The Martha’s Vineyard Land Bank is expanding and connecting its Lambert’s Cove-area properties, paying $2,020,000 this week for with 4.5 acres and a house on Ophelia Way in West Tisbury.

Ice House Pond has reopened for swimming after a brief closure due to high bacteria counts, the Martha's Vineyard Land Bank said Wednesday.

The popular swimming hole is closed for the 2020 season. Hiking trails remain open.

Ice House was reopened to swimming at 10:30 Friday morning after test results from a Thursday sample showed that levels were safe, land bank officials confirmed.

The Martha’s Vineyard Land Bank will continue water testing in Ice House Pond this fall following a summer of off-and-on swimming closures.

Ice House Pond reopened to swimming Thursday morning after being closed for a second time this summer due to high bacteria counts.

Water samples taken Monday morning of the freshwater swimming hole in West Tisbury tested above the state limit for enterococci.

The popular freshwater swimming hole in West Tisbury reopened Tuesday morning after being closed due to high bacteria counts.

A revised plan for Manaquayak Preserve in West Tisbury highlights the sometimes tricky role of the land bank in managing ecologically sensitive properties.

The Martha’s Vineyard Land Bank will expand its holdings around Ice House Pond in West Tisbury with the purchase of 22 acres off Lambert’s Cove Road. The seller is FOCUS, a Christian fellowship group with a campus nearby. The land bank paid $2.3 million.