Metacomet Pond in Belchertown, MA, is experiencing a massive algal bloom which has transformed the beloved swimming hole into a bacterial stew. The recent heatwave has warmed the water to 85 degrees fahrenheit, and the recent lack of rainfall has kept the pond stagnant. These factors, combined with excess nutrient runoff from nearby wastewater treatment…
Indian Lake, also known as North Lake, sits in northern Worcester by Assumption College. Once a summer favorite for fishing, swimming, and lounging, the lake has been struggling with blooms of toxic blue-green algae for the past few years. In 2014, the lake was closed in early July and stayed closed for the remainder of…
Bartlett Pond, a 33 acre pond in Plymouth that flows into Cape Cod Bay, is another Massachusetts water body suffering from a toxic cyanobacteria algal bloom this summer. What makes this pond different than the multitudes of other with a visible pea-soups sludge of blue-green algae is that in Bartlett, the cyanobacteria isn’t visible. The…
Route 58 in Halifax, MA separates Monponsett Pond into two water bodies. East Monponsett Pond is picturesque and lovely. West Monponsett Pond not so much. In the summer, the gas-like stink emanating from the pond causes locals to call the fire department to make sure there aren’t any dangerous gas leaks. According to Cathy Drinan,…
In Massachusetts, the popular bill to reduce single-use plastic bags has passed the Senate and is about to be brought up by the House Speaker for a vote. Meanwhile Governor Baker sounds reluctant with unsubstantiated claims that grocery bills will go up and “Mom and Pop stores” will suffer. What’s your reason for implementing a…
Our letter to the fishery council will bring many voices to the management of herring. You may read our letter with 1260 signatures from all fifty states and hundreds of comments by clicking here – Herring Amendment ORI Letter – for the pdf. Twelve Selected Comments Click here to view 250 more comments Herring Amendment ORI Letter…
Video: Rob’s kitchen demonstration of the wine-dark sea in a pint glass. We all know communities that believe their children are better than average. Lately, I’ve been startled to hear conservation colleagues down by the Gulf of Maine, in Boston, Portsmouth and Portland, say their ocean water is special because it’s warming faster due…
One hundred forty odd miles southeast of Nantucket, the cod-gray seas of Georges Bank turned to Mediterranean blue. We had left the continental shelf in our wake and were motoring out over one of the deep sea canyons. The first sperm whale we came upon was floating dead in the water. Likely killed by a…
