As the sun shines above the Pond on this Thanksgiving morning, the quiet beauty inspires a profound sense of gratitude. The living waters of our Island feed the community mind, body, and spirit. We want to thank you, our Island community, who helps to cultivate the resilience of our coastal pond ecosystems. 

On behalf of the Great Pond Foundation Board of Directors and Executive Director, we would like to express our gratitude for the following:

Gratitude List 2023

We are grateful for…

GPF’s field team Teagan DuffSarah Haggett, and Owen Porterfield for their brains and brawn

Rob Morrison for his diligent efforts on behalf of EGP and all Edgartown waters

Martha Cottle and Johnny Hoy for their stewardship of Chilmark Pond & Tisbury Great Pond

the GPF Advisory Council, for their wisdom, leadership, and dedication to pond preservation

Town of Edgartown for dredging the Great Pond, ensuring pond cuts result in a pond-wide flush

our pond neighbors who provided access to their properties in order to further our scientific endeavors

to those community members who participated in MV CYANO through bloom reports and sample collection

David Bouck who with grace and aplomb began steering the ship of our scientific efforts in 2023

Owen Porterfield who joined the scientific staff this fall and brings his own set of super powers

the Island Boards of Health and Agents for their efforts to keep our Island safe

the Martha’s Vineyard Shellfish Group’s oyster restoration in Island ponds

The Becker Family for their help navigating the waters of Tisbury Great Pond

Ollie Becker and Circuit Arts for shining light on the importance of our Great Ponds

our partners at the Marine Biological Laboratory for bringing world class science to Island waters

the gracious support of the Martha’s Vineyard Community Foundation to tackle Nitrogen Pollution

TGP community and the West Tisbury Shellfish Advisory Council who made our work there possible

Chilmark Pond Foundation for leading the way to Chilmark Pond restoration through community unity

to Caroline Fortunato tackling the hard questions of who? and why? in cyanobacteria blooms

the Edey Foundation for supporting MV CYANO and advancing the scientific knowledge

YOU, who make our work possible