Post on 26-Jul-2020
Coonamessett Pond Association
Annual Newsletter August 2018
Board Officers Additional Board Members Donna Jewett, Eileen Assad President Carol Baker Ron Smolowitz John Pohlman, Vice President Don Sostek, Treasurer Andrea Woods, Secretary Jim Hain, Stewardship
Message from the President by Donna Jewett
This year has been an especially exciting and
productive year with the Coonamessett Pond
Association. We have new energy with
enthusiastic well-qualified board members who
are focused on making some significant changes.
Our goals as an organization are to “enhance and
maintain the ecological balance…and encourage
our neighbors and concerned citizens to join us
in our endeavors to protect and preserve this
treasure” for both the surrounding lands and the
water quality. We have teamed up with a
number of local and Cape wide organizations to
productively work together!
Working in concert with The 300 Committee
and town of Falmouth, this year our stewardship
committee, with the leadership of Jim Hain, took
on the project of cleaning up the old historic
Coonamessett Inn site (see article below).
Mary Kay Fox, President of the Friends of
the Mashpee and Fish
&Wildlife, has been
implementing her grant
money to help
repopulate “Monarch
Meadows” and by
planting native
wildflowers and other
flora for local
pollinators. She and
many volunteers have been engaging the local schools to set up
pollinating gardens. Last November, they
planted and seeded the field in the Dupee parcel
with the help of The 300 Committee,
AmeriCorps and the Conservation Commission.
We encourage you to
find ways to enjoy
and appreciate this
area! It maybe by
exploring the trails,
joining the walking
and birding tours, or
helping to remove
trash along the way
but we hope that you
can get out and come
visit these amazing
sites.
In order to help maintain and monitor the water
quality, we have also set out some goals! It has
been noted that there has been a lot of dumping
and boats with high hp engines that are illegally
launching at Souza parcel. The horsepower is
restricted 5 hp! Just a reminder that this
conservation area is officially closed after 8
pm. Both should be strictly enforced.
One of the biggest concerns has been lack of
enforcement and abuse of the conservation areas
with parties, fires, and trash! We have now
posted several friendly signs to remind
visitors of the regulations! We would
appreciate it if we could all get involved by
reporting any issues to our liaison, Julia Massi
or Officer Guthrie at the Falmouth Police
Department. They said: “If you see it or hear it,
report it!”
A new initiative is testing the pond water for
measuring its overall health. We are fortunate to
have an expert on water-quality testing on our
board, Dr. John Pohlman, a bio geochemist with
the USGS. He has been collaborating with the
US Dept. of Agriculture laboratories for water
testing equipment. The plan is to go out and
High school student and citizen scientist
Cora Pohlman displays the data sonde
used to collect the first water quality
data for the CPA monitoring program.
Photo Credit: John Pohlman
monitor approximate 9 sites throughout the year
to see the changes, and compare to reference
values for a “healthy pond”. This testing will
include, pH, contaminants and dissolved
oxygen, etc. (See article below for additional
detail.) And, we will provide further
information at the annual meeting. My
husband, Dave has designed a “Canoemaran” to
have a stable platform in going out to assist John
with the testing. They are also teaming up with
the Falmouth Water Stewards and APCC for the
blue-green algae monitoring and to get
additional expertise.
As the Coonamessett Pond is the largest
publicly accessible fresh water pond and also a
primary water source for the town, it’s even
more important to monitor and get some good
data before something more serious occurs.
They are hoping to have some data and results
soon.
Have you had the opportunity to visit the site of
improved river habitat of the Coonamessett
River Project Restoration? This fall, there was a
ribbon cutting presentation and a demonstration
of tagging the herring. It is hoped that more will
find their way to
the Coonamessett
Pond to spawn.
There are 5
species of
diadromous fish
(herring, blueback
herring, American
eel brook trout
(char) and white
perch). Native
plants are being
introduced along the riparian away and increase
wildlife has already been observed along this
improved riverine habitat.
These are just some of our activities. To further
promote our mission, as an organization, we
look forward to hosting more events and team
up with other organizations to better our
environment and for all to enjoy!
We are also updating our website:
www.coonamessettpondassociation.org. Have a
look!
See you at our Annual Mtg. Sunday, August
26 at 5:30 pm at the Coonamessett Farms!
(Details follow in this newsletter.)
What is the True Health of our Pond?
Monitoring begins!
By John Pohlman, VP of
CPA and bio geochemist
with USGS
The 158-acre Coonamessett
Pond is the centerpiece of our wonderful
environment. The health of the pond is a central
concern for our group. We swim, fish, and boat-
-but what do we really know about the pond? In
July 2018, the Coonamessett Pond Association
began a long- term science- based water
quality monitoring program to help answer
this question.
As you may know, excess nutrient inputs
coming from septic systems, lawn fertilizers and
other sources are recognized as a serious
environmental problem for the salt water ponds
and estuaries of Falmouth and Cape Cod. For
the very reason
that gardeners
apply fertilizer to
their lawns and
vegetable
gardens, the
addition of
nutrients to
aquatic systems
stimulates the
growth of algae
and other plants.
Although actively
growing plants
produce oxygen
that supports life,
when that
material sinks to
the dark bottom,
it forms a
Dave Jewett and John Pohlman set sail
on the R/V Canoemaran to collect water
Photo Credit: Donna Jewett
decaying sludge that consumes oxygen,
potentially creating a dead zone in which fish
and other animals cannot live. Much less is
known about how nutrient loading is affecting
our fresh water ponds. For that reason, the CPA
Board of Directors unanimously voted to initiate
a water quality monitoring program to assess the
condition of our beloved Coonamessett Pond.
While it appears that Coonamessett and Round
Ponds are presently healthy and stable, casual
conversations reveal that things may be
changing, but not for the better! Such anecdotal
evidence is valuable but, to truly access the
current health of the pond and maintain pristine
waters into the foreseeable future, science-based
observations are required. With that in mind, we
decided to monitor critical water quality
parameters at 8 stations in the Coonamessett
Pond and one in Round Pond. The stations are
evenly distributed and cover a range of depths to
help us identify where problems (if there are
any) may occur.
To date, we have completed a survey of the
water temperature, pH, specific conductivity and
dissolved oxygen using a water quality sonde (or
probe) provided by the US Geological Survey
(USGS) Coastal and Marine Science Center in
Woods Hole. We plan to share these results at
the upcoming annual meeting. Our initial
observations show that a large portion of the
pond’s deep central channel is experiencing low
oxygen, a condition known as hypoxia. Is that a
problem? Not necessarily. Coonamessett Pond
is a temperate lake that is expected to stratify (or
separate) into warm surface and deep cooler
waters in the summer. It is in the deeper waters
that are isolated from the atmosphere where the
oxygen depletes. As the seasons progress, the
waters are likely to mix and replenish the deep
water dissolved oxygen, thereby maintaining a
healthy balance through the year. However,
without sound scientific evidence, we are really
just guessing.
We also collected a set of 19 water samples from
our 9 stations from which we are having the
nitrogen and
phosphorus
content
analyzed
courtesy of the
US
Department of
Agriculture at
the UMass
Cranberry
Station in East
Wareham.
This
information
will indicate if
and where
excess
nutrients are present and which of these
elements is problematic. We are hopeful to have
data from these samples available to share at our
upcoming annual meeting along with the sonde
data. Casey Kennedy of the USDA will present
these results and a representative from the
Association to Preserve Cape Cod (AAPC) may
be there to share what they have learned about
the occurrence and effects of cyanobacterial
blooms in other freshwater ponds. In the
meantime, with help from our citizen scientists,
we will continue making observations that we
will share with you in the hope of raising
awareness for how we can work together to
preserve and protect Coonamessett and Round
Ponds.
Stewardship Report
Jim Hain, Chair, Stewardship Committee
One of the missions of the Coonamessett Pond
Association is that of stewardship in the
wonderful parcels surrounding the pond. This
involves trash pickup, trail clearing, and
educational programs. It also involves new
initiatives and new projects. Such an initiative
began in December 2017, when we partnered
with the Town of Falmouth, the 300 Committee,
and AmeriCorps to do a site clearing and trash
pickup at the former Coonamessett Inn site on
the hill at the north end of the pond. Since then,
the adjacent Cape Cod Country Club has joined
the partnership and has done a wonderful job of
regular mowing.
Future plans include placing of native and other
plants, and installing an educational kiosk
(similar to the one we did for the Atamannsit
barn site in the Dupee parcel. In concept, this
site and the educational/historical display will be
part of the Coonamessett Greenway Heritage
Trail. History, conservation, and open space
combine in this wonderful parcel―at 212 acres,
it was the first open-space parcel purchased by
the Town of Falmouth.
On the south side of the pond, Mary Kay Fox,
Mark Kasprzyk, and Alex Zollo dispersed seeds
for pollinators in the Dupee field on 20
November 2017. This provides habitat for bees
and monarch butterflies.
On the broader scale, we are continuing to
explore options for mitigation of vandalism and
littering. Several members of CPA pitched in
with trash pick-up, removal and dump- runs!
Volunteer efforts are central to the mission, and
we will be putting out a call for folks who are
willing and able to help. A small effort by a
large number of people will accomplish a great
deal. Success will require a continuing effort.
Part of this continuing effort is our “Green
Walks” program. With the arrival of summer
and good weather, and the need for at least some
of us to exercise and lose weight―let’s do our
Green Walks! Walk the trails or roadside, carry
a bag for trash pickup, maintain the
environment, get fresh air and exercise, and as a
bonus, get in shape and lose weight. This is a
two-for-one deal: good for you and good for the
environment. Yeah!
The Historic Coonamessett Inn
Beginning in the 1920s, the Coonamessett Inn, at the
north end of the pond, had dining facilities, a bar, and
overnight rooms at the end of a horse-shoe shaped
driveway. After a change in ownership in the 1950s, the
property, including the cabanas and snack bar down on
the beach, eventually fell into disrepair. The property
was acquired by the town in 1986, and the then-derelict
structures removed.
The historic inn site was recently rejuvenated. On
December 4, 2017, a dozen enthusiastic and dedicated
Group of young AmeriCorps people, armed with chain
saws, brush cutters, and loppers, did a major clean-up of
former Coonamessett Inn site at the North end of the
pond. They are pictured here with Pond Association
Steward, Jim Hain, front right.
The CPA Annual Meeting
Our annual meeting will be at The Coonamessett
Farm from 5:30-8:15. Located at 277 Hatchville Rd.
E. Falmouth. There will be a potluck before the
meeting. A Reminder that everyone is requested to bring
a dinner item in one of four categories: Appetizers,
salads, dinner items, and dessert. Please bring your
own alcohol beverages. (BYOB) and a dish to share for
8. The CPA will provide a variety of non-alcoholic
beverages, plates, napkins, utensils, colorful flower
arrangements, and general good cheer.
A brief meeting will follow after the dinner. It
includes the treasurer’s report, election of new board
members, and stewardship reports, followed by a
dynamic speaker, Chris Walz from the Long pasture
Wildlife Sanctuary.
Chris has been birding for 20 years and is entertaining in
his knowledge of birding and biodiversity. He has been
working for the Mass Audubon for 12 years leading
many programs of natural history especially involving
birds. He has monitored many of the osprey nests in
Barnstable Harbor as well as nest boxes for bluebirds,
tree shallows and chickadees. He has been a frequent
docent in our area. This spring, he led a birding tour,
sponsored by The 300 Committee, educating us about
the bird calls, wildlife and diverse nature of the Souza,
Dupee and Toner parcels.
We will also have a special guest Casey Kennedy of
USDA to briefly update us on the water quality testing
and issues of Coonamessett Pond. WE will have displays
and educational information to share with all! See you
there!