The West Harbor Pond Watershed Association’s annual meeting and potluck picnic will be held Sunday, Aug. 3, 1-4 p.m., at 226 Lakeside Drive. Our speaker this year will be Rachel Sipler, PHD, Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences.  Rachel’s topic is:   “Watching the Water: What We See in West Harbor Pond.”  

Rachel Sipler’s talk will explore what we know about West Harbor Pond today and what may lie ahead. She will discuss recent events and community observations, highlight signs of a healthy ecosystem, and consider changes to watch for in the years to come. Her goal is to build awareness and spark conversation about how we can all help care for this unique system to ensure its health and accessibility into the future. 

Sipler is a marine biogeochemist at Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences.  Her research program combines biogeochemistry, microbial physiology, and phytoplankton ecology to quantify how changes in the physical and chemical environment (temperature, salinity, macro/micro nutrient availability, terrestrial runoff and pollution) impact water quality, elemental cycling, and planktonic community growth, composition, and metabolic rates.  For additional details about Rachel and her work, go to https://www.bigelow.org/about/people/rsipler.html. 

All members, associates, and friends of the WHPWA, and anyone with an interest in the WHPWA’s continuing work to protect the Pond’s water quality are invited to attend. We ask that you bring a side dish or a dessert for the potluck picnic. The WHPWA will provide hot dogs, buns, drinks, etc. 

If you have concerns or questions about the Pond that you would like to have addressed at the annual meeting, please email those to Merritt Blakeslee, mrb@blakeslee-law.com as soon as possible so he can add agenda items. The WHPWA will be collecting the $15 annual membership dues from those who want to be members, and those who wish to renew their membership. We also welcome donations.