Images by William F. Pomeroy Saturday, April 23rd, was a beautiful day for Beautify Brewster. Twenty-one BPC volunteers showed up at 10 AM for the two hour clean up of Satucket and Slough Roads. This year, DNR created very detailed sheets to document the type of trash picked up. By far the biggest winner in terms of number was cigarette butts. Nip bottles, however, were a close second. Our group alone collected 253 nips. We are hoping that the State will either initiate a deposit or ban the sale altogether as so many end up on the side of the road. BPC photographer Bill Pomeroy went above and beyond the call of duty to pick up trash in addition to taking his usual great photos of the event. It was great to have him participate on both levels. Now we await the results of the DNR tally sheets. Comparing types of trash picked up from year to year will help future decisions regarding waste disposal. Thank you so much to everyone who volunteered and made this day a great success!
What's In Your Water? Learn about the challenges that Cape Cod, and Brewster in particular, is facing in supplying clean and healthy public drinking water in this informative talk presented by Paul Anderson, Superintendent of Brewster's Water Department. Click on picture above to see video.
Join the BPC Team — always one of the largest and most fun groups — for the 10th Annual Beautify Brewster Day to help clean up roads and paths in Brewster that contribute to pond and groundwater degradation. We’ll begin at 10 AM on Saturday, April 23 (rain date April 24). Email BPC Team Leader Nancy Ortiz at [email protected] for more information and to sign up.
Image by William F. Pomeroy Join us on an inspiring two-hour guided tour through Upper and Lower Mill Ponds to the spawning grounds of the alewife and blueback herring as we journey to one of the most iconic and productive herring runs on all of Cape Cod - The Stony Brook Run. Learn about the primordial, annual return of the alewife/herring to their original breeding grounds, the history of the Punkhorn and kettle ponds, and the health of the Mill Ponds, and discover the life that exists in this amazing ecosystem. BPC Business Partner and your guides from SUPfari Adventures invite you to join Brad Chase, Diadromous Fisheries Project Leader with MA Dept of Marine Fisheries on one of two paddles on Upper Mill Pond in Brewster - Sunday, May 15th from 10 - 12 or 1 - 3. Kayaks are provided or you may bring your own. Registration and payment in advance are required. There is a limit of 12 participants per paddle; the fee is $76 per person. This is a no-refund, no-cancellation event since reservations are extremely limited and will go fast! About Your Guides: Brad Chase is a Senior Marine Fisheries Biologist for the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries at the South Coast Marine Fisheries Station in New Bedford. He has worked on habitat and population monitoring and restoration for river herring, rainbow smelt and American eel for over 30 years. Brad is presently the Diadromous Fish Project Leader, serves as state representative on the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission technical committees for American shad, river herring and American eel, and the Fish Passage Working Group and is a member of the Harwich Conservation Commission. Luke Foley is an outdoor guide and adventure photographer with over 25 years of professional outdoor guiding and instruction. Luke has a wide range of experience including 28 years with Eastern Mountain Sports. Ryan Burch is a lifelong nature and water steward. He is co-owner of SUPfari Adventures Cape Cod with his wife, Juliette, and is the Senior Shellfish & Natural Resource Officer for the town of Brewster. Join the Brewster Ponds Coalition at 11AM on Thursday, April 7th, at the Brewster Baptist Church, 1848 Main Street, Brewster, to hear about “What’s In Your Water?” Paul Anderson, Superintendent of the Town of Brewster Water Department, will discuss how the Town is working to keep its drinking water clean and healthy in the face of current and future challenges, how the town’s wells are maintained and he'll be answering your questions. Admission is free, but seating is limited. Paul Anderson has been the Superintendent of the Brewster Water Department for 13 years. Prior to Brewster he was the Superintendent for the towns of Norfolk, Duxbury, Middleborough, and a private water supply in Plymouth. Collectively he has over 27 years in the water industry. He holds drinking water licensing in both Distribution and Treatment as well as municipal wastewater and is OSHA certified in construction and general industry. While under Paul’s leadership Brewster Water has received numerous awards for outstanding performance and achievement from the Department of Environmental Protection and was twice recognized for the best drinking water in New England. Brewster Selectmen Want To Withdraw From Cape & Islands Water Protection Fund And Adopt New Tax3/4/2022
Schoolhouse Pond Cyanobacteria Bloom Summer 2021 CAPE CODDER
Rich Eldred Wicked Local Brewster could become the first Cape town to opt out of the Cape Cod and the Islands Water Protection Fund. The select board believes Brewster can do better without the other 14 member towns. The Water Protection Fund The Cape Cod and the Islands Water Protection Fund was created by the state legislature, at the urging of the Cape delegation, in 2018. The idea was to fund mostly big ticket wastewater projects on Cape Cod, such as sewers The state collects lodging taxes from Cape Cod, sends the funds to the CCIWPF which then disperses them to the member towns when they have an eligible project. The CCOWPF raises money from a 2.75% tax on lodging (hotels, motels, short term rentals) collected by the state in the 15 member towns. In the four years of its existence, the fund had raised $39 million and dispersed $30.5 million to Cape for projects such as the downtown sewer in Orleans ($14.9 million), $5.5 million for the sewer in Harwich and more. More funding is pending for other towns. To date, Brewster visitors and inn keepers have contributed about $2.6 million to the fund, but hasn't received any money for work on water quality projects, primarily because the town has major work in the near future. After a 4-0 vote at Monday’s select board meeting, voters will be asked at the fall Town Meeting to opt out, dropping the local 2.75% lodging tax. In a second article, they will be asked to adopt an option provided by the state for a 3% tax on short-term rentals. Most of that money could be used for water quality projects at the town's discretion. Over time Brewster could raise more cash with this tax than they stand to receive from the CCIWPF. Withdrawing will require a two-thirds vote at Town Meeting. Read Full Story Here. Image Courtesy of The Cape Codder Rich Eldred
Wicked Local - The Cape Codder BREWSTER — Brewster may need to spend more than $30 million on sewer projects to meet pollution reduction targets established by the Department of Environmental Protection for Pleasant Bay. Nitrogen reduction quotas were agreed to under the 2018 joint Watershed Permit for Pleasant Bay issued by the DEP to Brewster, Orleans, Chatham and Harwich. Orleans, Chatham and Harwich have previously launched construction projects and spent millions on sewer systems as they strive hit those targets. The update on the town’s Integrated Water Resource Management Plan was prepared by the Horsley and Witten Group and reported to the Select Board and Board of Health Jan. 27. Click here for full story. Click here to see full video of joint Board of Selectmen/Board of Health Meeting where this is discussed in detail. Please let your town leaders know how important healthy ponds and groundwater are to you. You can offer your suggestions about reducing septic system nutrients into ponds and groundwater in the box below Question 2 on the survey.
The Three Nancys (left to right - Ortiz, Condon, and Leland) assemble Cyano Aerosol equipment The BPC 2021 season of cyanobacteria pond monitoring and testing was record breaking on multiple fronts: number of ponds tested; samples collected; and number of volunteer citizen scientists participating -- who make this program possible! The program tested 18 ponds in our regular biweekly rotation, from May through October. Additionally, we tested four more ponds at the request of concerned members. From these ponds, our dedicated 50 person team of Citizen Scientists collected more than 300 samples for toxin analysis. We published results biweekly to: our members; the Town of Brewster Departments of Health and Natural Resources; and to the local pond association leaders. On the infrequent occasions when test results showed a HIGH cyanobacteria count, we immediately advised Town of Brewster officials. The success and expansion of our program is a credit to a community of BPC donors who know that their participation in citizen science initiatives benefits the town, our friends and neighbors, and the environment. The work contributes directly to scientific research, we provide scientists with large, diverse, usable data sets, and provide town officials with important information. Being a member of the team can be a catalyst for personal change and is both a social and fun activity! We will continue to rely on your help and support in 2022. Our plan for next year is to expand the pond cyanobacteria monitoring program, and to continue our airborne toxin research at the Mill Ponds. Your membership involvement is the key to getting things done! How can you help?Your $125 donation replenishes cyanobacteria testing and analysis supplies—like water collection bottles, plastic hoses vials, collection tote bags, and microscope slides—throughout the testing season. Your $250 donation equips the Citizen Scientist program with laboratory collection and analysis equipment including aerosol collection devices. Your $500 donation goes towards the cost of cyanoscope, fluorometer, and anatoxin kit purchases. Thanks to our supporters' generosity, the 2022 appeal has raised $24,000 to date towards a goal of $71,000, in support of Citizen Science and other BPC programs. Please renew your membership. It's easy—just press the button below or visit: brewsterponds.org Thank you! Your support makes a difference for Brewster’s Ponds!
Our "hats-off" to BPC member Susan Bauer! See this WBZ TV news piece about how the Old Ladies Against Underwater Garbage take care of this problem in Cape Cod ponds.
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