With funding approved to pilot a new type of septic system in the Lagoon Pond and Lake Tashmoo watersheds, Tisbury may soon find itself a step ahead in a race to preserve coastal ponds.

Voters in Oak Bluffs and Tisbury this year will be asked to move forward on ambitious plans to expand each town’s sewer district, with a common goal of benefitting both local business and coastal ponds.

The Vineyard Gazette’s series on coastal ponds was recognized with an award for outstanding journalism this week by the New England Newspaper and Press Association. Alex Elvin was the principal reporter on the series.

Rust tide is in the news again, reported recently in Long Island waters.

Drew’s Cove in Lake Tashmoo could become a no-anchor zone for the next three years to protect fragile eelgrass beds near the head of the saltwater estuary.

Nashaquitsa Pond has become a laboratory for eelgrass restoration, although poor water quality and other factors appear to be keeping the aquatic species from re-establishing.

With Vineyard coastal ponds at a tipping point, on Thursday this week the Martha’s Vineyard Commission will lead a daylong conference Thursday.

With support from the Edey Foundation, the Chilmark shellfish department plans to restore vital eelgrass beds that vanished from Nashaquitsa Pond.