Association to Preserve Cape Cod

Above: Race Point. Photo by Sue Machie

What I'm Thinking...

Use It or Lose It

by Andrew Gottlieb, APCC Executive Director

These words apply to a lot. Retaining our physical and mental strength can rely on how much we exercise our body and mind. Mechanical items can wear out, but they are just as vulnerable to lack of use. Things in motion tend to stay in motion, but lack of use of anything can cause it to become weak or to stop working at all. This applies to your right to speak up, and out, against actions that you find objectionable.

This Independence Day, I ask that you recommit yourself to using your voice. Individual voices matter; many voices speaking together can matter a lot. We have many examples of single voices carrying the day at a town meeting, just as we know the power of the many coming together. The protection of Cape Cod Bay from dumping, the preservation of the Upper Cape Water Supply Reserve, the near unanimous approval of water quality investments from Falmouth to Provincetown and most towns in-between are all examples of the power of the collective voice. There are more.

The need for that collective voice is now greater than ever as national political winds are blowing hard against common sense environmental protections. We all need to speak up for what is right. This is true not just because silence is complicity, but because our voices matter individually and as part of the collective. But our voices, just like our body and mind, need to be used. Not speaking up when the moment requires it may mean the opportunity to do so in the future is lost as well.

Got 5 Minutes? Cape Cod needs you.

This short survey helps us turn shared values into action.

If you haven't yet responded, please take five minutes to share your thoughts in this short survey. Your input will help us better understand what matters most to our community and how we can unite to protect the Cape’s future for generations to come.

We work shoulder to shoulder with our Cape community to protect the fragile environmental areas found within the last 14% of Cape Cod currently undeveloped and unprotected, but to do this well, we need to hear from you.

Take the Survey

Please share this survey with friends and family who care about Cape Cod, too.

The more voices we hear, the stronger we become.

PUBLIC MEETING ANNOUNCEMENT FOR

OYSTER POND IN WEST FALMOUTH

On behalf of the town of Falmouth and other project partners, APCC invites you to provide input at a public meeting related to the Oyster Pond Tidal Restoration Project in West Falmouth Harbor.

The public meeting will be held on Wednesday, July 16th at 5:30-7:00 p.m. at the Falmouth Public Library in the Hermann Room, 300 Main St. in Falmouth.

This hybrid meeting will be hosted on Zoom. Click here to register for the Zoom link, use the QR code.

Above: The undersized culvert under the Shining Sea Bikeway connecting Oyster Pond to Harbor Head.

Oyster Pond is hydraulically connected to West Falmouth Harbor by a 3.8-foot diameter culvert under the Shining Sea Bikeway trail, which restricts tidal exchange, resulting in degraded habitat and water quality. In 2022, with funding secured by the Cape Cod Conservation District, consultants at Fuss & O’Neill and Woods Hole Group completed site assessment, modeling and permit ready designs for the culvert replacement. The proposed design is a 6-foot-wide by 5-foot-high box culvert with a natural substrate bottom to restore significant tidal flow, improve storm drainage capacity, and address safety considerations while also restoring the salt marsh and improving water quality for fish and shellfish.

Above: View of Oyster Pond, upstream of the Shining Sea Bikeway in West Falmouth.

The next phase of the project including adaptive management planning, permitting, and final design is supported by a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Transformational Habitat Grant secured by APCC for work to be completed by 2027. APCC is providing grant administration and technical support, working closely with the town of Falmouth, the Cape Cod Conservation District, Fuss & O’Neill, Woods Hole Group, the NOAA Restoration Center, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resource Conservation Service. Pre-restoration water quality, vegetation, and elevation monitoring were completed by APCC in 2024 with funds from the Cape Cod Conservation District under the Cape Cod Water Resources Restoration Project.

For more information, please visit the Oyster Pond Tidal Restoration website. For questions, please contact Jordan Mora, lead ecologist at APCC (jmora@apcc.org).

Kids, Conservation, and a Coldwater Comeback

This past weekend, the Falmouth Rod and Gun Club (FRGC) brought together local youth for a unique event celebrating fishing, science, and conservation. With support from the Sporting, Safety, Conservation & Education Fund—the FRGC’s nonprofit arm—and local businesses, the event was designed to spark a lasting interest in the natural world and the stewardship of Cape Cod’s waters.

APCC restoration ecologist, Mike Palmer, led an informal talk that introduced the kids to brook trout and the coldwater habitats they depend on. He shared how scientific methods like electrofishing and tagging are used to track fish recovery, and shed light on the historic influence of cranberry farming and millworks in shaping the region’s rivers. He emphasized ongoing restoration efforts aimed at bringing back these vital coldwater streams and wetlands.

After the talk, the group explored a nearby section of the Childs River, witnessing firsthand the results of years of restoration. One memorable moment was spotting a tag antenna tucked into the streambed—a real-world example of the technology Mike had described in action.

The adventure continued the next day aboard a local party boat, where the kids enjoyed a day of black sea bass fishing. Each left with a new fishing rod in hand and, more importantly, a deeper understanding of how healthy rivers support strong fisheries.

A big thank you to the Falmouth Rod and Gun Club for organizing this inspiring event, and to the volunteers, parents, and partners who made it possible. Here’s to nurturing the next generation of anglers and conservationists—may their curiosity and passion for our waterways continue to grow.

Cape-friendly Landscapes

In New England, we have approximately 400 native wild bee species. Bees evolved from wasps and became vegetarians that depend on nectar and pollen of flowers for their food and to feed their young.

Unlike the non-native European honeybee that creates a hive of thousands that they aggressively defend, the vast majority of our wild native bees are solitary nesters. It is the female that creates the tunnels where she lays an egg, one at a time, and provisions it with pollen and nectar. Some species tunnel down into the ground within the top few inches. Others specialize in choosing the stem of a plant. And others that are larger, like the biggest of our bees, the carpenter bee, is able to chew into wood.

Adult wasps will sup nectar and move some grains of pollen in doing so. Depending on her species, she will either hunt or parasitize other insects to supply her young with the protein they need to develop because her larvae are meat-eaters. Like our wild bee species, the majority of wasps are also solitary nesters, with the exception of hornets and yellow jackets that will defend their collective nests. But these insects are predators that are valuable to help keep the balance in the garden.

Above: Great golden digger wasp on butterfly milkweed

Other predatory insects include fireflies, lacewings, beetles, some stinkbugs, longlegged flies, and, as the name implies, assassin bugs. The unlikely earwig is an omnivore and feeds on a variety of materials, including many insects. The larvae of ladybugs and flower flies love to eat aphids. Tachnid flies parasitize a variety of insects. Let’s not forget the diverse group of eight-legged arachnids—the spiders that live in our landscape and trap their protein meals.

In addition to pollination and keeping the biological balance, there are other tasks and interactions we continue to discover. Did you know ants help to aerate the soil, and also distribute seeds of wild ginger, violets, and blood root? Insect life is essential to food webs and stable ecosystems—they are food for other animals, they are the predators, and some are the garbage collectors who break down dead plant material, making the nutrients available to nature’s recycling scheme.

Ecolandscape Consultation Program

If you desire to make your yard friendlier to pollinators and wildlife, learn more about native plants and controlling invasive species, and hear of ways to conserve water and protect the Cape’s water quality, we can help.

APCC’s Ecolandscape Consultation program is aimed at helping homeowners make their landscapes more ecologically friendly by providing site-specific assessments and oodles of information for the DIYers or those that want to be more informed to hire the right landscape contractor. While we are not landscape designers or engineers, we do have the passion, experience, knowledge, and loads of resources to offer guidance to help you achieve your goals for a Cape-friendly yard.

Click here for more information and

to schedule a consultation!

APCC's Cyanobacteria Monitoring Program

Pond Life Spotlight

Our summer interns encounter all sorts of interesting pond life under the microscope as they conduct the microscopy that identifies the cyanobacteria found in the program's water samples. Look for this newsletter spotlight each week, written by the interns about their favorite organism!

Above: Vorticella attached to Dolichospermum (a type of cyanobacteria). Photo by APCC

Vorticella are microscopic bell-shaped ciliates. Ciliates are a type of protist, which are a group of loosely connected unicellular eukaryotic organisms, so they are not considered to be a plant, an animal, or a fungi. At one point in time, they were called “Bell Animalcules,” in reference to their bell shape and microscopic size, however, this term is no longer in use.

Vorticella also has a hair-like strand, called a stalk, that they use to move around in the water and connect to larger masses such as cyanobacteria, plants, or animals. We usually see them attached to Dolichosperum, a genus of cyanobacteria that is extremely common in our ponds. Vorticella can be found in both salt and freshwater, and they are filter feeders. This means that they eat by sucking in water and bacteria like a vacuum.

Above: Vorticella attached to a colony of Aphanizomenon spp. Photo by Sophia Corsaro

Welcome to the latest addition to the summer intern team!

Caroline Berney

Hi everyone! My name is Caroline. I’m from Needham, MA and I’ve been coming to Orleans during the summer since I was little. I’m a rising senior and a computer science major/math minor at Bowdoin College in Maine. This summer I’ll be joining the cyanobacteria team and also implementing the vet survey and outreach project. I’m very excited to help preserve the Cape’s natural resources and to assist vets and pet owners in ensuring animals get the care they need. Hopefully I’ll get to pet some dogs too!

"When in doubt, stay out." High concentrations of potentially toxic cyanobacteria were detected in several ponds last week, at levels that are of concern for pets and children who are more susceptible due to ingestion.

Check on the status of your favorite pond on our interactive map.

If you see what appears to be a bloom, take a picture, note the day, location, and time and notify the local health department, and email to cyano@apcc.org.

Sign up for cyanobacteria email alerts.

VOLUNTEER with APCC!

Events Hosted by Others

Cape Cod’s best-loved conservation fair, Brewster Conservation Day, has a new home at the Sea Camps Bay Property at 3057 Main Street, Brewster!

Enjoy interactive displays, live music, a new “Creativity Zone” and over 40 exhibitors while celebrating this year’s theme “Trees: Superheroes of the Natural World.” This free event will be held Saturday, July 12, from 9:30 AM to 1:30 PM, rain or shine.

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.

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.

Black Cohosh, aka Bugbane

Actaea racemosa

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

NEW! T's

Cyanobacteria ~ tiny but mighty

color kiwi

$30

includes USPS shipping

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.