by Don Williams

Please join me in welcoming our two new BOD members – Ramona Krogman, who has returned to our Board of Directors as Membership Committee Chair, and Flemming Christensen, a multi-talented member-at-large who will be looking for new ways to improve our organization.

Your Board of Directors has been very actively working on our two major objectives: Building Community and Improving Water Quality. The Herring Ponds Watershed Association has a creative, conscientious, hard-working Board of Directors. We believe that we should have fun together, learning about our pond-rich environment and about each other. We are engaging our community about how to improve our watershed. We are learning to combine our talents to improve quality of life and ensure that it will be improved for future residents.

The BOD has held its last 3 meetings (and will hold the next one also) in person to get to know each other better. There was lots of broader community spirit evident at the 4th of July Boat Parade, at the Picnic, and at last year’s Owl Box Build (this year’s is on October 24 at the Little Red School House).

We are excited to have sold more than 85 tickets to the September 27th Gala at the Bournedale Function Facility and are eager to meet you and have you meet other like-minded HPWA members. It’s not too late to buy your ticket to join the fun while raising funds for land preservation.

Our biggest water quality challenge is how to remove phosphorus from our waterways to prevent future cyanobacteria blooms. Unfortunately, the Permeable Reactive Barrier in Carters River was unsuccessful; we are actively examining other approaches. In collaboration with state Senator Dylan Fernandes, we are looking to improve the Cyanobacteria Advisory Protocol so that the issuance of an advisory is based on Cyanobacteria colony numbers and toxin concentration rather than on visual assessment. The difference between a Cyanobacteria “sighting” (a few scattered fragments that disappear by the next day) and a Cyanobacteria “bloom” (a widespread mat of blue-green Cyanobacteria algae) is critical since an “Advisory” has serious financial consequences on resident property values, and on Camp Bournedale as well as on recreational quality of life for all who enjoy water activities. As we all know, summer in the northland is short enough as it is.

Our Water Quality team closely monitored phycocyanin levels in Great Herring Pond which is an indicator of the presence of cyanobacteria and along with our usual water sampling, took water samples several times and sent them to the state lab for measurement of the kind and number of colonies of cyanobacteria and the amount of toxin present. We wanted to have solid information on the level of the toxins, which were below the ability of the test to detect, so we could share with you to ease some concerns. We also tested swimming areas around GHP for E.coli levels three times to ensure your safety.

Your support has enabled us to move forward in these areas. We are known and respected in Plymouth. We work well with others. We are good at what we do. We are confident that, with your continued backing, we will solve the Cyanobacteria problem.

Thank you!