Association to Preserve Cape Cod

Spotted: a neighbor answering the Cape’s distress call.

This is the Cape we shape: where people show up, land gets protected, and all life here can thrive.

Raise your SOS flag. 📩 Email [email protected] to get your flag and share your photo with The Cape We Shape: Team SOS .

Stop on by the Brewster Conservation Day on Rt 6A in Brewster at the Sea Camps Bay Property, 3057 Main Street, Brewster and say 'hey' to APCC folks, and help us paint our rain barrel!

There are lots to see, do, and learn today only, Saturday, July 11th until 1:30 p.m.

Finding the Mashpee River’s Cold Water

The Mashpee River is a state-designated Coldwater Fish Resource, supporting temperature-sensitive species like eastern brook trout and American brook lamprey.

To better understand where coldwater habitat persists, APCC has been monitoring water temperature throughout the river using small underwater sensors that record every 10 minutes. The data show that while some upper-river stations warmed above 20°C/68°F during summer 2025, downstream reaches stayed noticeably cooler.

That transition matters. Even small pockets of cooler water can provide important refuge for fish and other aquatic life during summer heat.

With support from NOAA Restoration Center, MassBays, and private foundation funding, APCC and the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe expanded monitoring in 2026 to better understand where the river cools, how it responds to heat events, and where protection or restoration can provide the greatest benefit.

Small sensors. Big picture. Cold water is habitat.

Learn more in APCC’s newsletter.