DENNIS — The Association to Preserve Cape Cod (APCC) held its 50th anniversary annual meeting and awards ceremony at the Cape Cod Museum of Art on Monday.
The meeting focused on the APCC’s work as the regional environmental advocacy and education organizer for the Cape, recognized achievements, and future challenges.
“I think APCC is able to take a lot of pride in that for the last 50 years we’ve been involved in all the major environmental discussions that have confronted Cape Cod,” said APCC Executive Director Andrew Gottlieb.
Steven Curwood was the event’s featured guest speaker, the host and executive producer of Living on Earth, a weekly environmental news and information program.
Curwood was also a recipient of the APCC’s Paul Tsongas Environmental Recognition Award.
The Association also unveiled plans for a new water quality study that will analyze the quality of ocean and fresh water of the cape.
“We’re announcing the initiation of our State of the Water’s Report, which is going to be an annual report and analysis we’re going to do that quantifies the quality water on Cape Cod, both the marine and fresh water – drinking water,” Gottlieb explained.
“Certainly water quality we view as one of the most significant challenges to face Cape Cod. Without clean water and the association of the quality of the water, people aren’t going to come here, the businesses that have invested and the people that have invested in homes are not going to see a return on that investment, so clean water is of paramount importance.”
Gottlieb says the APCC is working closely with the local legislative delegation to come up with a financing solution for cleaning Cape Cod waters.
Multiple environmental heroes of Cape Cod were also honored during the meeting.
The APCC placed former state senator Dan Wolf on its Honor Roll for his environmental leadership as a business owner. Director of the Wellfleet Wildlife Sanctuary Robert Prescott received the Esther Snyder award for Environmental Excellence for years of dedication to preserving the Cape’s natural coastal environment.
In addition, all volunteers who worked on converting the grounds of APCC’s headquarters into a natural landscape were awarded with 2018 APCC Volunteer of the Year Awards.
By TIM DUNN, CapeCod.com News Center
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