Chappaquiddick ponds are all at their highest water levels. Every osprey pole has two birds hanging around it. The messy nest on the Gardner property pole blew clean away over the winter. Hopefully this year the tenants will be more tasteful in their choice of construction materials. There are many fewer trees standing now than there were last fall thanks to the stormy winter. The tree trimming guys have been cutting back the tree limbs that are once again encroaching on the overhead electric wires. Amazing how quickly they grow back. It seems that it was just done a few years ago. The highway superintendent paid a visit to the Chappy point parking area. I suspect that the finishing touches for the new gravel section are in the works. The hubbub about parking at the ferry point last summer is the most obvious manifestation of Chappy’s growing pains. We seem to be bursting at the seams between July 1 and Labor Day more and more every year.

The Chappaquiddick Community Center is looking for a head sailing instructor and an assistant for the upcoming 2018 sailing season. See all details on the CCC website. Martha Weston is your contact person. Email her at marweston@att.net or phone her at 914-907-8920. Also on the website are application forms for sailing and tennis classes. It’s not too soon to start thinking about how to keep the kids busy this summer or about honing your tennis skills in preparation for winning the coveted and prestigious Plumb Cup. The sailing program starts Monday, June 25. Tennis classes begin Thursday June 28. That’s a mere nine weeks away folks.

Keeping the Chappaquiddick Community Center maintained and providing so many activities isn’t cheap. To help support the operating costs of the CCC, a yearly subscription is of $125 is offered and is required for tennis and sailing class sign-ups, as well as for member rates for yoga and Pilates. Additionally, a tennis court subscription is needed to sign up for court time. An individual tennis subscription is $25 while a family tennis subscription is $50. The CCC is a 501(c)(3) tax exempt organization.

The island of Chappaquiddick is so fortunate to have such a beautiful community center built by the community, for the community. In that spirit the CCC has set in place policies and a flexible fee structure to encourage use and access for all in the community. See the website for use policies and rental applications. If you still have questions after perusing the very thorough website, email Lynn at chappycc@verizon.net or call 508-627-8222.

The annual Mytoi spring cleanup is scheduled for Saturday, May 12 from 10 a.m. to noon in the garden. That’s Mother’s Day weekend. I’m certain that everybody’s mothers would be pleased to know that their dear children, young or old, helped to tidy up a garden on that special weekend. Bring work gloves and rakes. The Trustees of Reservations will supply the work and the refreshments.

TTOR superintendent Chris Kennedy reports that the beaches are looking fine with the exception of the first 300 yards from Left Fork to the Norton Point gatehouse. Much of this beach and trail were lost during the early March storm and the mid-March northeaster took care of the rest of it. Plans are in the works for moving the trail as well as the gate house back from the beach. This area is still routinely over-washing with a modest SW wind at high tide. The beach is expected to rebuild in this area and for the constant overwashing into the backshore areas to diminish over the coming weeks. Hopefully the work of moving the trail can proceed quickly and reopen soon.

Good news — the Army’s work at Little Neck has wrapped up! This 60-acre gem will reopen for public access this spring for the first time since World War II. In all, Army bomb contractors have removed more than 20,000 live and inert practice bombs and partial bombs from Little Neck and the surrounding waters over the past several years. The interior of the Little Neck peninsula will be allowed to revegetate with native shrub species and grasses. The shoreline will welcome walkers, fishermen and shellfishermen. The Army will continue to monitor the area for at least the next five years.

Memorial Day is a scant five and a half weeks away. Lighthouse tours to Cape Pogue will begin on Saturday, May 26.

Send Chappaquiddick news to peterchappyferry@gmail.com.