Coalition Seeks Collaborative Approach To Water Advocacy

ORLEANS – Last month, members of the Orleans Pond Coalition gathered to put together signs for residents interested in taking the nonprofit’s “pond pledge” to do their part to protect the town’s waterways. More than a hundred signs were put together, with stakes donated by Agway, said the coalition’s president, Tom Coleman.

 “We had a little party where we assembled about 120 signs,” Coleman said. “That way when people ask for signs, we can go out and plant them in their front yard.”

 The coalition started the pledge two years ago. Residents request to place signs in their yard with the promise of doing their part to help promote the coalition’s goal of supporting better water quality. That includes things such as being mindful of how much water they use to irrigate their lawns and avoiding the use of fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides that can be harmful to local waterways.

 But over the winter, the coalition began to think more broadly about how it can get its message out to more people. Coleman said the Friends of Chatham Waterways also had their own sign campaign, which led the coalition to seek out other likeminded groups from around the region to streamline their messaging.

 “We thought what would be even better is to get the towns on the Cape together, the various pond associations, and look to do something that has a common feel or branding to it,” he said.

 Coleman said groups in Barnstable, Chatham, Eastham, Truro and Wellfleet are working with the coalition to put together cohesive signage and branding that, they hope, will better drive home the importance of protecting the region’s waterways to residents and visitors. 

The coalition has its signs ready for the current season, Coleman said, while Barnstable and Chatham will have signs in their towns that will look “virtually identical” to the ones going up around Orleans. The other towns are also working on their own branding schemes, he said.

“Our goal is actually to bring this Capewide,” Coleman said. “There are tons of organizations across the Cape.”

Beyond consistent signage, Coleman said another goal of the multi-town collaboration is to boost water quality education efforts. That includes teaching people how the use of fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides and other chemicals can adversely impact waterways, and what things they can do to both take care of their lawns and protect the environment.

Coleman said the collaborative effort comes amidst an ongoing shift away from the traditional picturesque, emerald green lawn, with more people welcoming native plantings and alternative designs that are better for the environment.

  The idea of natives and things like that are increasingly being more accepted,” he said. “People go around and say ‘That’s beautiful,’ and it turns out it’s actually really good for the Cape.”

 The collaboration also falls in line with a broader shift in town government toward working across town lines. Orleans, for example, is working with the towns of Harwich, Brewster, Chatham and Dennis to collectively utilize their opioid abatement funding. And with water quality a going concern for towns across the Cape, Coleman said it only makes sense for towns to work together on a common cause.

 “The Cape is all about water,” he said.