All the saltwater ponds on the Vineyard are impaired to some degree, and each one faces a unique set of conditions. Public interest has reached a tipping point.
As communities on the Island and across the region look to shellfish as a possible strategy to restore the health of coastal ponds, a study on the Cape provides numbers to back up their work.
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.
