Page Five of The Watershed Vol. 3 No. 2

We mourn the loss of world-renowned microbiologist and OPET Honorary Lifemember Holger Jannasch. Throughout his scientific career at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Holger enthusiastically pursued microbes in the deepest depths of the sea and on the highest plains on land. He collected samples from thermal vents at the bottom of the oceans and from lakes at the top of the world in Tibet But he also cared a lot about his "homeport", Falmouth and Woods Hole. OPET is highly indebted to him for his efforts in preventing development of the Fischer Parcels, now OPET Conservation land, both by testifying at zoning bylaw hearings and by a most generous contribution from him and his wife Friederun towards the purchase of said land. And very importantly for all those of you who frequent the short footpath connecting Ransom and Fells Road: the Jannasches have owned for decades the property that this important shortcut to Oyster Pond Road and Surfdrive beach traverses, and have allowed its use by the public. (The property is now owned by WHOI.) Those of us who knew him, dearly miss Holger's many fascinating stories, his vast knowledge, keen intellect, personal warmth and fine, kind humor.

The Spohr Gardens are an important part of the Oyster Pond Watershed. They have been exceptionally beautiful this past spring. With the death of Charlie Spohr in 1997, his vision and foresight have led to the preservation of The Gardens as the Margaret K. and Charles D. Spohr Charitable Trust. Charlie had wanted his Oyster Pond treasure to be preserved for the public to enjoy as they have been doing for years. In his will, Charlie had named as trustees Cameron Gifford (East Falmouth), Chairman, Michael Kadis (Whitecaps Dr), foreman of the gardens, and Mary Lou Canepa, Dusty Miller Rd. Gary Tavares (East Falmouth) and Ariana Fairbanks (Penzance Rd) have been added as trustees to meet the provisions of the will for five trustees. The Trust's primary goal is to maintain The Gardens in their natural beauty and to operate them in harmony with the neighbors and in an environmentally sound manner, as Charlie Spohr had always done, to protect Oyster Pond. The annual maintenance cost of the six-acre Gardens is about $60,000. This cost is not entirely covered by the interest generated by the endowment left in the Trust; some of the principal is being used each year. Therefore, the Spohr Garden Trust had to initiate a fund drive to build its endowment for the future and has established a fund managed by the Community Foundation of Cape Cod. OPET has contributed towards the establishment of this fund because the Gardens are such a significant and important part of the Oyster Pond watershed, and because their continued maintenance in an environmentally friendly manner is very important for the health of the pond.

Pond Management Committee Tackles Trunk River

Now that the weir is in place, OPET's next thrust is to try to get Oyster Pond's outlet to Vineyard Sound, the Trunk River, and its estuary, the Trunk River Lagoon, under control. The jetties have failed and are not protecting the river properly during storms. As a result, Trunk River gets frequently plugged by storm tides with sand, rocks and seaweed to the point that the river bottom now is higher than the weir setting. Because of this, the pond is too high and is getting very fresh. OPET submitted Article 69 on the Fall Town Meeting Warrant, asking the town for $15,000 to prepare plans and specifications to repair the jetties, dredge the Trunk River, and get all necessary permits. The Finance Committee at their meeting of October 20. 1998 approved the Article unanimously and Town Meeting approved it with an overwhelming majority. Now we await the blueprints and the permits - prepare for a long haul!

From the Membership Desk

OPET's membership continues to increase. This past year there were 167 members: 2 Honorary Life Memberships, 6 Life Members, 58 Supporting Members, 97 Regular Members, and 4 Business Members. In addition, OPET gave honorary membership to 3 students and 3 science advisors.

End of this issue of The Watershed

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