SALT SPRAY ZONE PLANTS

You are welcome to download your own copy of this new publication, by clicking on the link above. When the right forward quadrant of Hurricane Irene hit Cape Cod, we experienced an empirical vent of full wind but with no rain. This was an opportunity to assess salt impacts and survivability of native vegetation. We did a survey of direct and indirect impact sites and resurveyed the following spring. 6 pages of color photographs.

Synopsis:

Coastal salt spray events are unwelcome but may play critical roles in selecting sustainable coastal vegetation. Changing storm tracks will create new liabilities for overly diversified coastal habitats. This publication documents Hurricane salt spray impacts on native coastal vegetation.

Medium Exposure site was located 800 + ft inland from the surf line. Onshore salt spray had to cross small buildings, a 2 lane road, low vegetation  and a 4 lane road, with little change in elevation. The area consisted of 6-12 ft, established native and other vegetation.

High Exposure was located 10-60 ft from the surf line. The area consisted of recently planted and established, 1 ft -5 ft high native vegetation. Onshore salt spray, had to cross a 7 foot high coastal bank to impact the vegetation on a level grade.

The Hurricane: In late August, 2011, Hurricane Irene, with a 500 mile diameter Tropical Storm Force wind field, passed west of Cape Cod. The low precipitation, right hand semi-circle impacted Cape Cod from the Southwest. 50+ mph winds bridged tidal cycles for 15 hours. Prolonged wind, coated leaves and stems of exposed coastal vegetation with salt.

Unmitigated by precipitation, this became an empirical, “worst case scenario” for exposed vegetation, and an opportunity to study salt stress.

Observations: Non-coastal natives were quickly dispatched by even the medium, albeit lengthy, exposure to salt spray. Established, native coastal plants, with the exception of Beach Plum, regained seasonal performance.  Directly following the storm event, recent plantings of Rugosa Roses and Seaside Goldenrod presented the appearance of  100% salt kill. 2 weeks later, they were sprouting new leaves. 3 weeks after exposure, previously established Seaside Goldenrod showed flower heads (See cover photo on page 1), followed by blooms on a few, previously established Rugosas. Existing and planted American Beach Grass had minimal impacts.

OCEAN 20 covers this year’s peculiar winter weather and looks at why every prediction but one was wrong. We also introduce “SMART WATER”, sharing innovative and surprising ways to save money and the resource. A very unusual wind turbine is introduced, with links to a short video contrasting new and traditional wind energy designs.

Feel free to share this issue with your friends, all of our educational materials are Public Domain.

Click here to download our newest issue of OCEAN or view it below

HABITAT RESTORATION GUIDE

Click on the above link to download your own free copy of this booklet.

Habitat Restoration Guide for Planting Vegetation on the Outer Cape

Safe Harbor Environmental Services, 2012

Safe Harbor’s Restoration Guide for the Outer Cape links native vegetation with specific habitats, exposures and height. Using site-specific vegetation for habitat restoration contributes to higher survivability. This “cookbook” style booklet makes choosing plants easier, by integrating numerous, earlier versions of planting lists. We are grateful to Howard Irwin for his review of this booklet.

Safe Harbor Environmental works with all forms of environmental permitting. Safe Harbor specializes in sustainable, coastal habitat restoration, using innovative, low cost strategies. Publications on our website that may also be relevant include: “The Dirty Dozen” Identifying and Managing 13 Invasive Plants on Cape Cod; “Steep Slope Stabilization”; and “Salt Spray Events and Coastal Vegetation” documenting the role Tropical Storm events in selecting sustainable coastal vegetation.

Safe Harbor publications may be copied, circulated, and shared for educational purposes only. This work may be cited but in no way should it be altered, transformed, built upon, or used as an endorsement of other work or for commercial purposes. Gordon Peabody, Safe Harbor Environmental, November, 2011

Why spend money shipping water to Haiti when we could be sending water filters so they could have their own clean water? Think sustainability…

Personal statement: Kristyna Smith, Safe Harbor Haiti Water Project Coordinator, March 2011

It is amazing how our Haiti Water Project at Safe Harbor has progressed in just a few short months! When I was first introduced to the innovative new filters I never expected it to be more than just a research project, but before I knew it we had sent for our first order of filters. We were uncertain of the project;s future at this point as we hadn’t any idea whether or not we would receive donations. Uncertainty didn’t last long; generous donations began pouring in to help send these filters to Haiti. It has been so great to be a part of this. I have had the opportunity to communicate and meet with so many generous people who actively participate in the relief efforts and rebuilding of the Haitian community. By spreading knowledge of this sustainable solution I know our efforts will make a difference.

Personal statement: Deborah Peabody, Safe Harbor Haiti Water Project Donations Coordinator, March 2011

I was painfully aware of the suffering in Haiti even before the devastating earthquake.  Then the storms and floods began.  When I began hearing about the cholera outbreak it was enough to make me want to turn off the news, I felt so helpless and sad.  Then my brother called.  “Isn’t cholera transmitted by dirty water?” he asked.  He told me that he had found some simple, effective, affordable water filters intended for use in rustic areas.  He’d already ordered a case to be sent to Haiti and had found a way to get them there.  “Seems to be a better investment than medicine,” he said.  As we continued discussing the possibilities my hope began to return.  Gordon wondered aloud if local churches might be willing to buy more filters to send.  I contacted people I knew from each of 3 local churches and the word went out.  The first church, the first week, got donations for an entire case of filters.  From there the donations continued to grow.  It seemed that anyone who heard about the effort wanted to buy at least one filter.  I think they felt, as I did, such happiness at being able to do something so helpful for so little.  I was particularly moved at the Holiday Craft Fair in Wellfleet when people in the midst of stressful gift shopping stopped at our booth and, excited to hear about the possibility of giving such a significant gift to people they didn’t know, donated generously. I have seldom been involved in a project that did so much to restore my faith in people and gave me so much joy.

Haiti Water Project Final Report, May 8, 2011

by Gordon Peabody, Director of Safe Harbor Environmental ,  May 2011

Because it has always been available to us, we rarely pause to consider how critical water is or what it would be like to live without safe drinking water. I believe drinking water may also become an ever more expensive commodity, as multi national corporations engage in efforts to control our source aquifers. One way to protect resources is through reuse and water is a perfect example. We had been researching nano technology for several months and printed an article in OCEAN Environmental newsletter on nano filters revolutionizing water purification.

When I realized how much bottled water was being shipped to Haiti and how expensive it was to ship the water, I felt that we should explore a more sustainable alternative, such as sending water filters. A gallon of water costs approximately $ 4 to ship to Haiti (in pallets of 1,700 half liter bottles). This does not reflect the costs of bottling, handling, distribution and disposal of plastic bottles or the carbon footprint of bottling, delivery and distribution. Kristyna researched the new technology and discovered a filter, produced by a church organization in Texas, that cost approximately $20.00.

For what it would cost to ship 5 gallons of water to Haiti, we would be able to send a filter that could produce up to 70 gallons a day, for up to a year.  Each day of use would save hundreds of dollars in shipping costs. Over the course of a year, the savings could be better spent on other relief supplies. Sending cases of filters could provide enough savings to rebuild schools. We ordered our first case.

We needed to try and get as many filters in use as possible because cholera was beginning to make inroads. My sister Deborah offered to contact local churches and see if they would donate a few filters. The Provincetown Banner wrote an article on what we were trying to accomplish. The results were unexpected. To date we have received donations of just over $4,000.

Getting the filters safely into a chaotic region with no infrastructure and no addresses was another challenge We had a friend, Joe (Bones) Basine, who was working with an international aid organization, building schools and tent homes, in the areas hit by earthquake and hurricane. Basine advised us not to ship anything to Haiti. He was expected to return to the Cape briefly in December and offered to hand deliver filters for us. Basine’s return to Cape Cod was interrupted by riots and passport issues. He reported to us that he was barricaded in a Port au Prince schoolyard. Things were beginning to get complicated, we had cases of water filters outside our office in Wellfleet and our courier was barricaded in a schoolyard in Haiti. I asked my sister Deborah Peabody, of Provincetown to help out by tracking donations. I asked Kristyna Smith, the Safe Harbor researcher who had originally discovered the filters, to step in as project coordinator. Smith is an Orleans resident who was a psychology major at Framingham State. Kristyna suddenly had a lot of work.

Through Pru Sowers, the Provincetown Banner reporter who had written about our project, we were contacted by a pilot who delivered medical supplies across Haiti. The pilot gave us links to some church groups with members who regularly traveled to the Port au Prince area. This information was passed on to Kristyna, We developed some guidelines: the filters needed to go to areas suffering from both the earthquake and the hurricane. we had to locate trusted couriers; and another tricky part, the couriers, who would be mostly members of church groups around the country, had to be willing to smuggle these filters into Haiti in their luggage. This last detail was necessary to avoid a $100 luggage surcharge and avoided “complicated package inspections”. We intended to keep these filters off the black market.

Many of our filters went to schools, directly to teachers or through people building the schools. We know our filters are currently being used in approximately 17 small villages the church groups went to. Joe “Bones” eventually turned out to be our most successful smuggler, delivering 2 cases of filters to the village of Belle Vue Haiti, where his organization SASH (SASHHaiti.org) has been working, Kristyna reports that some of the couriers didn’t respond to us when they first returned to the US because they were so sick and exhausted.

This story wouldn’t be complete without acknowledging hundreds of Cape Cod residents, donating by mail or anonymously, in churches or at the Wellfleet Preservation Hall Holiday Festival. Cape Codders, donating water filters to strangers they may never meet. Thanks to the Churches of Provincetown and Truro for their generous support of children and families in need, in a world so very different from ours. Thank you to the others, like the family from Utah, who sent us a check at Christmas: “we have everything we need, our family wants to contribute to your Haiti Water project”.  As if that weren’t enough: A girl Scout Troop from Eastham donated their 50 cents dues for a month towards sending water filters to Haiti.

We are printing up thank you post cards for as many addresses as we have but the whole story won’t end there, it continues with the Haitian people, being a little less dependent on imported water and a little healthier. We are planning to transfer the Haiti Water Project to a local non-profit group, to continue this sustainable idea, in Haiti or elsewhere.

Link below to local newspaper article

http://www.wickedlocal.com/wellfleet/features/x1651493005/Water-filters-make-their-way-to-Haiti-as-part-of-Outer-Cape-fundraising-effort

Ballston Beach Barrier Dune Restoration, Truro, Cape Cod

A unique Community Restoration Partnership has been created in Truro on Cape Cod: Truro Beach Commission; Truro Department of Public Works; National Parks Service, Cape Cod National Seashore; Truro Conservation Commission;Friends of the Cape Cod National Seashore; Truro Non Resident Taxpayers Association and Safe Harbor Environmental.

If you are willing to make a small donation for beach grass plugs, to support sustainable restoration of this resource area, your tax deductable donation should be made out to FCCNS with Ballston in the memo line.  They should be sent to FCCNS at PO Box 550, Wellfleet, MA  02667. Bundles of 300 stems cost $39.00. Any size donation contributes to this project.

If you are interested in volunteering to plant beach grass plugs or assist in setting up sand collection fence, please email goronpeabody@gmail.com

The following is the first article that I have written about this project. There were a lot of components that were brought together for this restoration. It has been published in a Cape Cod magazine this summer. Click on the link below to read it.

CHA_Summer11_BallstonBeachArticle

Read more

In the spring of 2010, Cape Cod experienced such record levels of ground water, that areas which would normally be dry became flooded as the underground water table rose up in low areas, such as this location between sand dunes. With climate change producing extra precipitation in New England, we have published this booklet to keep our ground water safe by offering suggestions to get roof and driveway runoff into the water table, instead of sending it down our streets.

GOOD NEIGHBOR storm water ideas Click here to get your own copy of some inexpensive ideas for managing your own rainwater and being a better neighbor.

DIRTY-DOZEN-Invasive-Plants

Click on this pdf publication to get your own copy of the “Dirty Dozen”.

It describes the identity, ecology and various management techniques for taking on invasive vegetation.

These are 13 plants that we have tagged as “the bad guys”. Invasive vegetation behaves aggressively, claiming native plant space, nutrients, light and moisture as it’s own. Native vegetation can support up to 50 times more organisms as invasive vegetation.Invasive vegetation never co-evolved with native insects and animals that transferred plant biomass to protein biomass. Invasive vegetation habitats are effectively neutered by this inability to complete trophic level transfer of energy.

Check out our “green techniques” for invasive removal.

For questions or comments contact us

gordonpeabody@gmail.com

OCEAN_16

click on the link to read this issue of OCEAN

OCEAN_15 click here to read our newest, environmental newsletter. Contact us if you want to learn more about any of the articles.

Ryder Beach Partnership restores town landing.

The Town of Truro on Cape Cod has experienced tremendous wind erosion during the past few years at one of their coastal beach access points, known as “town landings”. Winter winds created a “shotgun blow out” that eroded 14 feet of sand from the beach end of the walkway and deposited it in a 14-foot mound at the top of the walkway. This created a 28′ drop and climb for beach goers.

Safe Harbor partnered with Truro Department of Public Works, volunteering services to facilitate restoration permitting and planning. This was an unusual project because we needed to balance natural resources with public use. Before work could begin, the proposal was reviewed by private property abutters, the Beach Committee, Truro Conservation Commission, Department of Environmental Protection and the Natural Heritage and Endangered Species Program  (NHESP, under the MA Endangered Species Act).

The basic components of the project were pretty much like putting cookies back into the cookie jar. DPW Director Paul Morris moved eroded sand back to where it came from.  DPW workers installed 500 feet of 4′ sand fencing to outline a walkway designed to prevent future wind erosion. Safe Harbor workers installed 800 feet of innovative 24″ sand control fencing along the restored dune line for short-term collection of wind-blown beach sand.
DPW and Safe Harbor worked together to plant 5,000 stems of beach grass. This will provide a sustainable system to capture and hold wind blown sand at the dune line. A neighbor brought out homemade Scottish shortbread cookies.  Safe Harbor planted another thousand stems of grass, reclaimed from the sand removal process, along the walkway. We advocate salvaging and reusing native vegetation from coastal projects.
Long term control of public access, short-term sand fencing and long-term vegetation will create a sustainable system protecting natural resources and public access.

The photo below was taken one year after these fences were installed. The fencing collects and holds sand during development of sustainable, native plant habitat.

For questions, contact the Truro Conservation Commission or email Gordon Peabody gordonsafeharbor@yahoo.com