“The Lily Pad” Newsletter of the Red Lily Pond Project Association, Inc. - Craigville, MA 02632

Vol. 1, #3 August 2007

IN THIS ISSUE

! ANNUAL MEETING HIGHLIGHTS ! RACHEL CARSON CELEBRATION ! “AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH”: THE DOCUMENTARY ! ART SHOW IN THE TABERNACLE ! FROM YOUR PRESIDENT ! ANNUAL FEAST: “BOUNTIFUL CAPE COD”

ANNUAL MEETING HIGHLIGHTS

At the July 1st Annual Meeting, Olin Christy and Kim Robinson of Jonathan Todd Ecological Design, Inc. (JTED), Woods Hole, presented the plans to restore the North Basin of the Pond. As reported in Issue 2 of The Lily Pad, JTED’s Feasibility Study was approved by the RLPP Board of Directors in January and is currently pending with the Town of Barnstable. Olin and Kim presented the Association with an artist’s rendering of the “Restorers”, which are organic floating islands that increase the oxygen content of the Pond and remove toxins from the water and sediment. These restorers can be installed as soon as the Town approves the Board’s recommendation. The Association is grateful for the participation at the Annual Meeting of Town Councilor Fred Chirigotis and Regional Commission representative Royden Richardson, for their assistance in working with the Town.

RACHEL CARSON CELEBRATION

Friday, August 10th, at 7:30 PM in the Craigville Tabernacle, Sue Phelan, President of Green Cape, invites the community to gather, celebrate Rachel Carson’s 100th Birthday, and view a 57-minute CBS Documentary, “The Silent Spring of Rachel Carson”. First shown in 1962,

Eric Sevareid hosts this documentary, providing a fascinating periscope into 1960’s era journalism and environmental concern that still resonates today. Rachel Carson died of breast cancer in 1964; breast cancer still plagues Cape Cod. Through the efforts of Congressman William Delahunt, the Silent Spring Institute recently received a major Federal Grant to study cancer on Cape Cod, including analysis of ground water seeping into ponds.

Of Carson’s work, Robert Kennedy, Jr. recently told CBS News, “My Uncle Jack, John F. Kennedy, read her book, and said, ‘I'm going to appoint an independent commission to investigate whether it's true or not.’ That commission met for almost a year. And then at the end of that time period, [they] came out and said that essentially everything in Rachel Carson's book was true." Come and share an evening of enlightened community. Copies of Carson’s book will be avail-able, along with tasty refreshments. Admission is free (voluntary contributions gratefully accepted).

AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH Together with every environmental effort in the 21st Century, the Red Lily Pond Restoration project walks a tightrope between politics and science. For a look at how experts walk this line, come and view Al Gore’s Oscar-Winning Documentary, “An Inconvenient Truth,” on Friday, August 17th, at 7:00 PM at the Craigville Tabernacle (note this is half an hour earlier than previously advertised). The evening will begin with a presentation by Dr. Hugh Ducklow.

Dr. Hugh Ducklow, Director of the Ecosystems Center, PHOTO CREDIT: Tom Kleindinst Marine Biological Laboratories (MBL) Woods Hole

Hugh Ducklow joined the MBL in May 2007 as the Director of the Ecosystems Center. He was previously the Glucksman Professor of Marine Science at The College of William and Mary School of Marine Sciences and Virginia Institute of Marine Sciences (VIMS). Dr. Ducklow is a marine ecologist who studies plankton dynamics and biogeochemistry and works regularly at the Palmer Station in Antarctica where he is principal investigator of the Palmer Antarctica Long-Term Ecological Research Project

His research centers on the interactions between climate change and ecosystem function, especially on the Antarctic Peninsula, a region that is warming especially rapidly. Dr. Ducklow has also conducted research in the North Atlantic, subtropical North Pacific, equatorial Pacific, Arabian Sea, Red Sea, Southern Ocean, Great Barrier Reef, Caribbean, Black Sea, Baltic Sea, Hudson River, and Chesapeake Bay.

This promises to be a watershed evening for the community and the Red Lily Pond Restoration Project. Come and meet one of the world’s leading experts on climate change, learn what it means for Craigville, and see the movie about which the New York Times wrote “Intellectually exhilarating, ‘An Inconvenient Truth’ is a necessary film.”

ART SHOW IN THE TABERNACLE

Pamela Danforth, a Craigville resident and long time friend of the Red Lily Pond Restoration, will host an extraordinary art show in the Craigville Tabernacle August 16-18th. The “Danforth ArtSake Exhibition—Connecting art to philanthropy” will feature artists Nancy Goucher-Thomas, NWS, Valerie Sheehan, Larry Schiffenhaus, Jane Lincoln, Mary Pace Blum, Alice Roy, Cheryl Clinton, Stephanie Danforth, Gretchen McPherson, Roberta Murphy, Mary Pollack, Amy Gordon, Pat Hopkins and Gail Field. Proceeds will benefit the Craigville Red Lily Pond Project and other non-profit organizations. The exhibit opens on Thursday at 10 AM and continues through Saturday at 3 PM. The Artists Reception will be on Friday from 4:30-6:30 PM. For information call Pamela at 401-935-4871 or visit www.craigville.org.

FROM YOUR PRESIDENT

As summer rolls her verdant carpet across our community, it brings me joy to watch neighbors fish in Lake Elizabeth and Red Lily Pond (and catch some big bass!), to soar in spirit with the swallows that circle above its surface each evening, and to fall asleep lulled by music of bullfrogs each night. I am grateful for this Pond System, but ever mindful of its fragility. Its survival depends on all of us. Please come to the movie events, the Danforth ArtSake Exhibition and the August 18th Annual Dinner. Fill out the Annual Dinner Reservation Form on the following page and join your neighbors as we all strive to preserve and restore the Pond System.