The 2022 BPC Annual Meeting, hosted by the Cape Cod Bible Alliance Church in Brewster, was held on Saturday morning, August 13, 2022.  Keynote speaker Zenas (Zee) Crocker, Executive Director of the Barnstable Clean Water Coalition, spoke about alternative septic systems their organization funded and installed at Shubael Pond in Marston Mills.  Zee provided great details about how promising these systems are performing in the early stages of second phase testing.  You can watch the entire meeting on the BPC Facebook page.  The video is public so you do not need a Facebook account to view it.
Click here to view.

Communications Team designer Amy Darbyshire (center) and Pond Education Team creative force Shirley Vautin (right) were honored as 2022 Splash Award winners.

On Wednesday August 10, 2022, a Cyanobacteria Advisory was posted by the Brewster Health Department due to a visible algal bloom indicative of elevated levels of cyanobacteria. The decision was made in conjunction with a recommendation by the MA Department of Public Health. The posting is at the Route 6A Main Street public landing location.

Out of an abundance of caution and until further notice, people and pets should avoid contact with the pond water.  Do not ingest or get pond water in your mouth.  Do not recreate in this pond until the posting is removed by the Town of Brewster.

Additional testing is scheduled over the next two weeks.  The Town of Brewster, the Brewster Ponds Association, and the Association to Preserve Cape Cod will continue to monitor the freshwater ponds in Brewster and provide timely notification to our residents of potentially harmful algal blooms.   

The Town and the BPC will report back when the pond is to be reopened. 

Call your doctor or veterinarian if you or your animals have a sudden or unexplained sickness or signs of poisoning. 

If you have any questions please contact:
Marty Burke - marty.burke@brewsterponds.org ​

Limited to 100 attendees.  FREE to BPC members.  All others a $10 suggested contribution.   ​

Can't Make The Meeting In Person?
The 2022 Annual Meeting will be livestreamed on the Brewster Ponds Coalition's Facebook page starting at approximately 9AM.  You do not need a Facebook account to watch the livestream since it will be a publicly available live stream.  Link here:  https://www.facebook.com/brewsterpondscoalition

On Friday August 5, 2022, a Cyanobacteria Advisory was posted by the Brewster Health Department due to a visible algal bloom indicative of elevated levels of cyanobacteria. The decision was made in conjunction with a recommendation by the MA Department of Public Health. The posting is at the Grist Mill location and Lower Mill Pond dam. 

As an additional precautionary measure, a second posting was erected at the Lower Mill Pond Drive association kayak launch area. This was done in a collaborative manner to advise the public by the Brewster Ponds Coalition and the local Beach Association. 

Out of an abundance of caution and until further notice, people and pets should avoid contact with the pond water in those areas and any other areas with a visible algal mat or bloom. Do not ingest or get pond water in your mouth.

Additional testing is scheduled over the next two weeks.  The Town of Brewster and the Brewster Ponds Association will continue to monitor our freshwater ponds in Brewster to provide timely notification to our residents of potentially harmful algal blooms.   

The Town and the BPC will report back when the pond is to be reopened. 

Call your doctor or veterinarian if you or your animals have a sudden or unexplained sickness or signs of poisoning. 

If you have any questions please contact:
Marty Burke - marty.burke@brewsterponds.org 

For additional information,  please visit https://www.mass.gov/guides/cyanobacterial-harmful-algal-blooms-cyanohabs-water or Cyanobacteria Monitoring on Cape Cod - Barnstable County (wpengine.com) or The Brewster Ponds Coalition www.brewsterponds.org.

The BPC 2022 Annual Meeting will be held on Saturday, August 13, from 9:00 to 11:00 AM at the Cape Cod Bible Alliance Church, 3600 Main Street, East Brewster.  Following a brief business meeting, guest speaker Zenas “Zee” Crocker, Executive Director of the Barnstable Clean Water Coalition, will talk about the BCWC’s recent launch and funding of a three-year alternative septic system pilot program, including 14 homes along the shore of Shubael Pond in Marston Mills. Breakfast quiche, fresh fruit, coffee will be served.  Limited to 100 attendees.  FREE to BPC members.  All others a $10 suggested contribution.   ​

Join the Brewster Ponds Coalition and business partner SUPfari Adventures for an informative guided tour of Long Pond from 4:30 PM to 6:30 PM on Saturday July 30th (rain date Sunday July 31st).  Paddle by the newly acquired Sea Camps pond property and observe the shoreline differences between Harwich and Brewster.  

​Your guides, Ryan Burch and Luke Foley from SUPfari Adventures will discuss the importance of vegetative buffers and explain why incorporating native plants is particularly important.   ​

We invite you to visit 69 Howes Road. The owners of this unique, alternative garden near Sheep Pond have worked with Terra Firma Permagarden to mitigate their roof runoff, capturing it in downspout keyhole gardens and lithic swales.
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​The terraced garden beds that surround the rock-lined keyhole were planted with native high and low-bush blueberry bushes and native bearberry, demonstrating key ecosystem management techniques while providing color and beauty. Pre-registration is not required. The tour costs $5/person and proceeds support the BPC.

​The terraced garden beds that surround the rock-lined keyhole were planted with native high and low-bush blueberry bushes and native bearberry, demonstrating key ecosystem management techniques while providing color and beauty.

Pre-registration is not required. Tours are $5 per person per garden. You can pay cash at each garden on the day of the tour. All proceeds benefit the community work of the host organizations.