There are no swans in the West Tisbury Mill Pond this summer. The people who volunteer to feed the swans were told by the conservation commission to stop doing so, that the birds damage the pond, and the swans are no longer welcome.

One conservation commission member told me that swans are an invasive species. Well so are you and I. These birds have been a symbol of the town and the pond for decades, maybe longer. I was also told by one of the knowledgeable swan feeders that the birds eat the grasses that the clog the pond.

I don’t believe this is public knowledge. Let’s complain and bring the swans home. The birds — like town board members — can be replaced.

Eileen Maley
West Tisbury