 Photo: A PALS Tester Collecting a Water Sample Spring PALS Testing April 16-26, 2018 PALS (Ponds And Lake Stewards) water quality testing begins during the second week of April, 2018. This important program, managed by Ryan Burch at the Brewster DNR, helps establish a baseline of water quality data over time for Brewster Ponds. Many BPC members participate but more volunteers are always needed. Learn how to perform the test and collect water samples. It's easy! Contact Ryan Burch today at rburch@Brewster-ma.gov.  Photo: 2017 BPC Beautify Brewster Team Beautify Brewster Team
Saturday April 28, 2018 10:00 am - 12:00 pm: Roadside Cleanup 12:00 pm - 2:00 pm: Thank You Lunch at Brewster Baptist Church Spring means it's time for Beautify Brewster, the annual roadside cleanup to keep our watersheds and ponds clean. Join the BPC team of volunteers, and don vests and gloves, feel the sunshine, and pick up bags of trash along our scenic route on Slough and Satucket Roads. You'll see Slough, Walkers, Pine, and Elbow Ponds at various points along the way! And enjoy a free thank you lunch afterwards at the Brewster Baptist Church! To volunteer: Email your name and email address to: RSVP@brewsterponds.org or call 508-258-9801. We'll email you meeting and parking information prior to the event. The annual event, sponsored by the Town of Brewster Department of Natural Resources, picks up thousand of pounds of trash and hundreds of recyclables. The Town and business sponsors will provide lunch, trash bags, gloves, and safety vests as needed, but feel free to bring your own 'pick up' device, gloves and vest.
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Approximately 100 people explored pond ecology during the three-part Freshwater Pond: Jewels of Cape Cod talk series on February 8, 15, and 22, 2018. The talks featured Association to Preserve Cape Cod experts, and while each talk was a standalone theme, the three talks together provided a thorough understanding of pond ecology. From Left, BPC President, Tom Vautin, and Dr. Jo Ann Muramoto before first Jewels of Cape Cod talk--Photo Courtesy of Fred Budresk-; Kristen Andres shows a piece permeable pavement that absorbs water and prevents run-off at Second Talk, and April Wobst wraps up the series during the third talk. Dr. Jo Ann Muramoto, APCC Director of Science Programs, set the stage for the series with her overview of pond basics, explaining the different kinds of ponds--like the Cape’s kettle ponds formed from receding glaciers, how a pond’s depth and water flow impact their hydrology, and the plants, animals, and microorganisms that make up a pond’s ecosystem.
Next up was Kristin Andres, APCC Director of Education & Outreach, who discussed how we can protect our ponds through landscaping practices: identifying native, plants, landscaping designs, and water collection methods that help to absorb stormwater directly into the ground, and not run off into our ponds. The final talk by April Wobst, Restoration Engineer, discussed the pros and cons of ways to restore ponds with degraded water quality--like alum, dredging, and solar bees--and how any treatment needs to consider not only the pond itself, but the surrounding area and ecosystem. We thank Jo Ann, Kristin, and April for their excellent talks, which instilled a real sense of wonder about our beautiful and fragile ponds, and what we all need to do to preserve them! Freshwater Ponds: Jewels of Cape Cod Three Talks Presented by APCC Experts February 8, 15, and 22, 2018 6:30-8:30 PM Brewster Ladies Library Auditorium 1822 Main Street, Brewster MA We are excited to host three experts from the Association to Preserve Cape Cod (APCC) for our Winter Education Program to talk about pond ecology, stewardship, and preservation!  Session 1: February 8, 2018 Understanding Cape Cod's Freshwater Ponds Dr. Jo Ann Muramoto, APCC Director of Science Programs will help us understand what makes ponds in her talk about pond basics – geology, hydrology, & ecology.  Session 2: February 15, 2018 Pond Friendly Practices Kristin Andres, APCC Director of Education & Outreach will explain how to be a thoughtful steward of your favorite pond by using pond-friendly land care practices and native plants in our landscapes..  Session 3: February 22, 2018 Freshwater Pond Restoration and Preservation Bryan Horsley, APCC Restoration Technician will help us understand the treatment options--like alum, dredging, and solar bees--once a pond's water quality is degraded. Attend one, two, or all three!
Free to BPC and APCC contributing members. All others, $10 suggested contribution for each talk To Register: Email RSVP@brewsterponds.org listing the talks and the names of the people attending To Pay the $10.00 Event Fee: Click Here Thank you to the APCC experts for speaking at our Winter Education Program!  Thanks to the more than 225 families and individuals who have renewed and joined the BPC for 2018 during our Annual Appeal, we are almost there! The total to date is $23,500. That means there is just $1500 remaining to make our goal of $25,000 with six days left. YOU can be the one to push us over the top.
Blueberry Pond Neighborhood Stormwater Remediation Project Video Shares 'How-Tos' and Benefits1/22/2018  Blueberry Pond Stormwater Remediation video shot: Project partners (from left) John O-Reilly, President of JM O-Reilly and Associates, Hal Minis, President, Brewster Conservation Trust; Konrad Schultz, Board Member, Brewster Ponds Coalition; and Marty Lucenti and Jan McGann Co-President,s Save Blueberry and Sol's Pond Group. Not pictured is partner, Michael Medeiros, Club Manager, Ocean Edge Resort.  The January 18, 2018 screening of the Blueberry Pond stormwater remediation project sparked a lively evening of information sharing and discussion. Over 30 people attended. The video, produced by Lower Cape TV, kicked off the event. Project partners discussed how poor stormwater drainage pooled water around the neighborhood and flowed directly into Blueberry Pond, and how they worked together on solutions to divert and absorb stormwater that used to flow directly into the pond: advising property owners about actions like grading driveways in a different direction and the neighborhood’s newly-built rain garden.  A panel discussion followed with project partners: A few neighborhood association presidents asked how to start similar projects in their neighborhood. Panelists advised setting a clear project goal and getting neighborhood buy-in. BPC board member, Gwen Pelletier discussed BPC resources to help neighborhoods: using the BPC as a non-taxable neighborhood project fund repository and the BPC’s Pond Waterfront Improvement Guide about building rain gardens. A few Blueberry Pond residents in the audience described the project’s community building benefits.
 Through the generosity of more than 210 new and renewing members, this years goal of $25,000 is very near. To date just over $22,000 has been contributed amounting to a bit over 90% of our goal. With only three weeks remaining in the 2017-18 Annual Appeal, we are very close to achieving this important milestone. In just over three years, your membership contributions have accomplished so much for Brewster's ponds. If you have not yet done so, please renew your membership today and join the nearly 500 individuals and families who have contributed to the Brewster Ponds Coalition since its founding. Click here today to join, renew and make a contribution. THANK YOU!!! Left: A giant shovel prepares the ground. Right: Project partners share a proud moment at the base of the rain garden shortly after native wavy hair grass was planted to stabilize the soil. Blueberry Pond Stormwater Remediation Project: Member Only Video Screening
When: Thursday, January 18 at 6:30 pm Where: Brewster Ladies Library, 1822 Main Street, Brewster MA Blueberry Pond neighbors and the Brewster Conservation Trust recently partnered to resolve stormwater runoff issues and to improve the pond's water quality. See how they accomplished this at a private screening of a 20 minute video produced by the Brewster Ponds Coalition and Lower Cape TV. Partners will be present to share their experiences and answer your questions so you can learn about the benefits of creating stormwater remediation projects in your own neighborhood. The event is free to Brewster Ponds Coalition, Brewster Conservation Trust, and Save Blueberry and Sol's Pond contributing members; a suggested $10 contribution for all others at the door. Seating is limited. To RSVP, email your names and seat count to rsvp@brewsterponds.org  As the new year approaches, please consider this New Year's Resolution: Be a Pond Hero and renew and/or become a 2018 contributing member to the Brewster Ponds Coalition, winner of the Brewster Conservation Trust's 2017 Conservationist of the Year award. It's easy, click here to become a member or donate online on the BPC website. Already more than 170 individuals and families have renewed or become new members and pushed the Annual Appeal thermometer to 77% of the 25,000 goal. Your membership is the BPC's primary funding source, and your support ripples throughout the Brewster community, helping to preserve our beautiful ponds in so many ways:
Thank you for your continued support!  More that 150 individuals and families to date have become contributing members for 2018 and have donated just over $18,000 toward making things better for Brewster Ponds. As the holidays approach, we hope you will keep the Brewster Ponds Coalition on your list.
Take a look at this recent video about the Brewster Ponds Coalition and share it with your friends and neighbors.  Thanks to the generosity of more than 130 members, just over $15,000 has been raised to date in the 2017-8 Annual Appeal. That's terrific progress for which we are all grateful. It's exciting to get this far, but we still have $10,000—or 40% of our goal to raise before January 31, 2018.
We are determined to meet and even exceed our goal, but we can’t do it without you. Thank you so much for your generosity and support! |
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