Friday, September 13th, 1:00 p.m. at 44 Main Street Keen-eyed watchers of developments in downtown Orleans are celebrating the installation of a new Public Art Sculpture “Ripple Effect” at the corner of Main St. and Brewster Cross Road.This hand-crafted bronze and etched black granite sculpture now occupies the circular space embedded in the brick sidewalk.“Ripple Effect, created by Dave Holbrook will be formally dedicated on Sept. 13 at 1 p.m. at an event sponsored by the Orleans Cultural District with a Reception following at Parish … [Read more...]

Saturday, September 14th, 12:00 noon – 1:00 p.m. at Rock Harbor (Map location #2). “You, Me, Trees & The Sea” with Puppets, Paul & Mary is a musical and interactive puppet variety show sure to entertain children and adults from 2-100 years old. Songs, stories, and audience participation will keep you and your littles entertained through the entire show. … [Read more...]

Join us for a special program at the Snow Library, Orleans on Saturday, October 7th. Join the Orleans Pond Coalition and Education Coordinator and Naturalist Morgan Peck of Mass Audubon’s Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary. Learn how microplastics are affecting our water resources and wildlife, including sea turtles and birds. Learn common sources of these microplastics and what you can do to help reduce these pollutants from entering our local waters Date:  Saturday, October 7th Time:  2:00 - 3:30 pm Location: … [Read more...]

Linda Hughes-Belford, D.O. Growing up, I spent most of my summers visiting family on Cape Cod, and I learned to sail on Long Pond in Wellfleet at the home of my Aunt and Uncle. As a young adult I attended Smith College for 3 years, studying Psychology, Religion, Math, and Education.  I left Smith for a brief tour of duty in the U.S.Navy, where I worked as a Hull Maintenance Technician. It was fun learning how to weld and put out fires, but was not to be my lifelong career. I went on to obtain my Bachelor's degree in Psychology, … [Read more...]

By the Orleans Health Department Public Health Advisory – Pilgrim Lake A Public Health Advisory remains in effect at Pilgrim Lake due to the presence of a potentially harmful algal bloom.  It may be unsafe for people and pets, so please do not swim or play in the water at this time.  If you come into contact with the water, rinse off.  No adverse reactions have been reported, however if you are concerned please contact your health care provider for guidance.  The Public Health Advisory will be withdrawn … [Read more...]

Church of the Holy Spirit, 204 Monument Road, Orleans MA Sunday, September 15th, 2:00 p.m. - 3:30 p.m., (Map location #19) Join Regenerative Agroecologist Peter Jensen and Holistic Nutritionist and Horticulturalist Lynn Van Norman, for a walk through the water runoff terraced gardens, terraces and swales to learn about the progression of change that led to the removal of locust and Norway maples to make way for a solar panel array.  Road, hill and solar panel runoff was threatening the vernal pool and wetlands … [Read more...]

Sunday, September 17th, 7:30am - 9:00am, (Map location #18) You will visit Mike’s Oyster Farm where you will learn about oyster life and our farming techniques. The oysters on the Orlean’s bay flats are raised from oyster “seed” from hatcheries and are kept in plastic mesh bags, placed in metal wire cages. These oysters are tossed around in their bags by the incoming and outgoing tides and are out of the water for 7 - 8 hours every 24-hour period, and we will visit them near low tide. You will see grown oysters which have been split … [Read more...]

What Can You Do? Snow Library, Orleans - Saturday, 1:00pm - 2:30pm, (Map location #14) Join Education Coordinator and Naturalist Morgan Peck of Mass Audubon’s Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary to learn how plastics are affecting our aquatic ecosystems. Focusing on local examples, such as sea turtles and shorebirds, learn the how plastics enter our food webs, and what you can do to help reduce these pollutants from our habitats. … [Read more...]

Orleans Conservation Trust, 203 South Orleans Road, Saturday, 12:30pm - 1:30pm, (Map location #11) The Orleans Conservation Trust is undertaking a project to convert traditional lawn to native pollinator habitat at their office at 203 South Orleans Road, Orleans. Learn about the many decisions involved in such a project, including how to design a native garden, where to source native plants, and how to effectively terminate an existing lawn. We will discuss the resources that informed such decisions, and how OCT is going about … [Read more...]

20 Overland Way, Orleans, MA Friday, September 13th, 3:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. (Map location #1) Join us on Friday, September 13th between 3:00pm to 5:00pm for tours of the new Orleans Wastewater Treatment Facility at 20 Overland Way. The tour includes a walk-through of the facility and the opportunity to ask any questions you may have about the current plans for Orleans wastewater management. The facility includes a multi-story administration building with administrative spaces, laboratory, control room, chemical storage rooms, … [Read more...]

Side Stream Saturation comes to Orleans By: Eric Spengler, VP Orleans Pond Coalition The Orleans Pond Coalition announced this past week that it has successfully installed new equipment into Sarah’s Pond as part of its Oxygenation Demonstration Project.  ‘The new equipment we are exploring is based on technology called side stream saturation (SSS).  We’re excited about its potential,’ said past president Judith Bruce. ‘It’s so different from our earlier work. We’re now calling this phase II of our Oxygenation Project.’ OPC’s … [Read more...]