(SCIENCE FAIR... Continued from page 3) |
BUMP Students Adopt Oyster Pond |
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science teacher, Dr. Johnson, the students measured pH, dissolved oxygen, total solids, nitrate, orthophsophate, salinity, and temperature at five locations in the pond this winter. They concluded, "Overall, it evident that Oyster Pond is a healthy, safe pond for the surrounding ecosystem." They were awarded a $200 prize from OPET. The competition will be repeated in 2003, and we also hope to offer a similar prize for the science fair of Falmouth Academy.
The OPET Board of Directors is also encouraging undergraduate college students to study the pond. Last October, Dr. Ivan Valiela chose Oyster Pond as the subject for a class that he teaches in the Boston University Marine Program (BUMP). Some of the studies of algae and nutrients conducted by the BUMP students will be repeated this coming summer by two summer interns sponsored by Drs. Ivan Valiela, Eric Davidson, and Roxanne Marino as part of a National Science Foundation program for undergraduate research experiences. If you see Carolyn Weber (Cornell College) and Stacy Baron (Bowdoin College) rowing around the pond this summer, collecting water samples and making measurements, please offer a shout of support.
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The Boston University Marine Program (BUMP) at the Marine Biological Laboratory puts its incoming students through an intensive course in Marine Ecology in their first semester in the fall. For this, Professor Ivan Valiela annually selects an ecosystem in the greater Falmouth area for a two-week, exhaustive study, which is tailored to the concerns stakeholders of that area express at an introductory meeting of students and shareholders.
This past fall, to the delight of OPET, Oyster Pond was chosen and OPET's directors scrambled to compile a list of questions about the Pond and its watershed that were of interest and/or concern to them. The meeting with the students was held at SEA and several Oyster Pond residents attended. The questions were many, including: What are the sources and/or causes of nutrient input? Is the Pond now mainly phosphate- or nitrate-limited? What is the current picture of fish and plant population and diversity? The students presented their findings at a later meeting, again held at SEA. Please watch OPET's website and our next Watershed for summaries of their results. |
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As summer returns to the Cape, so does the urge to tidy up the property,
trim that tree, and clear brush to make room for views across Oyster Pond.
For these reasons, Oyster Pond and other wetlands are protected by the
Conservation Commission, a Town board which administers the
Massachusetts Wetlands Protection Act and local wetland regulations.
The area that is protected includes Oyster Pond, its wetlands, banks,
and a buffer zone that extends 100 feet out from Oyster Pond and its
wetlands and banks. Activities such as vegetation removal, clearing,
tree removal or liming (removal of tree limbs), building, excavation,
piling of earth or other materials, and dock construction, are
regulated by the Commission. This means that a permit or other review
from the Conservation Commission is generally required.
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So, if you are considering such activities within 100 feet of Oyster Pond or its associated wetlands, please check first with the Conservation Department at Town Hall, to find out whether you need a permit to do this work. Such permits, when issued, only last for three years, so if you have received a permit in the past, please check with the Conservation Department to find out whether you need a new permit. Your cooperation will help to protect Oyster Pond, its wild denizens, and the natural beauty of Cape Cod. Contact information: Margaret Emslie, Conservation Administrator, or Mark Kasprzyk, Conservation AGent, Conservation Department, Town Hall, 59 Town Hall Square, Falmouth, MA 02540. Phone 508-548-7611. Town Hall hours are Monday through Friday, 8 am to 4:30 pm. By Jo Ann Muramoto, PhDThe 300 Committee |
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