Category: Happenings

by Jeff Shaw

The month of April has long been designated National Volunteer Month. In that spirit, this post highlights a wonderful volunteer program in Chatham – Water Watchers.

But first, a brief history lesson. National Volunteer Week began in 1943 in Canada and debuted in the United States in 1974. The week was dedicated to paying tribute to the unwavering contributions of women during World War II who would collect supplies and help wounded soldiers. It was in the early 20th century that organized volunteering reached its peak, with countless humanitarian service organizations, such as the Red Cross, Habitat for Humanity and others, culminating in National Volunteer Month in 1990.

In Chatham and in other coastal communities, the health of local waterways – the ocean, kettle ponds, lakes or streams – is arguably the most important challenge facing every Cape Cod town. The responsibility to protect our natural resources is shared by government, businesses, residents, and visitors alike, yet the day-to-day protection efforts are handled by volunteers.

One of the signature programs of the Friends of Chatham Waterways, in partnership with the Town of Chatham and the Pleasant Bay Alliance, is their salt water monitoring program, aka, the Water Watchers. During the high tourist season of July and August, when the population quadruples, these volunteers collect and test water samples in Chatham’s estuaries at least five times every 14 days. Should a water sample show a higher than safe level of bacteria, access to that area will be closed.

In 2022, 38 FCW Water Watcher volunteers monitored 15 stations in Chatham’s estuaries, completing the 23rd consecutive year of the Coastal Water Nutrient Monitoring Program.

Volunteers are trained by Dr. Robert Duncanson, Director of Chatham’s Department of Health and Natural Resources, to directly assess water quality by measuring water clarity, salinity, temperature and dissolved oxygen content and taking water samples at varying depths. Collected data and water samples are analyzed by the UMass School of Marine Science and Technology in Dartmouth.

The volunteer program began in 1994, the first on Cape Cod, which became a model for other towns. The first water samples were collected in 1999, modeled after the program in Buzzards Bay.

The Friends of Chatham Waterways also hosts an annual CoastSweep in September. Coastsweep deploys volunteers to collect trash along Chatham’s shoreline, to keep potential pollutants out of the waterways.

FCW provides volunteers with debris grabbers and CZM contributes trash bags and gloves for collection.  The Ocean Conservancy supplies data cards for recording site findings, which are forwarded to the CZM and then sent to the Ocean Conservancy in Washington, D.C. for analysis and publication.  The data provided helps in the development of programs to reduce marine debris worldwide.

In 2022, 52 volunteers participated in Chatham’s 34th annual Coastsweep cleanup, collecting approximately 250 lbs. of debris filling 25 large trash bags.  The most numerous items picked up included:  small plastic pieces (345), small foam pieces (632), food wrappers (115), plastic bottle caps (106), plastic beverage bottles (121), and plastic bags (116).  The most interesting items found were:  a backpack complete with a BB gun, shotgun shells, a neoprene clamer’s suit, a derelict canoe and Sunfish, a mooring and chain, a wooden pallet, foam cushions, and swimming paraphernalia.

So, if you love playing in Cape Cod’s many waterways, please dedicate a few hours to help protect it. And in so doing, you’ll be able to enjoy these waters this summer, next summer and many summers ahead.

April 3, 2023