Happy new year everyone! Here's hoping 2022 is a milestone year for improving the quality of Shoestring Bay and all nitrogen-polluted waterways on the Cape. We've been pretty tough on the Town of Barnstable as we work to raise awareness of the dangers facing Shoestring Bay and other affected bodies of water. But we've come …
Category: What We Can Do
Great Primer on Nitrogen Pollution on Cape Cod
A shout out to the Buzzards Bay Coalition for this concise but powerful overview of the damage nitrogen pollution is causing to Cape waterways. Substitute Buzzards Bay with Shoestring Bay and and you'll understand the looming disaster for our home. West Falmouth homeowner Bob Kretschmar first noticed it about 10 years ago: slimy green algae …
Continue reading Great Primer on Nitrogen Pollution on Cape Cod
Tonight: Town Council Workshop on Sewer Funding
On July 1, the Town Council approved the $10,000 sewer assessment fee for each residential property slated for sewering. If you're able to tune in to tonight's Town Council Meeting on local Channel 18/YouTube, you'll hear Town Manager Mark Ells and the Council debate how to use general funds when existing revenue sources fall short …
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Kiss 22% of Your Home’s Value Goodbye: Property Values Drop When Water Pollution Rises
In recent posts we’ve documented the decades-long decline of Shoestring Bay and other Cape estuaries due primarily to the effluent coming from our Title 5-approved septic systems. The stuff that comes out of our home water waste lines winds up in our waterways, creating nutrient (nitrogen/phosphates) overload and habitat degradation. If the thought of year-round …
What We Can Do #2
Support Local Shellfish Aquaculture Project Proposals Oysters and quahogs naturally remove nitrogen from the water. Please be supportive when proposals for aquaculture are put forward through the public comment process. Having a thriving shellfish population in Shoestring Bay is imperative to establishing a healthy estuarial habitat and returning water quality to its original pristine condition. …
What We Can Do #1
The best way to Save Our Shoestring? Contact your local and state representatives and tell them that “cleaning up the nitrogen overload and high bacterial counts in Shoestring and Popponesset Bays are a priority, and I support the cleanup effort." Town of Mashpee Selectmen - (508) 539-1401Andrew Gottlieb- ChairmanJohn J Cotton - Vice ChairThomas F. …
Save Our Shoestring 