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It's here!!! The BPC announces the newest of edition of Ripples, its annual publication.  This year's theme is member involvement; an issue highlight is three members' sharing their passions, their volunteer experiences, and their direct impact on their chosen BPC program. Their stories illustrate the importance of getting involved because without your help, who is going to protect Brewster's ponds? The BPC is the only nonprofit dedicated to protecting the health, beauty, and enjoyment of Brewster’s 80+ ponds from degraded water quality due to septic system discharge, stormwater runoff, and other factors. You can help the BPC continue its important work in 2020:
Thank you! Your Support Makes a Difference for Brewster's Ponds!
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 The keynote speakers, Nancy Leland (center) and Hailey Carter (left), talked about their cyanobacteria research at the University of New Hampshire Center for Freshwater Biology and the BPC’s role in the program. For three years, BPC volunteers have taken samples every two weeks between May and September, and submitted them to UNH for analysis, increasing from sampling five ponds in the first year to ten ponds this year. The number of BPC volunteers has increased from ten to seventeen. The samples help Nancy to develop models to predict cyanobacteria blooms and their toxicity. She feels it is important to involve the local community in cyanobacteria monitoring because state and federal governments don’t have the resources to test every pond. “It comes down to you--the local community--to make informed, timely decisions about cyanobacteria blooms.” Hailey discussed this year’s new aerosol sampling process in two Brewster ponds for airborne cyanobacteria toxins. Click here to upload Nancy’s and Hailey’s presentations.
 Ever wonder how you can help protect and preserve your favorite pond?
Learn more at: Brewster Ponds Coalition's 2019 Neighborhood Pond Summit. Saturday, June 29 9:00am-11:30 am Brewster Baptist Church, Main Street, Brewster. Share your experiences with your neighbors over coffee and light pastries; and hear these first-hand accounts of neighborhood and BPC projects to ensure Brewster's ponds are safe and enjoyable:
Seating is limited--and they are filling up fast! RSVP your name, email, and tel number at RSVP@brewsterponds.org RSVP deadline: Monday, June 24 for refreshment planning The Beautify Brewster Team Saturday Morning, April 27th (Rain Date, Sunday, April 28th) How to Join: Email Sue Searles at sue.searles@brewsterponds.org It's springtime, which means it's time for the annual Beautify Brewster roadside cleanup. Join Team captains, Board members Sue Searles and Marty Burke, for a morning of cleanup along Brewster's scenic roads, followed by a yummy Thank You lunch at the Brewster Baptist Church.  The BPC has fielded enthusiastic teams and participated in Beautify Brewster for the past several years, with positive results. Our volunteers have picked up record numbers of cigarette butts and Fireball whiskey cinnamon nip bottles, along with other miscellaneous trash that will never get washed into our waterways or ponds! Further details and information regarding time, meeting place, equipment, how to dress, etc., will be provided in a timely manner to all those who sign up. A safety orientation will be provided at the event.
Sign up to do some good for Brewster ponds and have some fun with fellow BPC members! Email Sue with the names and contact information of the people attending!  When: Saturday, April 13, 2019, 11:00am-1:00pm
Where: Nauset Middle School, Rt 28, Orleans, MA The BPC Is excited to co-sponsor an Environmental Town Hall with The Environmental League of Massachusetts (ELM), State Senator Julian Cyr, State Representative Sarah Peake, and other Cape Cod organizations. The Environmental Town Hall will consist of a panel discussion where Senator Cyr and Representative Peake will speak about current environmental legislative priorities on Beacon Hill and several Cape-based environmental organizations will discuss local projects currently underway. Come learn about State and local environmental activities, and participate in a post-discussion audience Q&A session. We hope to see you there!   Our Ponds: A Deep Dive
A Series of Seven Eastham Library Talks From April & Through Mid-June Featuring these topics & speakers:
 Did you know that Sheep Pond and Bakers pond have consumption advisories due to fish contaminated with mercury? How did mercury get into these Brewster ponds?
The answer is atmospheric mercury from power plants and other industrial sources is deposited from the air onto the land and water through precipitation and over time, builds up in fish and shellfish, continues up the food chain, until it is recognized as a human health hazard. However, the EPA's Mercury and Air Toxics Standards (MATS) has proven to be one of the most effective air quality standards ever, causing power plant mercury emissions from 2011-2017 to drop by approximately 81%. But the EPA is now proposing a MATS rollback, which would reverse this great progress. That's why the Brewster Ponds Coalition protests the proposed MATS protest, sending this letter to Andrew Wheeler, Acting EPA administrator, cc:ing Massachusetts Senators Edward Markey and Elizabeth Warren as well as Representative William Keating. Click here for the letter's full text. Please voice your protest, by contacting the EPA as well as your US senators and congressmen. Thank you! Clockwise from upper left: Citizen Scientist, Chuck Madansky, tosses out a net to collect pond water at Cliff Pond and pours it into water sample container. Back at the lab:(right) The cyanoscope ZAPPRS concentrate the water sample's cyanobacteria at the top of the device and (left) the fluorometer attached to a digital microscope measures each sample's amount of cyanobacteria in relation to other phytoplankton in the water. "The impact of this year's Citizen Scientists program shows that people are willing to spend time doing sampling and care about water quality in town." --Karen Malkus-Benjamin, BPC Citizen Scientists program lead Cyanobacteria form blooms in ponds that may release biotoxins that can cause skin rashes upon contact and serious illness when ingested in contaminated pond water. BPC Citizen Scientists tests Brewster ponds for cyanobacteria, alerting local officials about blooms & contributing to cutting-edge research that predict blooms & to estimate their toxin levels. The 2018 Citizen Scientist volunteers are involved in testing ten ponds for cyanobacteria, either on their own or in partnership with the Association to Preserve Cape Cod (APCC). - Water sample collection and analysis preparation by Citizen Scientists at a Brewster pond. - Sample processed to determine amount and toxicity of cyanobacteria in the pond water. either at a volunteer's home testing area or municipal lab. - Notification of health officials, if needed, of the presence of toxic cyanobacteria in the ponds to issue public warning. - Samples and testing results shared with researchers, Dr. Nancy Leland at Lim-Tex and Dr. Jim Haney at University of New Hampshire. - Presentation of predictive cyanobacteria modeling research by Dr. Haney at the Cape Coastal Conference in December 2018, to help local official identify potential blooms early on. Your support equips and expands the 2019 program: - Supplies to Collect Water Samples: Funding for supplies like water collection nets, water sample vials, and microscope slides. - Lab Equipment to Analyze Results Locally: Investment in new lab equipment like cyanoscopes, fluorometers, and digital microscope interfaces. - More ponds tested in 2019: More equipment enables more volunteers to test more ponds. - Expanded monitoring in 2019: New tests will collect air samples to monitor aerosols produced by cyanobacteria. Please renew your membership to support the Citizen Scientists and other BPC Programs. It's easy! Press the button below or visit: brewsterponds.org/join--donate Thank You For Your Support!
Your Membership Today Develops Tomorrow's Pond Stewards! Support the BPC Pond Education Program!12/18/2018  Brewster School Children Explore Pond Creatures with Their Hula Hoop Research Center during their Pond Education Program Field Trip “This was the best field trip of the year!"
--a Brewster student as he boarded the bus after his Long Pond outing. Today's school children are tomorrow's pond stewards; and your support of the BPC Pond Education Program helps students understand early on the importance of pond water quality protection. Teachers and students praised the program! The 2018 BPC Pond Education Program engaged almost 200 Brewster public and private school 2nd and 5th grade students: - Introduced students to pond ecology during classroom sessions. - Held four half-day fun and educational field trips at a Long Pond Beach that included a sing-along, puppet show, and hands-on pond creature exploration. - Provided takeaway bags to continue the pond ecology lesson st home with family and friends. Your support equips the 2019 Pond Education Program: - Classroom materials: Tubs containing curriculum guides, pond books, and hands-on activities. - Pondside Hula Hoop Research Centers:: Everyday items like turkey basters, spoons, magnifiers, and yogurt cups for students to observe pond creatures in basins of pond water. - Canvas tote bags: Takeaway bags filled with pond-friendly practices as well as pond ecology and exploration information - School bus rental: Student transportation to and from the field trip The 2019 appeal has raised almost $12,000 to date to support the Pond Education and other BPC programs. Please renew your membership. It's easy--just press the button below or visit: brewsterponds.org/join--donate. Thank you for your Support!  The Brewster Ponds Coalition kicks off its annual appeal with the publication of Ripples 2019. Look for Ripples in your mail or order your copy at info@brewsterponds.org to read how your membership and support protects the health, beauty, and enjoyment of Brewster's ponds: Ripples 2019 stories include from left to right: - Learn how the new strategic plan shapes the BPC's future direction - Follow Citizen Scientist Chuck Madansky conducting pond cyanobacteria bloom research - Share students' sense of discovery as they learn about pond ecology firsthand with their 'hula hoop' discovery centers at Long Pond. - And much more!!! Your Membership Helps the BPC to Continue & Expand these Programs in 2019.
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