Art. Life. Place. - A Blog
Rivers, Restrictions, and Responsibility: How Cape Cod Protects Its Land and Water
Conservation restrictions (CRs) are a powerful tool for protecting Cape Cod’s rivers, wetlands, and open spaces. By limiting development while keeping land in private or municipal ownership, CRs allow ecosystems to recover and thrive. The Childs River exemplifies this success, with former cranberry bogs transformed into vibrant wetlands supporting brook trout, river otters, and herons, thanks in part to the Falmouth Rod & Gun Club. Along the Quashnet and Mashpee rivers, CRs enable habitat restoration, improve fish passage, and maintain water quality. Tools like the MassGIS Open Space & Conservation Restrictions map help residents understand protections and support long-term ecological and community benefits.
Restoring What Remains: The Mashpee River’s Split Identity
Cape Cod’s Mashpee River is a study in contrasts: its lower reaches remain a coldwater stronghold, spring-fed and shaded, with clean gravel beds and woody structure that support brook trout, river herring, and other native species. In the upper river, however, a century of cranberry farming left behind straightened channels, drained wetlands, outdated dams, and shallow, warm waters that stress fish and limit migration. Restoration is now underway to remove barriers, restore meanders, and reconnect the river to its floodplain, improving habitat and water quality. With these efforts, the Mashpee River has the potential to once again function as a connected, thriving coldwater system from source to sea.
Confluence: Where Water, Stories, and a Life's Work Meet
From a childhood exploring hidden brooks in northern Massachusetts to years as a NOAA fisheries scientist at sea, my life has been shaped by the confluence of curiosity, observation, and discovery. That journey led me to found the Waquoit Bay Fish Company, blending art and science to make ecological data tangible and to connect communities with the waters they rely upon. Returning to freshwater restoration work with the Association to Preserve Cape Cod, I now guide streams back toward health, teaching the next generation—including my own children—to fish, observe, and care for these ecosystems. Watching herring migrate upstream, I see my own path mirrored: a life coming full circle, where science, art, and lived experience converge, and where the currents of past and present meet in a shared, living connection with the natural world.
Wings, Songs, and Soil: Cicada Brood XIV Returns to Cape Cod
This spring, parts of southeastern Massachusetts, including Cape Cod, are experiencing a rare natural phenomenon—the emergence of Brood XIV, a group of periodical cicadas that surface only once every 17 years. These red-eyed insects are making their presence known with a loud, persistent chorus as they complete a brief reproductive cycle before returning underground until 2042. While startling in scale and sound, the emergence poses no threat to people or property and plays an important ecological role, enriching soil, feeding wildlife, and signaling long-term forest health.
Just Do Something!
The other day, while sweating through yard work with my kids, I was reminded of a simple but powerful truth: when you’re stuck, the worst thing you can do is nothing. I wasn’t trying to teach them to love pulling weeds or spreading mulch—I was showing them (and reminding myself) that action, no matter how small or imperfect, is what gets us unstuck. Whether it's picking up the shovel, writing a bad first paragraph, sending a half-hearted email, or just sweeping the garage, forward motion matters. I've learned that mistakes are more helpful than standing still, and that perseverance is built through doing—not thinking. You don’t have to get it all right. Just do something!