Why We Support BCWC
Why We Support BCWC: David Abelman & Marilyn Weil-Abelman After spending many years visting the ponds on Cape Cod with their then young children, David Abelman and his wife Marilyn decided to make Long Pond in Marstons Mills their Cape escape. “Here on Long Pond, you would never know you were in the hustle and […]
Environmentalists Buy Surplus Oysters to Boost Shellfish Industry and Restore Imperiled Waterways
Environmentalists Buy Surplus Oysters to Boost Shellfish Industry and Restore Imperiled Waterways CapeandIslands.org CAI | By Eve Zuckoff Published December 29, 2020 at 11:17 AM EST Local oyster growers are getting a boost after months of restaurant closures have “torpedoed” the industry, according to one grower. The Nature Conservancy, a Boston-based environmental group, and its […]
Summer Staff on the Move
For three summers now, BCWC has grown oysters in an upweller demonstration project on Hyannis Harbor in partnership with the Massachusetts Oyster Project and the town of Barnstable. The tiny oyster spat are only 1-2mm (the size of a grain of sand) when first placed in buckets in the upweller. They filter phytoplankton (algae), nutrients […]
Marstons Mills Cranberry Bog Restoration
In December 2019, BCWC, the EPA and TNC co-hosted the Marstons Mills Cranberry Bog Restoration Workshop. This workshop, attended by 47 scientists and regulators from the local, state, and national level, focused on identifying nature-based strategies to reduce the amount of nitrogen travelling through the cranberry bogs at the headwaters of the Marstons Mills River. […]
Progress With Alternative Septic Systems
Back in June, a new alternative septic system called the NitROE Waste Water Treatment System (NitROE WWTS) received a permit for “provisional approval” from the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection. This permit codifies a 40% improvement over all previously permitted Innovative/Alternative septic systems – and that is only the beginning! We believe this system will […]
Summer Water Sampling
An important part of BCWC’s water quality monitoring is the collection of water samples from our ponds, streams and estuary. This summer, we are lucky to have David Carter on board to conduct weekly water sampling at several sites, including four ponds, one river and cranberry bogs. The water sampling at the ponds involves collecting […]
A Note from the Helm
Three and a half years into our revised mission to restore the Cape’s waters and rescue our blue economy, we are ready to begin the healing process. Right now, that effort involves removing nutrients and contaminants from wastewater, which enters the groundwater predominantly through our septic systems. The principal problem we are facing is nitrogen […]
Summer Newsletter Blog Posts
Summer Newsletter Blog Posts A Note from the Helm: https://bcleanwater.org/from-the-helm/ Summer Water Sampling: https://bcleanwater.org/summer-sampling/ Progress with Alternative Septic Systems: https://bcleanwater.org/progress-alternative-septic/ Marstons Mills Cranberry Bog Restoration: https://bcleanwater.org/mm-cranberry-bog/ Summer Staff on the Move: https://bcleanwater.org/summer-staff/ Why We Support BCWC: https://bcleanwater.org/why-support/ Volunteer Spotlight: https://bcleanwater.org/volunteer-spotlight/
Diamondback Terrapins: A Girl’s Best Turtle
We have all heard of turtles and tortoises, but have you heard of a terrapin? The Diamondback terrapin is a beautiful reptile with skin spotted like a Dalmatian and scutes, which are the bony plates on the shell, that are shaped like diamonds. What makes terrapins so unique is their preferred habitat: brackish water. Brackish […]
A Dune’s Duties
Sand dunes are significant players in the game of healthy coastal environments. While we have fencing around the dunes on Dead Neck Sampson Island for the nesting shorebirds, we also do it to protect the dunes that are protecting the surrounding ecosystem. Have you ever been on a boat in the bays and notice the […]