Thomas Wallace,
President
Robert Woodruff, Executive Director
Robert Hughes, Vice President
Dr. Burton Fleming, VP Projects
David Luening, Treasurer and Secretary
Judy Murray, Administrator Directors:
Kitty Burke, Richard Darman, Brendan O’Neill, John MacKenty,
Mark Patinkin, Sally Steenland
Dredging Project Manager: John Coskie
Letter from the
President, Tom Wallace
Dear
Friend of the Edgartown Great Pond:
Edgartown Great Pond is "living" proof that environmental action
is most effectively achieved when disparate energies and resources
are merged in pursuit of a common goal. Thanks to the Great Pond
Foundation, numerous town, Island, and state agencies, and generous
supporters like you, significant improvements have been seen in
the health of this body of water, which is not just beautiful but
also culturally and economically significant.
It is as a result of our efforts that the Massachusetts Estuary
Program chose the Edgartown Great Pond to be the fi rst area on
Martha's Vineyard it will study as part of a massive scientific
investigation of the region's water ways. Using sophisticated computer
modeling similar to that which helped save the Chesapeake Bay watershed,
this group will provide us with information that will help us make
important decisions about the long-ter m health of Edgartown Great
Pond. Clearly identifiable challenges such as acid rain and the
proximity of the Edgartown waste water plant to our watershed require
that we remain vigilant. When the Massachusetts Estuary Program
issues its report in 2006, we anticipate their results will confi
rm that dredging and regular openings of Edgartown Great Pond to
the sea are crucial components for maintaining good circulation
in the Pond and by extension, good Pond health.
With this in mind, the Great Pond Foundation has undertaken a major
effort to secure permissions and funding for dredging in and around
the Edgartown Great Pond. We hope you too appreciate the importance
of preserving and enhancing the health of the Edgartown Great Pond
for our generation, our children, and our grandchildren. If you
do, please join in supporting our efforts as we launch these unprecedented
and progressive initiatives to safeguard this priceless natural
resource for ourselves and the Island of Martha's Vineyard.
Thank you. Tom Wallace President, Great Pond Foundation
Our Mission
The
Great Pond Foundation was formed to enhance the health and
beauty of the Edgartown Great Pond by supporting solutions
to environmental problems affecting it. Our goals are to
educate the public to the pond's value and condition, and
assist the town of Edgartown in enhancing its recreational
and ecological features.
We plan to work with the town to promote the pond's management.
With this in mind, the Great Pond Foundation has undertaken a major
effort to secure permissions and funding for dredging in and around
the Edgartown Great Pond. We hope you too appreciate the importance
of preserving and enhancing the health of the Edgartown Great Pond
for our generation, our children, and our grandchildren. If you
do, please join in supporting our efforts as we launch these unprecedented
and progressive initiatives to safeguard this priceless natural
resource for ourselves and the Island of Martha's Vineyard.