On June 17, the Association to Preserve Cape Cod (APCC) will host a Rally for Team SOS—people interested in preserving critical environmental lands through the organization’s The Cape We Shape campaign. Participants will learn how land protection works on Cape Cod, meet local conservation leaders and land trusts, connect with fellow Cape advocates, and form town-specific teams for taking action.
According to the Cape Cod Commission’s 2018 Regional Policy Plan, approximately 46 percent of the Cape is developed, and 40 percent of the Cape is protected open space, with only 14 percent of the Cape still undeveloped and unprotected. A 2023 assessment by APCC, “Hanging in the Balance: An Urgent Call for Protecting Cape Cod’s Natural Resources,” found that of that remaining land, 80 percent is identified as priority natural resource areas—important for the protection of drinking water, wetlands and critical habitats, avoidance of flood zones, and support of coastal resilience.
An annual assessment of water quality data, State of the Waters: Cape Cod 2025, found that 90 percent of the Cape’s coastal embayments and over 33 percent of freshwater ponds for which there is data, have unacceptable water quality. Intense development between 2001 and 2019 resulted in a loss of 25 percent of the Cape’s forest cover. Communities continue to tackle wastewater and manage risks from climate and sea level rise impacts.
The Cape We Shape campaign is designed to engage and educate the public about the importance of priority natural resource areas and empower them to act at the municipal level and in partnership with local land trusts and other conservation groups to achieve their permanent protection.
“We will be coming together on June 17 to hear from successful citizen advocates and leaders in conservation about how individuals can, together, move the needle on protecting the Cape’s priority natural areas,” said Andrew Gottlieb, APCC’s executive director. “What we do in the next few years will define the future of Cape Cod. We are excited to be gathering with Team SOS to take the first steps in shaping that future, town by town.”
The Team SOS Rally is a free event June 17, 8:45 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at The 204: Cultural Arts Municipal Building in Harwich. Anyone interested in protecting priority natural resource areas is welcome to attend. Registration is required.
For more information, contact Andrew Gottlieb, Association to Preserve Cape Cod executive director at agottlieb@apcc.org.