Passing by the Mill Pond, I am always struck by its beauty and the variety of wildlife that enjoy its waters all year round: the otters sliding on the ice or diving under water, the ducks and geese
I thank the town of West Tisbury for the opportunity to hear about the different options related to the future of the Mill Pond. I was troubled by the insistence of the Mill Pond committee on dredging the pond, in particular the implication that natural sediments (referred to as black gold) be positioned as a commodity.
Mill Pond, the historic man-made pond in the heart of West Tisbury, was once again the center of debate this week over what, if anything, should be done to address fears that the pond is disappearing and the health of its species are in decline.
At a public forum Wednesday, representatives from the state division of ecological restoration, The Nature Conservancy and the town’s Mill Pond committee addressed a standing-room-only crowd at Howes House with competing visions for the pond’s future. Options included dredging and dam removal.
West Tisbury’s historic Mill Pond on the Mill Brook has been the subject of considerable attention going on five years now. The scenic pond at one of the gateways to the town has existed since the 17th century and is in the heart of West Tisbury’s historic district. Together with several surviving structures in the area, it has endured over 300 years of increasing human activity and development and been rejuvenated many times by having its accumulated sediment removed, most recently around 1970.
The West Tisbury selectmen said this week they will move ahead with a comprehensive watershed study for the Mill Pond, putting the question of whether to dredge the historic pond on hold — at least for now.
The fate of the pond and whether to dredge it has been the subject of heated discussion in town for the past year.
The Mill Pond and its upstream cousins: Mill, Priester, Crocker, Fisher (also known as Woods), plus two or more smaller ponds, each with dams, are eco-gems strung together by a silver chain — the Mill Brook.
West Tisbury selectmen this week called for a comprehensive study of the Mill Pond watershed before any decisions are made about dredging the historic pond.
At their meeting Wednesday, the selectmen asked the Mill Pond committee to draft a warrant article for a special town meeting in November that would include details of the scope of work needed to study the watershed system. The watershed includes Mill Pond, Mill Brook, Tiasquam River, Priester’s Pond and Scotchman’s Lane.
The West Tisbury selectmen and town conservation commission on Wednesday differed briefly over a proposal to create a committee to oversee the cleanup of Mill Pond, the popular 2.5-acre waterway next to the town police station.
After receiving a petition from residents last year urging the appointment of a special committee to study Mill Pond and recommend changes, selectmen pushed for the creation of the panel and even started to recruit potential members, including several residents with backgrounds researching ponds and watersheds.
To dredge or not to dredge? That is the question currently being bandied about in West Tisbury.
A specially-appointed research committee has split over whether to dredge Mill Pond, the historic man-made pond that graces the entrance to town on the Edgartown-West Tisbury Road adjacent to the police station. Two of the committee members, Bob Woodruff and Craig Saunders, believe that dredging is necessary to prevent the pond from drying up and disappearing forever.
