|
Grass-roots group launches informative website. Article | News | December 4, 2014 - 10:30am | By CapeCodToday Staff  The newly formed Brewster Ponds Coalition hopes to address water quality issues including this algal bloom on Elbow Pond. A group of concerned Brewster residents have banded together to form the Brewster Ponds Coalition. The non-profit's goal is to protect the 80 ponds within the Lower Cape town. By creating the coalition, Board President Karen Malkus-Benjamin said the group hopes to turn individual actions into meaningful community efforts. "As an independent non-profit, we feel the organization can be more nimble and incorporate a healthy diversity of experience to help Brewster ponds in the long term," Malkus-Benjamin said. Although beautiful, the town's ponds are at risk for contamination by invasive species and the impacts of human development including fertilizers, septic systems leaching, run-off and pharmaceuticals. The coalition held their first meeting on October 4 with more than 70 residents in attendance. This week the Brewster Ponds Coalition launched a website meant to engage and inform Brewster residents. Board member Konrad Schultz, who designed the website said it was created to "help Brewster residents understand the issues and the steps that they can take right now in their own home and yard to improve pond water quality."
On the website, the coalition points out that only five of Brewster's ponds (Slough Pond, Sheep Pond, Greenland Pond, Little Cliff Pond and Higgins Pond) are high quality according to Cape Cod Commission and Mass DEP water quality standards. Most of the town's pond are impaired, according to a map courtesy of Horsley Witten Group. The coalition is actively seeking new members and volunteers for its various committees. Comments are closed.
|
Categories |
RSS Feed
|
|
|