Appearing before the Tisbury selectmen this week, Oak Bluffs shellfish constable David Grunden said: “There are 52 towns in the state that have shellfish resources, and 52 different sets of regulations.”
That number may fall by one if efforts underway to coordinate the administration of Vineyard Haven and Oak Bluffs shellfish departments are successful.
At a special meeting on Tuesday afternoon Mr. Grunden met with Tisbury selectmen Tristan Israel and Jeffrey Kristal to discuss the possibility of developing a future partnership between the two towns; the idea is to consolidate efforts to manage the resources more scientifically and bring in more grant money. Although Tisbury is currently searching for a new shellfish constable after the untimely September death of Derek Cimeno, plans discussed Tuesday included the possibility of elevating Mr. Grunden to a supervisory role above either town shellfish department to help coordinate efforts between them.
Mr. Grunden has led the way in recent years in transforming the Oak Bluffs shellfish department into a broader natural resources department that handles a wide range of ecological issues, from marine mammal and sea turtle strandings and managing the spring herring run to commissioning studies on invasive species and nitrogen loading. Along the way his efforts have also brought in considerable research money from Woods Hole and beyond. It’s an approach that Mr. Israel and Mr. Kristal find especially appealing.
“We’ve developed a research arm that’s been funded by grants,” Mr. Grunden told the selectmen. “It has facilitated researchers to come and work in our ponds as a study site. The value of what they’re finding can be an immense contribution to the town.”
The most ambitious project Mr. Grunden has overseen has been a five-year study in conjunction with the EPA in developing computer models for reintroducing bay scallops to Lagoon Pond. Similar techniques have been used in reintroducing land animals to habitat they have historically occupied, but as far as Mr. Grunden knows it is the first time it has been tried with marine invertebrates.
Mr. Grunden has also undertaken research projects in Tisbury, making the would-be marriage of the departments even more natural. Last summer, alarmed by Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution researcher Mary Carman as to the unwelcome presence of invasive sea squirts crowding out scallops on eelgrass beds in Lake Tashmoo, Mr. Grunden partnered with the preeminent marine science institution to map their spread.
“You’re a proven commodity,” Mr. Israel told Mr. Grunden on Tuesday.
The Tisbury shellfish department is currently in a minor state of disarray, by the selectmen’s own admission. Facing the difficult circumstances of losing Mr. Cimeno unexpectedly and what Mr. Grunden described as a shortage of equipment, both sides see this as a chance to start something new.
“It’s an opportunity this Island hasn’t seen in a long time,” said Mr. Israel.
Under the imagined new system, although a new shellfish constable would be responsible for enforcement in Tisbury, ultimately he or she would report to Mr. Grunden.
“We would want our own autonomy in the day-to-day, but in a sense you would be chief cook and bottle washer,” said Mr. Israel.
Both Mr. Israel and Mr. Kristal said the town intends to take marine biological and aquaculture qualifications into strong consideration when hiring a new shellfish constable. Besides any environmental benefits from the possible new approach, Mr. Kristal especially liked the idea of bringing in non-tax-generated revenue to the town in the form of grants, which Mr. Grunden claims has brought valuable attention to his town.
“We’ve brought Oak Bluffs to the forefront of some of the environmental sciences. We’ve presented at national and international conferences and it looks great for the town,” he said. “As far as talking about grant funding, when there’s two towns applying for it together, it can’t hurt.”
This article appears in February 19, 2010.
I would like to thank the Edgartown Gazette for this article.
It is apparent that the time is correct for individual towns to begin working together in all areas of public service.
The pro’s for shared-service’s, far outweigh the con’s.
Shared services provide higher qualified personnel with a wider vision of inter and intra connected benefits for the island.
This will not change the individual beauty and uniqueness of each town. Planning boards, zoning, and building officials can keep these functions intact.
Edgartown and Oak Bluffs share the same mutual concerns for the changing health of Sengenkontacket, Anthier’s and Upper and Lower Trapp’s Ponds.
A director, such as Mr. Grunden, would be invaluable for these towns by centralizing goals and eliminating redundancy. Obviously a cost saving benefit.
In general, the population increase has created many traumatic environmental, economic and social issues for all towns.
These issues have been on-going in a covert manner for the past several decades, and longer.
These issues have caught up to the health and well-being of the island, and are now visible.
It will only get worse!
The remedy is a healthy, proactive approach for shared service’s, by the people of the island.
Without such a proactive approach, all towns will eventually succumb to these very concerning issues, some faster than others.
The time is now, to plant more “seeds” for shared-service’s thinking, then take action.
The end result would produce benefits for all people of the island, and the island itself.