APCC secures nearly $15M in federal grants for Cape Cod habitat restoration; Falmouth projects included

Andrew Gottlieb, executive director of the Association to Preserve Cape Cod (APCC), and Jordan Moore, APCC lead ecologist, told the Select Board on Dec. 16 that APCC has secured major NOAA funding to support six habitat restoration projects across Cape Cod, including work that affects Falmouth.

APCC said the awards, drawn from two federal funding streams, total about $15 million and will fund tidal marsh and freshwater bog and river restoration, culvert replacements, permitting, outreach and long‑term monitoring. APCC said the Oyster Pond project in West Falmouth Harbor will include design work to replace an undersized culvert on the Shining Sea Bikeway to increase tidal flow; consultant contracts (see Fuss & O'Neill and Woods Hole Group) and an adaptive‑management plan are scheduled for 2025–2026. For the Red Brook watershed APCC identified $500,000 in subawards to the towns of Mashpee and Falmouth for land acquisition and restoration feasibility and design.

Gottlieb said APCC will manage some contracts directly and subaward others through partner organizations, and that community engagement sessions are planned (APCC aims for June 2025 to capture seasonal stakeholders). He emphasized the grants will leverage over $5 million in additional funding and build monitoring capacity across partners including the Wequoit Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve and the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe.

Select Board members thanked APCC and asked about next steps; APCC said subaward agreements and consultant contracts are in process and that kickoff meetings have been held. The projects proceed to permitting and design with the goal of some construction elements occurring before the grant period concludes.