GEORGICA POND

  After two long years, we finally got to paddle Georgica Pond, a magnificent body of water that is separated from the mighty Atlantic Ocean by a 100 foot sandbar. It's located between the Village of East Hampton and Wainscott and is managed by the East Hampton Town Trustees who are responsible for draining the pond and replenishing it with the water from the Atlantic Ocean. Why haven't we paddled for the last two years? The answer lies in the fact that this spectacular, 290-acre coastal lagoon has been threatened by macro and blue-green algae blooms, fish kills, and low oxygen levels.  The blooms caused by antiquated septic systems and the overuse of excessive nutrients contained in fertilizers produce toxins that are not safe. In addition to these blooms, the shoreline invasion of Phragmites autralis, a non-native grass to East Hampton, further adds to the degradation and health of the pond. We used to crab in the pond for Blue Claws, but not any more. Crabbing, fishing, and swimming have been prohibited. The toxins that the blue-green algae produces are dangerous and can be fatal. So far this year, due to the diligent work of the Town Trustees and  the Friends of Georgica Pond, the water has been safe to paddle. Once the weather gets warmer, however, that might not be the case. On Saturday, we launched our 12 foot canoes from the rest stop on Montauk Highway. It took us 50 minutes to paddle to the sandbar where we set up our beach chairs and hoisted our umbrella. There was a fog creeping in from the south, but we ate our picnic lunch and enjoyed the smell of the ocean and the sounds of the waves. Within an hour though, the fog grew thicker and we were unable to see some of the mansions that lined the eastern shoreline of the pond. It was time to head back. As we got closer to the northern half of the pond, the fog thinned out so we decided to explore one of the coves. To our amazement, we came upon a family of Canada geese. Further into the cove, a mother swan and her newly born cygnets were resting in the sun. The birdlife on Georgica Pond is plentiful including, but not limited to: Canada geese, swans, kingfishers, red-winged blackbirds, ospreys, giant blue herons, egrets, and a variety of ducks.   We felt incredibly lucky to have been witness to the springtime arrival of the baby geese and swans. Hopefully, the solutions to keep the pond healthy will work so that generations to come will be able to enjoy the wonders of this amazing body of water.