Out of an abundance of caution the Orleans Health Department has issued a warning due to the presence of a potential algal bloom at Pilgrim Lake. It may be unsafe for people and pets, so please do not swim or play in the water at this time. People and pets who may have been exposed to any algal bloom are advised to rinse off as soon as possible. Additional information on cyanobacteria can be found here: The latest testing data for Orleans Ponds and Lakes: … [Read more...]
Proposed 2026 OPC Nominating Committee
All Terms - One Year OPC Board Representatives: Community Representatives: … [Read more...]
Eelgrass Restoration in Pleasant Bay Presentation
Saturday, September 13th, 10:00am, (map location #1) Centers for Culture and History in Orleans (CHO), 3 River Road, Orleans, MA 02653 NEW EVENT! Join us Saturday morning, September 13, 10:00 – 11:00 am at the Centers for Culture and History in Orleans (CHO) to learn about ongoing efforts to restore seagrasses in Pleasant Bay. Alyssa Novak, Ph.D., assistant professor of coastal ecology at Boston University will discuss her collaborative work on building eelgrass resilience to warming seawater. Seagrasses provide essential habitat for a … [Read more...]
Kayak to Namequoit Wood*
Saturday, September 13th, 12:30pm - 3:30pm, (map location #5) Where: Arey’s Pond. Please park in the lot behind the Arey’s Pond Boatyard. NEW EVENT! Our co-sponsors are SUPfari Adventures (Ryan Burch) and The Orleans Conservation Trust (OCT). Kayaks and paddling equipment will be provided by Ryan Burch of SUPfari. We will paddle about 1.5 miles from Arey’s Pond to the beach at the new Namequoit Wood property, which was recently acquired by OCT. After reaching Namequoit Wood, a guide from OCT will lead a walking tour of the property, … [Read more...]
Kayak Trip to Sampson Island*
Saturday, September 13, 11:30am – 3:00pm, (map location #2) Where: River Road and possibly Meetinghouse Pond and/or Pah Wah boat launches, with a paddle into Little Pleasant Bay to Sampson Island NEW EVENT! Join us on a paddle to Sampson Island where we will have a picnic lunch and a chance to learn about efforts to restore eelgrass beds in Pleasant Bay. This is a 3.5 hour trip. Launch sites will include, depending on interest, River Road, Meetinghouse Pond and Pah Wah Pond. From River Road, we will launch into The River and paddle … [Read more...]
CORRECTION – Orleans Town Meeting – Tuesday, May 20th
2023 OPC Annual Meeting Minutes
Dedication of New Public Art Sculpture on Main Street
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...]
The Pitter Patter Puppet Show
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...]
Rain Garden Installation with Orleans Conservation Trust
Orleans Conservation Trust, 203 South Orleans Road, Saturday, 12:30pm - 1:30pm, (Map location #11) Join the Orleans Conservation Trust at their office at 203 South Orleans Road, Orleans to install a rain garden that will capture runoff from the parking lot while providing valuable native habitat. Volunteers can join OCT staff in digging out the garden area and planting a variety of shrubs and perennials. Attendees will learn about the ongoing transformation of OCT's landscaping practices at its headquarters to create cleaner … [Read more...]
Public Health Advisory – Boland Pond
By the Orleans Health Department A Public Health Advisory has been issued at Crystal 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 after two samples, collected a week apart, … [Read more...]
Minutes from the 2022 OPC Annual Meeting
Microplastics In Our Waters and What You Can Do
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...]
Public Health Advisory – Crystal Lake
By the Orleans Health Department A Public Health Advisory has been issued at Crystal 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 after two samples, collected a week apart, … [Read more...]
Meet the New 2025 OPC Directors
John Dugan I am a retired anatomic pathologist and have been living full time in Orleans with my wife, Carol since Spring, 2020. Professionally, I worked at Lahey Clinic (now Beth Israel Lahey Health) in Burlington, MA for almost 34 years before retirement after completing residency and fellowship training at the University of Pennsylvania. I have 3 adult children who all live west of the Mississippi River, as well as 3 "grand-puppies." We chose to live in Orleans because of the natural beauty of Cape Cod and its waters, as well as for … [Read more...]
Plein Air Painting at Rock Harbor
Saturday, September 16th, 9:00am to Noon Addison Art Gallery cordially invites the public to watch award-winning artists paint at Rock Harbor Orleans on Saturday, September 16 from 9:00 to noon. The wet paintings will be brought to the gallery at 43 South Orleans Road and displayed as part of the Celebrate Our Waters Reception from 3:00 to 5:00. Paul Schulenburg, Jonathan McPhillips, Andrea Petitto and Maryalice Eizenberg are among the artists planning to paint en plein air.Plein air, French for “open air,” is used to … [Read more...]
Public Health Advisory – Pilgrim Lake
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 after … [Read more...]
Pollinator Hillside Habitat Restoration
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 below, … [Read more...]
Oyster Grant Tour – Skaket Beach, Orleans
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...]
Plastics and Aquatic Habitats Talk
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...]
Tour a NEW Pollinator Garden at OCT
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 this … [Read more...]
Orleans Wastewater Treatment Facility Tour
20 Overland Way, Orleans, MA Friday, June 6th, Sessions at 3:15 p.m., 3:45 p.m., 4:15 p.m. – registration only PLEASE ARRIVE 15 MINUTES BEFORE THE START OF YOUR TOUR. ALL TOURS WILL DEPART PROMPTLY AT THE SCHEDULED TIME. Join us on Friday, June 6th between 3:00pm to 5:00pm for tours of the 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 … [Read more...]
📌OPC April Bulletin
It's almost time for the Orleans Town Meeting May 9th - 6:00 p.m. - NRMS Gym In preparation for this community event the Orleans Pond Coalition would like to bring the following items to your attention. A Town Meeting review letter from Orleans Select Person, Andrea Reed Andrea Reed on Environmental Progress:…. ‘I strongly support (the articles for wastewater and budget question) and hope we pass.’ Wastewater Progress: Articles 18 & 19/Ballot Question 2 Article 18 Sewer Assessment General Bylaw defines how we measure, assess … [Read more...]
PRESS RELEASE: Monday April 26, 2021
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...]
OPC President’s Presentation
Horseshoe Crabs at Pochet Island
Carol and I paddled from Lonnie's Pond over to Pochet Island on Thursday and were surprised to see horseshoe crabs along the shoreline, mating. It was the day after the full moon at a high tide. There's a great chapter entitled "At a Horseshoe Crab Orgy" in William Sargent's classic: Shallow Waters: A Year on Cape Cod's Pleasant Bay. Anyway, here are a few of the pictures that I took. - Tim Counihan (5/9/2020) … [Read more...]
Ponderings Spring 2019
Rock Creek Oyster Farm Tour – Draft
Walk the flats at low tide to the successful oyster farm owned and operated by Wendy & Kyle Farrell. Learn how oysters are grown and harvested for sale to high-end restaurants in the Northeast. Tours run continuously. Wear shoes that can get wet. On the flats at Skaket Beach. by Rock Creek Oysters … [Read more...]
Robert Finch Book Signing – Draft
Saturday 4-6 at Addison Art Gallery (1) Come meet Cape Cod nature author, essayist and radio commentator, Robert Finch who will be signing copies of his books, including his latest book released this summer, The Outer Beach: A Thousand-Mile Walk on Cape Cod's Atlantic Shore, apoignant, candid chronicle of a beloved nature writer’s fifty-year relationship with an iconic American landscape. Those who have encountered Cape Cod – or merely dipped into an account of its rich history – know that it is a singular place. Robert Finch writes … [Read more...]
Amy Sanders Pastel Demonstration – Draft
Saturday 4-6 at Addison Art Gallery (1) Amy Sanders will demonstrate building depth and luminosity with pastel as she works towards bringing a painting to life through multiple layers. Pastel particles retain their individuality within layers. If carefully layered using strokes in a variety of colors, weights and direction, light bounces among the particles creating a unique radiance. Questions and comments from audience member of all ages will be encouraged and add to the event. The soft pastel medium can trace its roots back to … [Read more...]
Stand Up Paddle Board Lesson and Tour * – Draft
Sunday 12-1:30 at Goose Hummock Docks Led by members of the Goose Hummock staff, begin with a 30 minute lesson followed by a 90 minute paddle around scenic Town Cove, weather permitting. Paddleboarding offers a different and fun way to get out on the water and experience paddling this gorgeous area. This tour is best suited for people 15 years of age and over, and a guardian is required to accompany all minors. Warm dress is recommended, as it is likely that participants will get wet while on the tour. Paddleboarding is a full-body workout, … [Read more...]
Draft: Nauset Marsh Kayak Tour *
Saturday and Sunday 11-2 at Goose Hummock Docks Led by members of the Goose Hummock Outdoor staff. Kayaks supplied by Goose Hummock. Our guides will lead you through Nauset Salt Marsh Estuary located within the Cape Cod National Seashore, replete with winding creeks and coves. It is home to a wide array of marine and avian species and offers amazing wildlife viewing. This tour is slightly more demanding than our Town Cove Tour and is recommended for conditioned paddlers with prior kayaking experience. Age 15 and up with minors accompanied by … [Read more...]
Get to Know Orleans through its Historical Markers (self-guided)
Saturday 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. starting at Rock Harbor Fun Tent (9) Pick up a pamphlet showing Historical Sites of Interest in Orleans at our Celebrate Our Waters Event Headquarters, Rock Harbor Fun Tent, or download the app at CHOCENTERS.ORG. Choose among three walking tour options. "Orleans’ Historian Bonnie Snow's Walking Trails: Main Street," “East Orleans," or her map of “Historical Sites of Interest in Orleans." Learn about the founding of Orleans and its proud lifesaving, commercial, and battle history. Check out Academy Place, Depot … [Read more...]
Water Water Everywhere: Ice Fishing
An excerpt from The Innermost Waters: Fishing Cape Cod’s Ponds and Lakes by Peter Budryk The ponds and lakes of Cape Cod, unlike most of the stillwaters in the rest of the Commonwealth, do not always freeze over during an average winter. The salty influence of the Cape’s weather patterns produces milder winters. This difference cuts two ways: 1- the less severe winters mean bigger fish because it results in a longer feeding and, therefore, growing season for the Cape’s freshwater fish; 2- for those who enjoy ice fishing on … [Read more...]
What Water Sampling is Happening in Orleans Right Now?
Water Quality monitoring has been taking place in Orleans since 2001. Each year volunteers sample 18 named freshwater ponds in early spring and again in late summer. These are done by kayak or canoe in order to reach the deepest spot in each pond. Measurements are taken for water temperature, dissolved oxygen, and visibility into the water. Samples are taken to determine the phosphorus and nitrogen in the water column. Notes are made about changing conditions and plant and animal life. Each summer similar measurements and sampling takes … [Read more...]