Would you like to help Cape Cod towns
REDUCE
Pesticides & Fertilizer use in 2025?
How it started,
Orleans citizens voted and passed the Fertilizer REDUCTION Home Rule Petition (HRP) 2022. Then in 2023, Orleans citizens passed the Pesticide REDUCTION HRP. Soon after, Eastham resident, Laura Kelley, brought the same language to Eastham and Wellfleet both in the Spring of 2024, and they both passed the Pesticide reduction HRP!
That means, so far three Cape Cod towns want the opportunity to reduce pesticides in their town! This is history changing!
Would you like to help?
Copy and paste the same language below and email it to your town Select Board members requesting these petitions be on your Town Meeting Warrant for town citizens to have the opportunity to vote and decide for themselves what is best for your town - let the voters decide and allow this language on your town meeting Warrant today.
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1 - Pesticide Reduction Home Rule Petition
https://www.town.orleans.ma.us/1404/Home-Rule-Petition-Article
2 - Fertilizer Reduction Home Rule Petition
https://www.town.orleans.ma.us/1120/Home-Rule-Petition-Warrant-Article
For more information, please visit the link below and learn more:
https://www.town.orleans.ma.us/1129/Letters-of-Support
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All 15 Assembly of Delegate members
voted 100% in favor for these petitions to move forward. That means the person who your town chose to represent your town for Barnstable County level matters has agreed this language is good. See their words:
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For questions, if you want to get involved in your town, please reach out to Laura Kelley at: poccacapecod@gmail.com
Thank you again for caring to do all you can to help reduce pesticide and fertilizer use in your town today!
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ALL INFORMATION is on Orleans Town website,
please click on "Explore" below:
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In January 2025, Orleans refiled their home rule petitions
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Please read them on the Mass. State House website:
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Fertilizer Reduction home rule petition:
https://malegislature.gov/Bills/194/HD1573
Pesticide Reduction home rule petition:
https://malegislature.gov/Bills/194/HD1574
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WATER is the most precious natural resource we have
We have a great responsibility living above an aquifer!
What products you purchase for inside or outside of your home matters.
Everything that goes down your sinks, toilets, and laundry leaches though The Cape's sandy soil,
it is said, a foot a day on average. Make wise choices!
Another great way you can help, please sign the petition below.
This is very important because it shows power in numbers and will go to our Governor Healey.
No matter what town you live in you can sign it, thank you very much:
https://www.change.org/p/protect-our-environment-reduce-pesticide-use-in-orleans-ma
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Our Mission
POCCA's mission is to educate residents, businesses and public agencies of Cape Cod how to keep our drinking water safe by eliminating the use of hazardous chemicals in our environment. We believe education is the key to the longevity of drinkable water. With a few simple shifts in our own daily routines, it will make all the difference!
We are fortunate our drinkable water is below us because it doesn't travel very far
but with that comes a greater responsibility of protection.
Will you join the mission to help protect water here?
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Every day the choices you make matter, what you purchase, where you purchase and how much you use. If each of us would do 3 things every day, collectively we would make huge change: purchase foods and essentials at local farmers markets, this supports our next generations here, don't purchase anything toxic, we live above where we drink (shampoo, soaps, detergents, pesticides), and lastly recycle 100% or it will end up in an ocean. See our products page for more detailed information ~
President, Laura Kelley receives Cape and Islands Democratic Award on April 27, 2019, her speech:
Pruning Party with GOATS on Power Lines in Harwich
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~ IT'S OUR WATER AFTER ALL ~
Please join the mission by lessening the amount of products
you purchase and use above our aquifer ~ Thank you!
This map below shows the depth to our drinkable water.
Cape Cod has 6 lenses, 5 are drinkable. The pink lines show where the ROW power lines are throughout Cape Cod, this is where Eversource uses herbicides to maintain vegetation over growth. There are other ways to protect electric wires that are cost effective and less toxic to our natural resources and thus, us. 17 Cape and MV towns have asked they don't use herbicides on our land.
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~ Our Programs ~
The POCCA team educates about this important issue that affects us all: To prevent EVERSOURCE Energy from spraying herbicides along Rights-of-Way power lines on Cape Cod and Martha's Vineyard to keep vegetation from harming electricity but there are better ways. Watch this video, it shows what they are doing on our land despite 17 towns writing documents against it from occurring again.

POCCA team members love to come and present pertinent information about our water supply and environmental issues to your group. We offer meetings with informative speakers to discuss emerging contaminants and the hydrology of our aquifer to explain what’s going on below the surface and how important it is to us.

Learn how to lessen your impact on our aquifer by changing your every day habits! Visit the 'how you can help' page to see examples that are cost effective and simple solutions that will make a big difference in nature.
Thank you for your kind donation

