Association to Preserve Cape Cod Association to Preserve Cape Cod, Inc. 2011 Annual Report P.O. Box 398, 3010 Main Street Barnstable, MA 02630 Never Forgotten & Still Making a Difference Maggie Geist retired as executive director of the Association to Preserve Cape Cod in 2011. For a dozen years, Maggie steered our organization over many challenges and established her reputation as both a passionate environmentalist and a creative businesswoman. Capewind, county government reform, the Cape Cod Water Resources Restoration Project, the Upper Cape Water Supply Reserve on 15,000 acres of the Massachusetts Military Reservation, the No Discharge Area designation for Cape Cod Bay and, most of all, clean water were all positively impacted by her proactive style. She is still working with APCC developing a regional wastewater plan. Maggie led APCC and lives her life by the creed instilled upon her by her mom: “Leave the world a better place than you found it.” In her honor, the board of directors established the Geist Internship. The Geist Internship is intended to be a perpetual fund established to permit APCC to help train the next generation of environmental scientists, planners, engineers and creative thinkers. Each summer APCC will hire a promising college student to work on a project to help preserve Cape Cod. The fund is over one third the way toward being a self-perpetuating dedicated fund for this purpose. Member generosity, especially from current and past board members, made this possible. Programs & Projects Marine Invasive Species Monitoring: Over the past decade, many non-native marine plants and animals have arrived in coastal waters, often out- competing local species. Although there are no tried and true methods for eradicating invasive species, it is possible to reduce their numbers and their spread through public education and monitoring. APCC began a regional program to train volunteers to identify marine invasives at docks and other likely areas. A public education program was initiated to alert boat owners and others to be on the lookout for these species. Monitoring and program updates will be ongoing. Massachusetts Bays Program: Since 2006, APCC has been the host organization for the Massachusetts Bays Program (MBP) on Cape Cod, one of 28 National Estuary Programs established under the Clean Water Act. As such, APCC provides technical assistance to towns to help them meet regional goals meant to protect and enhance the coastal health and heritage of Massachusetts and Cape Cod Bays. In 2011 APCC: • Assisted applicants and recipients with the new MBP Applied Research and Planning Grants (four awarded to Cape Cod in the last two years). APCC’s grant-writing assistance and support has brought in an estimated $2.8 million in grant support to Cape Cod Bay towns and organizations. • Worked with the Barnstable County Coastal Resources Committee (CRC) to review the Cape Cod Ocean Management District of Critical Planning Concern. • Worked with the CRC to support the Cape Cod Dredge Working Group. • Initiated a new Aquatic Invasive Monitoring Program for Cape Cod. Funding for the program was provided by a grant from the Massachusetts Environmental Trust. • Expanded the APCC Herring Monitoring Program to several new communities and worked with NOAA and state Division of Marine Fisheries to support uniform herring count methodology. • Continued to assist towns and restoration agencies with identification of potential restoration projects, project coordination and coordination of resources. Water Quality and Wastewater Infrastructure: APCC continued to advocate for a comprehensive regional approach to providing needed wastewater infrastructure on Cape Cod. APCC believes that a watershed-based approach is the only way to ensure that water quality is restored in our bays and estuaries and that the cost is kept as low as possible. APCC created a set of guiding principles for development of such a plan for adoption by APCC’s board of directors. APCC is also working with regional leaders on developing the needed data for the various components of such a comprehensive plan. Among these components are additional information on costs of infrastructure under different build out scenarios and costs of managing on-site wastewater treatment systems under a regional plan, density maps indicating areas where different configurations of wastewater infrastructure would be feasible and maps illustrating areas where wastewater disposal is possible. Another component is evaluating the options for spreading the costs of infrastructure as broadly as possible in order to make it more affordable. The Conservation Law Foundation and the Coalition for Buzzards Bay filed two lawsuits against the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, alleging that the EPA has failed to enforce the Clean Water Act. APCC is prepared to respond to any contingencies required by this suit or potential settlement. This possibility adds urgency to the need to develop a comprehensive plan that will meet the needs of Cape Cod while satisfying any court decree. APCC is also cognizant that our long-standing method of using water to dispose of wastes is not viable over the long term. In the short term, we must use a number of conventional treatment plants with high nitrogen removal capabilities to meet the state’s water quality standards. But, we need to plan for a future where innovative ways to treat and dispose of wastewater—ways that are capable of meeting stringent nitrogen-reduction standards—are used for the vast majority of Cape residences. Climate changes including sea level rise and precipitation changes add even more complexity to the challenge. This is an ongoing endeavor. Updated Bottle Bill: APCC has been an advocate of efforts to update the state’s existing beverage container law, which requires a refundable deposit on carbonated beverage containers. A proposed revision to the law, known as the “updated bottle bill,” would expand the deposit to other containers, such as bottled water, juices and sports drinks. These products make up an increasing amount of the state’s non-recycled waste stream. Pesticide and Fertilizer Reduction Program: APCC initiated the first step in a program to reduce the use of pesticides and fertilizers across Cape Cod. The Cape’s sensitive water resources are particularly vulnerable to potential impacts from different forms of contamination, including contamination from the application of these products. Before an education and outreach campaign begins, an effort is underway to better understand the types and amounts of pesticides and fertilizers used in the region by businesses, homeowners, utilities and various levels of government. In 2011 APCC conducted a literature review of pesticide and fertilizer use across the country. The review revealed a wide discrepancy in published reports on rates of use and on the list of products being studied. One general conclusion was reached: most people do use pesticides in some form, although many reports failed to provide important details such as distinguishing between indoor and outdoor uses. One frightening discovery is that the household garden shed is frequently the repository of not only dangerous chemicals but also chemicals that have been banned from use. Massachusetts Military Reservation (MMR): APCC serves on the Science Advisory Panel of the Environmental Management Committee charged with ensuring that military training on the upper 15,000 acres of the MMR does not threaten water resources or wildlife habitat. APCC also serves on the Civilian Community Committee that provides community input into development proposals on the MMR. Cape Cod Critical Habitats Atlas: In 1990, APCC published an atlas and accompanying guidebook of critical habitats on Cape Cod. This atlas has been used by regulatory agencies, towns and land trusts during the decades since its publication. APCC began an update of this atlas in 2010 because there is more information about habitats and natural communities than there was two decades ago, yet there is no single source for this accumulation of information. In addition, most of the natural community types on Cape Cod have not been mapped. APCC is also convinced that regulations on the state, regional and local levels do not adequately protect the plant and animal communities and habitats that constitute Cape Cod’s natural heritage. It is our hope that spotlighting these habitats will help advance their conservation. APCC is in the process of collecting data for mapping the atlas pilot project, which focused on the town of Brewster, as well as the maps for the coastal habitats that are part of the Massachusetts Bay region. APCC hopes to complete the atlas in the next 18 to 24 months. Cape Cod Water Resources Restoration Project (CCWRRP): In 2009, APCC’s advocacy resulted in Congressional authorization of a 10-year, $30 million federal project to restore 1,500 acres of degraded salt marshes, migratory fish runs that support 4,200 acres of spawning habitat and 7,300 acres of shellfish habitat on Cape Cod. In 2010, $6.5 million in start-up funds were released by Congress that enabled the first 47 of the individual restoration projects within the CCWRRP to commence. Unfortunately, due to the current economic and political climate, Photo By CapeLawyer.com the federal program under which the project was authorized was defunded in 2011. Although the 47 projects that are in the construction process will be completed, the future of the rest of this very large and important project is in jeopardy. On the positive side, the CCWRRP is seen as a national model for watershed restoration in the federal government and among national watershed advocacy groups. Therefore, there is a great deal of interest in finding a way to continue some level of funding. APCC has undertaken several courses of action to sustain interest in the program. We have developed a broad-based regional coalition in support of the CCWRRP, and have established strong channels of communication with our Congressional delegation to explore and implement strategies for funding portions of the project and eventually restoring full funding of the federal program.