About FOS 

Sengekontacket Morning by Ray Ellis ©1992

Friends of Sengekontacket, Inc.

Since the founding of the Friends of Sengekontacket, Inc. (FOS) in 1989 to protect water quality in Sengekontacket Pond, a great deal has been learned about nutrients, salinity levels, exchange with the sea, deposition and movement of sand, and plant and animal populations in the pond.  Hundreds of people have financially supported the collection and interpretation of this data. Friends of Sengekontacket, Inc. is an independent, non-profit organization governed by a voluntary Board of Directors. Many volunteer hours are spent on activities ranging from planting beach grass on the Joseph Sylvia State Beach, to organizing environmental education programs, and partnering with government officials and community leaders to protect Sengekontacket Pond. We are concerned about the future of the Pond.

Our Mission, Goals & Objectives

Mission:

The Friends of Sengekontacket Inc is dedicated to the preservation of Sengekontacket Pond and the Barrier Beach.

Goals:

• To protect and preserve water quality in Sengekontacket and Trapp’s Pond.
• To preserve habitat for aquatic plants, shellfish, birds and animals.
• To promote environmentally sound management and use of the pond and barrier beach.

Objectives:

• To initiate, support, and fund research and activities that will benefit the Sengekontacket Pond system and the Joseph Sylvia State Beach.
• To provide an outreach program for public awareness of and education on the Sengekontacket watershed.
• To collaborate with the watershed residents, recreational and commercial pond and beach users, and all relevant levels of government in developing and implementing conservation strategies for the protection of Sengekontacket and Trapp’s Pond and the Joseph Sylvia State Beach.

Recent Activities

• State Beach cleanup every spring
• Financial support of the Massachusetts Estuaries Program
• Three part program of education, restoration and science to restore eel grass meadows and the bay scallop habitat
• An extensive outreach program with a focus on proactive land use practices
• Co-sponsor of the Barrier Beach Task Force with the County of Dukes County
• Beach grass planting program
• The “Carry In- Carry Out” Program with the Oak Bluffs and Edgartown Schools
• Support for the High School Science Fair

OFFICERS

PRESIDENT  Jeremiah McCarthy

VICE-PRESIDENT/TREASURER  Terry Appenzellar

VICE-PRESIDENT/CLERK  Kate Hancock

DIRECTORS

Albert Hamel

Rene Blanc

Charles Carlson

Doug Jones

Deborah S. Lewis

Maxwell R. McCreery

Edward O’Melia

Malcolm W. Reed, Jr.

Janet M. Riley

Susan Shea

 HONORARY DIRECTORS

Charles B. Sanders

Arvin R. Wells

FOS Advisory Board

Paul Bagnall, Shellfish Constable, Town of Edgartown

Suzan Bellincampi, Sanctuary Director, Massachusetts Audubon Society at Felix Neck

Augustus Ben David, Environmental Consultant, former Director, Felix Neck Sanctuary

Donald Cullivan, Professional Engineer

David Grunden, Shellfish Constable, Town of Oak Bluffs

Richard C. Karney, Director, Martha’s Vineyard Shellfish Group

John Lolley, Professional Engineer

Christina G. Miller, Environmental Educator

Greg Skomal, MA Division of Marine Fisheries

William Wilcox, Water Resource Planner, Martha’s Vineyard Commission

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