Mill Pond Perched Wetland Study
Check out Mill Pond Perched Wetland Study Mill Pond Perched Wetland Study Like many popular coastal areas of the country, Cape Cod has water quality problems. Excess nitrogen leaching into waterways has led to eutrophication and algae blooms in many of the Cape’s surface waters, groundwater and estuaries. Some species that proliferate in nutrient-enriched waters, […]
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 […]
Pot Calling the Kettle….Pond?
Kettle Pond History and Ecology Folks all over the world travel to Cape Cod every year to enjoy its beautiful coastline. But the coastline is not the only place to find water on the Cape! In fact, there are 996 freshwater ponds, 182 of which are in the town of Barnstable. Kettle ponds were formed […]
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 […]
What’s Your Preference? Soft-shelled or Hard-shelled Clams?
If you don’t know, that’s normal. There is actually very little difference in taste when preparing a clam based meal. But besides both being bivalve mollusk, there are quite a few differences. Steamers, or Soft-shelled clams, have quite thin, white grey shells. With their oval-like body, they will burrow into the sandy mud of the […]
Eelgrass: Where Did it All Go?
Decades ago, Cape Cod’s coastal ecosystems looked very different than they do today. The decline in eelgrass, an aquatic plant, gained very little attention and unfortunately the lack of eelgrass today has had a major impact on this aquatic region. Why is eelgrass important? It’s luscious green body provides homes for shellfish and juvenile fish […]
The Living Fossil of the Ocean
What species has been roaming the earth for more than 445 million years and still has significant importance in today’s modern society? They have the word crab in their name but actually are more closely related to spiders. If you have already figured out that we are talking about the infamous Horseshoe crab, you are […]
Sea Sponges, Anemones, Tunicates Galore!
The next time you visit a boat dock, and you want to see some new organisms, lay down on your belly and look to see what is attached along the side of the dock. Throughout Barnstable, there are a variety of colorful plant-like structures creating small ecosystems for small invertebrates like shrimp, crabs, and scallops. […]
Are You an Invasive Crab?
One cannot spend a summer on Cape Cod enjoying the beaches and islands without running into one of the tiniest and mightiest animals in the area: CRABS! The master of camouflage, most people don’t even realize that they are next to one until they decide to move to a new hiding spot. What people also […]