News
GPF Annual Report – 2016
Explore our work in the 2016 Annual Report! We are proud to bring you Great Pond Foundation’s Annual Report – 2016. Please explore our work and check in on the health of Edgartown Great Pond within its pages. ~ Meet our 2017 field team! ~ Discover the results of our Tunicate DNA Project ~ Learn […]
Summer STEM Camp – Build an ROV
Build an ROV with WHOI engineer Megan Carroll! Great Pond Foundation is pleased to be offering a STEM class in robotics this summer at the Edgartown School, July 10th to July 14th 2017 from 1 pm (promptly) to 4:30 pm in their science lab. Students will spend the first four days building the SeaPerch ROV […]
Spring Cut
A Strong Cut to Start the Season: After an extremely productive and effective dredging season, the headwater of the Pond and a well-timed cut made for a potent opening. This beautiful video by island photographer David Welch captures the precarious work of the cutting the Pond and the force of the rushing water. Note the […]
Dredge Report – 17 February 2017
Aerial shot of the 1st channel towards the the beach, in January 2017. Since then, the 1st channel has been completed and a 2nd is underway. Almost Ready for Spring: Since our last dredge update in January, we have essentially doubled our efforts with the amount of sand moved, and, we have now reached the […]
Nitrogen Removal by Shellfish
Oysters help keep Edgartown Great Pond Clean: The Vineyard Gazette features an interesting article about a recent study demonstrating the accumulation of Nitrogen in the tissues of local shellfish. Here is another reason to celebrate the efforts of the MV Shellfish Group and Great Pond Foundation to restore oysters to Edgartown Great Pond over the last […]
In Their Own Words
Learn from Our Interns: Our efforts at the Great Pond Foundation are dually focused on science and education because we feel that true sustainability is achieved when we teach our young scientists, educators, and leaders how to preserve this vibrant Island resource for future generations. Our scientific and educational activities are intimately linked, as we […]
Dredge Report – February 2017
Winter Work to Keep Edgartown Great Pond Healthy: Barrier beach openings Edgartown Great Pond was opened to the Atlantic Ocean three times prior to the start of Dredging Season. After a one-day false start on October 15, the barrier beach was successfully opened on November 6th and continued to flush until November 15th. Mother Nature […]
Tunicate DNA Project
Genetic Identification of Tunicate Species: We are currently developing a protocol to genetically identify tunicates, or “sea squirts”, from their DNA. Tunicates are filter feeders can be either solitary or colonial. Thanks to a morphological identification from Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution scientist Mary Carman, we know that there are native species of tunicates currently present […]
A Natural Cut
Pre-Thanksgiving Storm Opens Cut: Following high winds and strong seas, Edgartown Great Pond re-opened to the Atlantic Ocean prior to Thanksgiving. The Pond level was visibly lower by the Tuesday November 22nd, and was at its lowest level all year by Friday November 25th. Swan Neck was exposed all the way to the tip and […]
Second Time Is A Charm
Second Pond Cut Successful! The Edgartown Great Pond was cut to the Atlantic Ocean this Sunday November 6th, 2016. This second fall cut was a success. The water level of the Pond has dropped and the opening has remained open and flushing with the tide for multiple days. Photos below show the water level […]