Waquoit Bay is worth fighting for.
Citizens for the Protection of Waquoit Bay is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to the restoration, preservation and protection of Waquoit Bay and its estuaries through research, advocacy, stewardship, education and collaboration.
Latest news
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Mashpee outlines Upper Quashnet bog restoration at 50% design, with permits still ahead
Mashpee’s Conservation Department presented 50% designs on November 5 to restore the Upper Quashnet cranberry bogs to wetland habitat, and the Enterprise reports local, state and federal permits must come before construction.
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Buzzards Bay Coalition starts eelgrass planting test in West Falmouth Harbor
The Buzzards Bay Coalition reports that its fellow Melanie Hayn has set up a planting test in West Falmouth Harbor, with seeds planted in early November and young shoots planned for spring.
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State grants of $4.4 million go to Falmouth and Mashpee sewer projects to cut nitrogen
The Enterprise reports that Falmouth and Mashpee will receive a combined $4.4 million in state Clean Water Trust grants for sewer and treatment projects aimed at reducing nitrogen pollution in their watersheds.
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Falmouth task force weighs help with costs of nitrogen-reducing septic systems
Falmouth’s Watershed Management Financial Fairness Task Force told the Select Board it is studying aid for owners of nitrogen-reducing septic systems, and the board asked it to return with several options and…
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APCC appeals Falmouth wastewater permit, says it leaves nitrogen offsets to the town
APCC says a MassDEP groundwater discharge permit for the Easterly facility in Falmouth shifts nitrogen offsets from the permittee to the town, and that the state’s permit writer testified to being directed…
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CPWB launches new website
CPWB has a new website: daily news on the bay, a growing research library, plain-language explainers, a community calendar and an easier way to join.
Events
- Mon, Nov 23 · 4:00 pm · Valley Grille at Quashnet Valley Country Club
Public Meeting for Comment on The Reserve at Quashnet Valley Country Club Development
LaCava Companies will hold an in-person public meeting regarding The Reserve at Quashnet Valley project prior to filing a Single Environmental Impact…
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Storm Drain Adoption
Don’t let Waquoit Bay go down the drain.
Every storm drain in Falmouth and Mashpee carries rainwater, and whatever it picks up, straight into the watershed. Pick a drain near you, check it once a year and after heavy rain, and log what you see.
Learn about the bay
Plain-language explainers and research summaries on the science and the policy.
Start here
About Waquoit Bay
The bay, its rivers and its watershed in one overview: its long history, why nitrogen is the core problem, how a warming climate adds to it, and why recovery is possible.
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How many homes are in the Waquoit Bay watershed? A count from the Cape Cod Commission’s parcel data
The Cape Cod Commission’s planning data puts 9,097 parcels in the Waquoit Bay watershed, 7,210 of them single-family homes, and almost all of them on septic systems.
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Do labor-saving floating baskets grow oysters as well as standard cages? A Narragansett Bay farm trial
At a Narragansett Bay oyster farm, young oysters in a newer labor-saving surface gear survived (86%) and grew about as well as those in traditional surface cages (77.5%). Oysters in bottom cages…
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What does tire rubber do to aquatic life? A review of 99 lab studies finds zinc often drives toxicity, and results vary with how tests are run
A review of 99 lab studies found that water soaked in tire rubber, and tire particles in water, harmed many aquatic species. Zinc was often a driver, and toxicity swung widely with…
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Too much of a good thing: what extra nitrogen does to Waquoit Bay
Extra nitrogen sets off a chain reaction under the surface: seaweed smothers the eelgrass, floating algae then shade out the seaweed, and the dead algae become oxygen-hungry muck.
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Where should seagrass protection start? A 2026 global warning says protect existing meadows and fix local pressures first
Nine seagrass scientists argue that local pressures like poor water quality, dredging and anchoring drive most losses and can be managed. Protecting existing meadows should come before restoration, and wastewater upgrades have…
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Do fall-spawned bay scallops help the population? Thirty years of scallop shells from New York’s Peconic Bays
In 30 years of Peconic Bay scallop samples, fall-spawned adults averaged 21.4% but ranged from 0% to 100% by site and year. Water temperature did not predict them; the share of ripe…
Newsletter archive
Past issues of CPWB’s printed newsletter, each with a summary of what’s inside and the full PDF.