where voters embraced their next phase on wastewater management and soundly rejected the select board’s opposition to their own article. Select board members and candidates should pay attention to the expression of will by Harwich voters as an instance where the people led in the void of enlightened executive board leadership.

Politically inclined people should read the room here. The environment is, as it should be, a priority. This is a critical lesson that will become more pressing as the impacts of federal disinvestment in the environment play down through the states and trickle down to towns. There is going to be increasing pressure on local jurisdictions to fill gaps created by federal retrenchment. This is true across the spectrum of funding programs and is inclusive of, but not limited to, environmental programs. There will be choices that need to be made about where to use limited local dollars and we, as an environmental community, have to make sure that finishing the job of environmental restoration stays at the top of the priority list. Rather than be surprised by the efforts of our opponents to seize this looming opportunity to slow progress, we need to anticipate what is coming and head them off.

No one is going to come to our rescue. Our environmental fate is ours to determine, and we all need to keep the issue alive in conversations with candidates and have electoral results reflect the commitment candidates show to the environment.

Our community has all the power we choose to exercise at the ballot box. Use it.

APCC Ecosystem Restoration Program

From Bogs to Biodiversity: Walking the Arc of Restoration in Harwich

This past week, a coalition of partners—including APCC, Harwich Conservation Trust, Inter-Fluve, Cape Cod Conservation District, NOAA Restoration Center, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, and others—gathered for two site walks in Harwich that offered a window into the past, present, and future of Cape Cod's landscape.

The first stop was the Hinckleys Pond Herring River Headwaters Eco-Restoration Project site, where boots crunched over gravel and machines hummed in the background. Here, the land is still very much in flux. The site, once a working cranberry bog, now lies bare in places—its excavated bog surface a striking, even jarring, reminder of what ecological restoration looks like in progress. Yet beneath the starkness is a quiet promise: a return of native wetlands, improved water quality, and habitat to support the native plant and animal life that have long relied on this watershed. Earthwork to remove sand and roughen the surface has been completed at this first bog on the southeastern side of Hinckleys Pond, and now work is starting up this week on a smaller bog at the northwest end of Hinckleys Pond.

At the same time, construction is beginning on an all-person trail that will link the eastern bogs to the Cape Cod Rail Trail. The plans include a new boardwalk spanning the former bogs, accessible ramps connecting the trail to the bike path, and a viewing platform by the pond—all designed to welcome people of all ages and abilities into the heart of the restoration. Running along the edge of the project area, the Cape Cod Rail Trail will become a vital passageway, inviting cyclists and walkers to pause, take in the view, and witness ecological renewal in real time.

Later in the morning, the group reconvened just a few miles away at Cold Brook Preserve—a former cranberry bog restored by Harwich Conservation Trust in 2024. Here, the contrast was striking. Where there was once a fallow cranberry operation, just a year after construction, a vibrant wetland mosaic has emerged: a living, breathing ecosystem teeming with native plants and animals, open water, and the songs of birds returning to their reclaimed habitat. Cold Brook is no longer an agricultural landscape, yet it hasn’t forgotten its past—the cultural legacy of cranberry farming remains an integral part of the story.

Together, the two walks offered more than just a look at restoration work—they served as a powerful timeline of change and opportunity for coordination of work throughout the Herring River watershed. At Hinckleys, we saw the messy phase of restoration amidst construction. At Cold Brook, we saw what’s possible when a community invests in the land’s recovery and the regrowth this restoration allows even within one year of completion.

In Harwich, the legacy of cranberry farming runs deep, etched into the town’s identity and landscape. These projects led by the Harwich Conservation Trust honor that legacy while looking ahead to a future where the land once again serves the broader web of life. As APCC and our partners continue to support and celebrate these efforts, we are reminded that the work of restoration is about more than moving earth and water. It’s about reconnecting communities—to each other, to the land, and to the history and future they share.

Read more here for updates on week five of the Hinckleys Pond Herring River Headwaters Eco-Restoration Project.

Above: The group gathered just off the Cape Cod Rail Trail to discuss the progress on the ongoing bog restoration visible in the background. Photo credit: Gerald Beetham

Construction at Curve Hill Rd in Yarmouth

Above: Excavator preparing the site for the constructed wetland and setting up the site access to be used during construction and for long-term maintenance. Photo credit: Gerald Beetham

Construction is underway along Curve Hill Road in Yarmouth to install a constructed wetland designed to improve water quality in Bass River. Tree, brush and invasive species clearing has been completed along with construction of the maintenance access road. This week, crews began work at the outlet of the system constructing the overflow spillway and grading the site to form pools of different depths in the constructed wetland. Over the next few weeks, crews from C.C. Construction will continue excavation, working from the back end out toward Curve Hill Road to complete this green infrastructure stormwater system.

The Curve Hill Road project will treat stormwater runoff that currently flows into a nearby wetland, which ultimately drains to Bass River. Runoff from Curve Hill Road and Great Western Road will first be directed into an underground water quality treatment unit that will remove trash, sediment, grease, and bacteria. From there, water will flow into the constructed wetland—a shallow basin designed to filter pollutants naturally—before connecting to the adjacent existing wetland. The constructed wetland will feature deep pools, shallow areas, and native wetland plants that will further treat runoff by removing nutrients and bacteria. Once completed, this project will help improve water quality in Bass River, support wetland habitat, and provide long-term benefits for the local environment.

APCC is working with the town of Yarmouth to complete this project with the Horsley Witten Group, our subcontracted stormwater engineering firm. APCC helped the town secure a two-year grant to support design, permitting and construction, and is working with the town to provide ongoing project and grant administration.

Funding for this project has been provided by the town of Yarmouth and the Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management Coastal Habitat and Water Quality Grants. For more information on the Yarmouth Stormwater Project, including this and other prioritized sites, visit Yarmouth Stormwater | Association to Preserve Cape Cod. Stay tuned for more construction updates and site photos in upcoming newsletters!

Above: Crew from C.C. Construction working at the Curve Hill Road site. Photo Credit: Gerald Beetham

Source to Sea Kickoff Launches Community-Led

Watershed Restoration Effort

Last Saturday, more than 70 community members gathered at the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribal Headquarters to celebrate the official launch of the Source to Sea community engagement initiative. Hosted by the Waquoit Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve (WBNERR) and its partners, the half-day event marked the beginning of a multi-year effort to plan and implement watershed restoration projects with strong public involvement at every stage.

The initiative focuses on three restoration sites in the Mashpee area: the Mashpee River, the Upper Quashnet River, and Red Brook, which lies along the Falmouth–Mashpee town line. All three waterways face challenges stemming from historical land use and legacy impacts—especially those associated with cranberry farming. Issues like channel degradation, reduced habitat quality, and disrupted flow patterns have compromised ecological health. The goal of each project is to restore more natural river conditions that support native species, improve water quality, and increase climate resilience.

The Source to Sea initiative builds on years of groundwork laid by a broad coalition of partners. Town governments, local organizations, and state and federal agencies have all contributed to advancing restoration in these watersheds. The effort reflects a long-standing commitment to collaboration—one that has made it possible to secure large-scale investments like the recent multi-million dollar grants from the NOAA Restoration Center. Rather than starting from scratch, these federal funds are helping accelerate and expand restoration efforts already in motion, providing additional resources and funding to bring long-envisioned projects to life. The breadth of support behind this initiative underscores a shared understanding: meaningful restoration takes time, trust, and teamwork.

During the event, attendees heard informal presentations introducing each project’s background, challenges, and restoration goals. Project leads emphasized that science-based strategies are guiding the restoration work, but equally important is the role of the community in shaping outcomes. A central theme throughout the morning was clear: these efforts cannot succeed in isolation—they rely on local input to ensure that restoration plans reflect the values and priorities of the people who live in and around these watersheds.

The event also featured informal engagement sessions, where attendees explored maps, graphics, and background materials illustrating proposed restoration concepts. Conversations between project teams and community members fostered dialogue, questions, and connection—laying the groundwork for collaborative restoration planning.

A key purpose of the gathering was to introduce the Source to Sea community engagement framework. Each of the three projects will be shaped through a series of three to four visioning meetings scheduled across 2025 and 2026. These sessions will provide opportunities for residents to weigh in on design elements, contribute local and historical knowledge, and help identify community priorities. To make participation accessible, WBNERR, APCC and our partners are offering support such as stipends, transportation assistance, and childcare.

Missed the event? There’s still time to get involved.

The project teams are actively seeking restoration partners—community members who want to stay informed and take part in shaping the future of these rivers. No special expertise is needed. Restoration partners will receive updates about project timelines, upcoming meetings, and opportunities to contribute as planning progresses.

At its heart, Source to Sea recognizes that effective watershed restoration depends on more than just sound science—it requires strong, sustained community partnerships. With local voices at the center of the process, these projects hold the potential deliver meaningful, lasting improvements to river health—while strengthening the ties between people and the places they call home.

Take Action!

APCC sends letter to the Joint Committee on Environment and Natural Resources voicing support for Bill H.898, An Act to End the Taking of Horseshoe Crabs for Bait. Read here.

Help protect a 450-million-year-old species that underpins both

ecological and human health.

Horseshoe crabs play a vital role in both coastal ecosystems and public health:

Their eggs are a critical food source for migratory shorebirds, including the threatened red knot.
They are slow to mature, taking 11 years to reach reproductive size, making them highly vulnerable to over-harvesting.
Horseshoe crabs are taken just when they come ashore to spawn.

As we await the full transition of the pharmaceutic industry to synthetics, it is imperative to reduce preventable mortality. Bait harvest killed over 140,000 crabs last year in Massachusetts.

A personal letter will carry the most weight. Please write to your legislators and/or the Joint Committee on Environment and Natural Resources right now. Ask them to help move Bill H.898 out of committee.

Legislator Letter Template (a Word doc. that you can personalize)

Fact Sheet for Legislators; One-pager Information Sheet; Joint Committee on Environment and Natural Resources; Find My Legislator

For more information, visit horseshoecrabs.org.

Thanks to the Southeastern Massachusetts Pine Barrens Alliance for providing the above content.

River Herring Update

Above: A White Sucker rests still on the gravelly bottom as a school of river herring swims past at the Stony Brook run in Brewster. Photo credit: Gerald Beetham

River Herring Are On the Move—and So Are the White Suckers

We’re now several weeks into the 2025 river herring monitoring season, and activity is beginning to ramp up across Cape Cod. Many runs have recorded steady upstream movement, while others remain quieter than expected. Some sites have reported only a few fish so far—and at least one has yet to document any herring at all.

It’s important to remember that zero counts are just as valuable as high numbers. They provide insight into migration timing and help paint a complete picture of run strength across the region. A day without fish still adds critical data to the record, informing long-term monitoring and restoration efforts.

While monitoring, many volunteers have spotted another native fish migrating this time of year: the white sucker (Catostomus commersonii). These fish also make a seasonal move—but in the opposite direction. While river herring travel upstream from the ocean to spawn in freshwater ponds, white suckers migrate downstream from lakes and ponds to spawn in the gravel-bottomed shallows of rivers and brooks.

White suckers are typically 12 to 20 inches long, with a thick body, brassy-yellow coloration, and a downward-facing mouth adapted for bottom feeding. Males may develop small tubercles (bumps) on their heads during the spawning season. Although they’re visually distinct from herring, their presence around the same time can cause confusion.

If you spot a large, yellowish fish holding near the streambed, it’s likely a white sucker. They should not be included in herring counts, but please feel free to note their presence in the comments. And if you're unsure, snap a photo and send it our way—we’re always happy to assist with identification.

Thank you to everyone who’s been out monitoring this season. Whether you’ve tallied dozens of fish or none at all, your contributions are vital. Every observation helps us track trends, measure progress, and better protect the migratory fish runs that have long been a vital part of Cape Cod’s ecology and cultural heritage.

Above: River herring run counts aggregated across all of the Cape Cod runs utilizing APCC’s web-based data entry system. Data are current through May 2, 2025.

APCC's Ecosystem Restoration Program Welcomes New Staff Member!

Above: Hannah releasing a painted turtle after conducting a population survey in Durham, NH.

Hannah Brown has joined the Ecosystem Restoration Program team as restoration coordinator. She will assist with project management and administration for stormwater, river, and bog restoration projects across Cape Cod. Additionally, she will assist with community engagement and public outreach for these restoration projects.

After graduating from the University of New Hampshire with a degree in wildlife and conservation biology, Hannah joined the Ecosystem Restoration Program as a restoration intern last summer. She is excited to return as a full-time staff member and continue to share and develop her skills with APCC!

Welcome aboard, Hannah!

Workshop at the Koppel Center to Preserve Cape Cod

Join us for the first workshop to be held at

APCC's new Koppel Center

Friday, May 16

10:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.

Introduction to Propagating Native Plants for the Homeowner

Russ Norton, Cape Cod Cooperative Extension horticulture & agriculture educator, will lead us through the basics of propagation. The presentation will cover how to encourage native plants in your landscape and dive into propagation: what’s easy and what’s not, and how to get started.

This will be a hybrid event and will be recorded and available to all. While our parking and seating is limited to 25 people, our bandwidth for viewers is unlimited.

Cape-friendly Landscapes

Above: Monarch caterpillars on flowering butterfly milkweed (Asclepias turberosa), common milkweed in the background (Asclepias syriaca). Photo credit: Gary Bowden

INSECT LIFE

One of the tenets of ecological landscapes is understanding that every species has its place in the world, even though we may not know their role or don’t particularly like them. As Edward O. Wilson said about ants, “they are the tiny things that run the world.” Indeed, while insects and other invertebrates often get a bad rap, they are crucial to life on the planet. Plants and insects are inextricably bound to each other in complex relationships that evolved over millions of years. In this co-evolution, plants and insects indigenous to our region have come to depend on each other to ensure the continued survival of their species.

Plants developed various defense mechanisms to deter being eaten by insects and other wildlife. These defenses may be physical, such as prickles or thorns. It may be that they hold onto their leaves over the winter to protect next year’s buds from being browsed. Most commonly, plants developed a chemical defense that repels the herbivore and makes the plant distasteful or even toxic.

As plants developed their unique defenses, insects were busy in their evolution figuring out a workaround to the deterrents. Therefore, insects tended to specialize and focus on certain plant species, and these are the plant species called host plants. These plants serve as food for some stage of the insect. For butterflies and moths (lepidopteran), the winged stage may readily take nectar from most any flower, but their larvae (caterpillars) are finicky about the plants they consume for nourishment. They may have specialized on a certain genus of plants or group of plants. The most charismatic and common example of this specialization is the monarch butterfly and its caterpillar that is solely dependent on milkweed as food: no milkweed, no monarchs. Native insects require native plants.

Get ready...

APCC's ANNUAL PLANT SALE

goes live on Tuesday, June 3rd at 8:30 a.m.

Online orders only.

Pickup by appointment

at APCC’s headquarters,

482 Main St, Dennis 02638

CLICK HERE for the list of species

Perennials are 1-quart size pots

$10 each plus MA sales tax.

Payment accepted at time of pickup: Credit Card, Apple Pay, Cash, Check accepted.

Pickups will be scheduled for Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday (June 4 – 6) during our office hours: 8:30 a.m.– 4:30 p.m. only.

A Shout Out to Our Volunteers!

Spreading nine yards of woodchips in our plant sale work area.

Above: Michael Lindgren, Braxton Rivera, Brooke Shellman, and Erin Camire, APCC's ecolandscape program coordinator

Above: Susana Hernandez, Sue Johnson, Susana Diaz, Michael Warren, Sue Machie, and Erin Camire, APCC's ecolandscape program coordinator

Repotting seedlings to grow out for our plant sale in June.

Above: Nancy Dexter and Rick Mazza

APCC was at the Harwich Health & Environment Fair

Above: Dee Marsh, APCC's communication specialist & volunteer coordinator

VOLUNTEER with APCC!

Raptors, foxes, coyotes, and other predators help keep our ecosystems in balance. Shocking numbers have been sickened and killed after eating poisoned rodents. Cape Cod wildlife advocates meet every month on the fourth Thursday of the month, 7:00 to 8:00 p.m. via Zoom. To join, sign up with Mass Audubon here. To register for the monthly meetings, register here.

Local partners with APCC are Cape Wildlife Center, Wild Care Cape Cod,

and Sierra Club Cape Cod. Stay informed on Facebook: Rescue Cape Cod Raptors

If you are a farmer or someone who wants to grow native plants to sell, or just want to be updated on the program's development, please submit an interest form that appears on our webpage. We will be sending periodic email notices of workshops and meetings.

Funding for the project is provided by Barnstable County and its Economic Development Council License Plate Grant Program through the Cape Cod Commission.

Events Hosted by Others

South Yarmouth Library,

312 Old Main Street South Yarmouth 02664

South Yarmouth Library

Wednesday, May 14 at 4:00 p.m.

Pollinator Pathway Cape Cod ~ meet the pollinators and learn how to support them.

Learn about choices you can make in your garden that will support pollinators, birds, and butterflies and that will also make your garden a beautiful, enjoyable space. Kristin Andres is APCC's associate director for education.

Join the Brewster Ponds Coalition at Terra Firma Permagardens to learn about meadowscaping and how terraces can be designed to protect our aquifer and strengthen our ecosystem. This free event is limited to 30 people and will be held rain or shine on Saturday May 17, 10 a.m. - 12 p.m. at 155 Monument Road, Orleans.

For more information and to register, please visit https://www.brewsterponds.org

Native Plants and Pollinators

Saturday, June 7th, 9:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.

Kristin Andres, APCC's associate director for education, will take us on a journey through the natural world, uncovering a hidden life of insects that you didn’t know existed but that drives our ecosystem. The insect world includes specialists and generalists that together form the foundation of our food web; by ensuring that we provide the native plants they need, we gain better food production as well as more beauty in the garden.

Hosted by Resilient Roots at Fuller Farm.

A Cape-wide Conservation Event Calendar

The Compact of Cape Cod Conservation Trusts (“the Compact”) and its nonprofit members launched a new regional calendar of events. The Conservation Calendar includes programs across Cape Cod hosted by these groups. The goal of the calendar is to encourage visitors and residents to take part in nature and environmental events. You can always find the link to the calendar on APCC's website under News & Events.

A Cape Cod Native Plant-selector

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

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

Bearberry

Arctostaphylos uva-ursi

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.

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, please contact us.

You can also view the book's content as a pdf on our website.

APCC Merch

APCC caps

$25

-includes USPS deliver in the U.S.

Garden for Life T's

$30

-includes USPS delivery in U.S.

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.