Environmental News

Upcoming and Recent Events:

Thursday, March 12, 2026, 3pm to 5pm, The Unseen Lifeline: Groundwater’s Role in Cape Cod’s Ecosystem, Massachusetts Alternative Septic System Test Center, 4 Kittridge Road, Sandwich – Join the Barnstable County Clean Water Center for a special National Groundwater Awareness Week Event featuring Denis LeBlanc, Scientist Emeritus, and Marcel Belaval, Deputy Director, both with the U.S. Geological Survey’s New England Water Science Center. Click here to register and for additional information.

Monday, April 13, 2026, 9am to 5pm and Tuesday, April 14, 2026, 9am to 11am, 2026 Cape Coastal Conference: Shared Solutions for Stronger Coasts and Communities, Margaritaville Resort, 1225 Iyannough Road, Hyannis – This year’s program, sponsored by WBNERR, will focus on examples of coastal restoration, climate adaptation, and resiliency. Optional tours of restoration sites are available Tuesday afternoon. For additional information and the link to register, click here.

In Celebration of Earth Day:

Saturday, April 18, 2026, 11am to 3pm, Honor the Earth Fair, Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe Government Center, 483 Great Neck Road South, Mashpee – Co-hosted by the Native Land Conservancy and the Mashpee Wampanoag Natural Resources Department, this event is free, open to the public, and features vendors and exhibitors (including MEC) with a shared mission of protecting and preserving the ancestral homelands of the Wampanoag. Festivities will include opening remarks by Mashpee Wampanoag Chief Earl Mills Jr., cultural crafts, traditional singing and dancing, and activities for children. More information is available here. If you attend, please stop by the MEC table and say hello.

Saturday, April 25, 2026, 9am to 1pm, Textile Recycling, Secure Shredding, and Composting Event, Mashpee Senior Center, 26 Frank E. Hicks Drive, Mashpee – MEC, in collaboration with Mashpee’s Department of Public Works, will hold their 3rd FREE Annual Earth Day Event, featuring Textile Recycling, Secure Shredding, and Composting Containers and Information. The Full List of Textiles that may be bagged and dropped off for recycling is available here. A copy of our Event Flyer may be accessed here. Questions may also be sent to [email protected].

Looking Ahead – Save the Date:

Saturday, August 22, 2026, 9am to 1pm, Household Hazardous Waste, Textile Recycling, and Secure Shredding Event, Mashpee Middle-High School, 500 Old Barnstable Road, Mashpee – Co-Sponsored by Barnstable County, Mashpee DPW and MEC – Details to follow!

Let’s Take a Hike:

Weekly Guided Nature Tours, Weekend Mornings Throughout the Month – Each month, the Mashpee Conservation Department sponsors guided walking tours, which are free of charge and weather dependent.  For directions and information about these walks, click on the “Guided Nature Tours” link along the left-hand margin at the department’s main website.  Walks have included Childs River, Lowell Holly Reservation, Mashpee River Woodlands, Pickerel Cove, Santuit Pond Preserve and many more.  This is a great way to explore Mashpee’s wonderful array of conservation lands.

Information Items:

Waterways in the News – According to the Town of Mashpee website, the Boat Ramp at Mashpee-Wakeby Pond is now closed for the stormwater retrofit project. The ramp will remain closed through mid-May, with the exact reopen date to be determined. For questions, contact the DPW at 508-539-1420 or [email protected]. At the Freshwater Ponds Committee meeting on January 20th, Water Quality Coordinator, Ashley Fisher, shared that the diagnostic study proposal for Johns Pond and Moody Pond will not appear on the May 2026 Town Warrant, as had previously been reported, due to budgetary constraints. Funding opportunities may be sought elsewhere. Also announced, construction continues at the Santuit Pond town landing, with improvements expected by this summer.

Phase 2 Funding Assistance Approved – At its January 16, 2026 meeting, the Massachusetts Clean Water Trust approved a 0% interest loan for $32,770,000 to help fund Mashpee’s Phase 2 Wastewater Treatment and Collection System. The full press release may be read here.

Cape Cod’s Drought is Still at Level 2 – As of March 9, 2026, Cape Cod remains at a Level 2 “Significant Drought” status. Hopefully, the melting snows from the 2026 Blizzard will bring some relief. In the meantime, residents are urged to continue conserving water, both indoors and outside. Latest drought updates may be found at the MA Drought Status website.

Reminders:

MEC’s Chemical-Free Cape Cod Yard Sign Campaign: In April 2025, MEC launched its new “Chemical-Free Cape Cod Yard” sign campaign – aimed at promoting Chemical-Free Yards that are safe for our Children, Pets, Waters – and Nature as a whole.  Already, our signs are proudly being displayed in yards across Cape Cod, including Dennis, Falmouth, Mashpee, Pocasset, and Sandwich.  For a donation of just $10, Cape Cod residents who care about the environment can show their support by displaying one of our signs in their yard, setting an example for family, friends, and neighbors. Additional information is available here.  Thanks to all who are helping to save our environment – one yard at a time!

Cape-Wide “Perpetual” Conservation Calendar:  The Compact of Cape Cod Conservation Trusts and its nonprofit members currently maintain a Regional Calendar of Events, that is updated on a continual basis.  This Conservation Calendar includes programs from villages and towns across Cape Cod, encouraging both visitors and residents to take part in nature and environmental events. The wide list of current programs may be accessed at: www.blt.org/capeconservationcalendar.

Textile Recycling is Now the Law!  As of November 2022, in Massachusetts it is now illegal to discard any clothing or other textile items in the trash, even if stained, ripped, threadbare, or filled with holes.  The full list of items that must now be recycled may be accessed at the link provided, courtesy of Bay State Textiles.  MEC is currently holding textile drives twice each year — in April as an Earth Day event, and in August alongside the Hazardous Waste Dropoff.  Exact dates and times each year will be posted above under “Upcoming Events”.  More information may be found at: List of Clothing and Textiles that must now be Recycled.

Like Ospreys?  Thanks to the Friends of the Mashpee National Wildlife Refuge and Comcast, you can now watch – and listen to – the osprey nest of Rachel and Carson and their two new babies located at the Waquoit Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve.  To access this live feed, click on the link below, then “Osprey Cam” at: https://www.friendsofmashpeenationalwildliferefuge.org/

Important Fertilizer Reminder:  Mashpee regulates the application of fertilizer as follows:

1.  No application of nitrogen is permitted between October 30 and April 14 — or at any time within 100′ of specified waterways

2.  No application of phosphorus is permitted between December 1 and March 1 — or at any time within 20′ of specified waterways

Even during acceptable dates, no application is permitted before or during a heavy rainfall or when the ground is saturated.  These regulations are detailed in the Nitrogen Control Bylaw, amended 2017, available at www.mashpeema.gov, under Town Clerk.  However, please note that Mashpee Town Manager, Rodney C. Collins, has also issued a Special Water Quality Alert to all property owners asking them to discontinue the use of fertilizers on lawns and landscaped areas. Thank you for helping to keep Mashpee’s waterways clean!

In Case You Missed It:

APCC’s State of the Waters: Cape Cod 2025 Report:  In December 2025, the Association to Preserve Cape Cod (APCC) released its latest data regarding Cape Cod’s State of the Waters in our estuaries, ponds, and municipal water supplies. Details may be found at: https://capecodwaters.org/.

Cape Cod Freshwater Strategy Report – Ponds and Lakes:  The Cape Cod Commission released its final Cape Cod Freshwater Strategy Report last summer. This guide outlines a data-driven approach to evaluating, protecting, and restoring Cape Cod’s ponds and lakes, and a framework for improving their overall health. Additional information and the report itself may be found here.

Source to Sea Restoration Projects – The Town of Mashpee is currently working with the Association to Preserve Cape Cod (APCC), Waquoit Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve (WBNERR), and the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe on the restoration of the Mashpee River, Quashnet River, and Red Brook.  This project is funded in part by a grant from NOAA.  Community Partners for all three projects are still being sought.  For additional information about these projects and/or to become a community partner, go to:  https://waquoitbayreserve.org/coastal-training-programs/source-to-sea.

Session Videos and Resources from the 2024 Cape Cod Coastal Conference – The June 18, 2024, full-day WBNERR conference entitled “Collaborating for Solutions: Practical Sessions to Achieve Watershed Plans” focused on ways that our Cape Cod communities can take action to restore water quality, reduce nutrients in our watersheds, and apply for funds to assist in implementing Watershed Plans. The full Conference Agenda, Session Videos, and a link to Grant Opportunities and Deadlines are available at:  https://waquoitbayreserve.org/2024-cape-coastal-conference/.

Pond Oxygenation Workshop – A Special “Shout Out” to the Waquoit Bay Reserve for their informative, full-day workshop in November 2023 on how to manage healthy ponds by using oxygenation – and no chemicals.  This technique has proven successful in lakes and ponds across the US, as well as right here on Cape Cod with Sarah’s Pond in Orleans – thanks to an initiative undertaken by the Orleans Pond Coalition.  The full-day program, including agenda, presenter information, and PowerPoints may be found at the link below.  For anyone interested in learning more about a fully natural way to help manage our freshwater ponds, this approach is well worth exploring:  https://waquoitbayreserve.org/pond-oxygenation-workshop-learning-through-case-studies/