Living Waters…Thriving Island
By Emily Reddington
(an excerpt from 2024 Annual Report)
The actions our community takes in the next decade will have a profound impact on the fate of the Island’s living waters. The land upon which we stand, grow our food, and build our homes is interconnected with the health of our waters. The rate of development is astounding. It is also unsustainable if our terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems are to remain intact and functional.
See A Changing Watershed on pages 8-9 for a perspective on landscape change in the Edgartown Great Pond watershed over the past 20 years.
Science and conservation are racing against the clock to save nature; documenting the sources of impairment and preserving native landscapes and waterways. Policy and permitting seem to be lagging behind. Time is of the essence, as the more we do now, the better the outcome of restoration efforts. We need to be nimble, coordinated, informed, and proactive in our response to the crisis facing our waters. We need to be the voice of water, the voice of the ecosystem. If enough community members speak and advocate for the fate of our waters at planning board meetings, at conservation hearings, and at annual town meetings, there will be ripples in decision making that spread out like a safety net for our waters. For each change proposed, please consider……..
The Legacy Beneath Our Feet
By Dr. Javier Lloret, Marine Biological Laboratory and University of Maryland
(an excerpt from 2024 Annual Report)
For decades, human activity has introduced excess nutrients—especially nitrogen and phosphorus—into the aquifer. These nutrients come from household wastewater, fertilizers, and other sources. Once they reach coastal waters, they fuel the growth of algae and plankton, which can degrade water quality, trigger harmful algal blooms, and even lead to fish and shellfish kills. The challenge we face today is that much of the nutrient pollution
now affecting our ponds was introduced years—sometimes decades—ago. The environmental issues we see today are in part the legacy of past pollution. This pollution legacy presents a major challenge for managing and restoring our coastal ponds. Because groundwater moves so slowly, even if we stopped all nutrient pollution today, the excess nutrients already in the aquifer would continue to reach our waters for years to come. This delayed response means that despite our current efforts and investments in improving water quality, noticeable improvements may take decades to appear.
However, there are solutions…….
