FCW: Take The ‘Chatham Water Pledge’ -- Free Event At Orpheum April 23

CHATHAM – In a bid to raise awareness of water protection efforts, the Friends of Chatham Waterways (FCW) is hosting “Saving Chatham’s Waters,” a special event at the Chatham Orpheum Theater on April 23 at 10 a.m. The organization is also urging citizens to pledge to do their part by forgoing lawn fertilizers and pesticides, conserving water and growing a low-maintenance lawn.

 “What we do on our own piece of Chatham can make a difference in protecting our water,” FCW President Kristin Andres said. Homeowners are the largest users of both pesticides and fertilizers on the Cape, she noted.

 The April 23 event will include a screening of the video series “Saving Our Ponds” produced by the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute, followed by a panel discussion with Andres, Susan Baur of Old Ladies Against Underwater Garbage, Shellfish Constable Renee Gagne, and DPW Director Rob Faley. The event will also be the official launch of the “Chatham Water Pledge.” 

 Property owners who take the pledge receive a special yard sign and inclusion on the FCW’s website, and taking part is simple, Andres said. It begins with taking a pass on traditional lawn grass, which relies heavily on irrigation, chemical fertilizers and pest control.

 “It takes a while for a Cape Cod lawn to take shape. It’s basically naturalizing open lawn space which is unnatural,” Andres said. After stopping any lawn treatments and disconnecting any irrigation system, property owners should refrain from removing leaves and pine needles, mowing only when necessary with the highest setting on the mower. Moss and broadleaf plants are fine to encourage, but pull any invasive weeds like privet or bittersweet that might crop up. 

 “In bare areas, you could seed with Dutch white clover and interplant with native low growers such as selfheal, wild strawberry, little blue-eyed grass, Pennsylvania sedge (and others), little bluestem (a native grass), and nature will plant others,” she said. Eventually, the result will be a low-maintenance ground cover that’s gentle on the environment and saves water. 

When starting a Cape Cod lawn from scratch, temporary irrigation will be needed to get the seed established, “but after the first season, let it go on its own,” Andres said.

 While it’s fine to fertilize potted plants, there’s no need to fertilize a Cape Cod lawn, since its plants naturally grow with the help of soil microbes, she said. And if you’re growing vegetables, the plants will require more nutrients than the Cape’s sandy soil provides. “So work to build soils with organics,” Andres said.

 For more information, visit www.ChathamWaterways.org.