Celebrating Martha's Vineyard's Great Ponds

Oyster Pond. Photo by Alison Shaw.

You’re Invited: The Art of Martha’s Vineyard’s Great Ponds

Events
Martha’s Vineyard Bank will host an exhibit, “The Art of Martha’s Vineyard’s Great Ponds,” at their Chilmark branch (517 South Road), from August 12 to Sept. 1. Join us for an opening reception August 12.

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In Search of Greatness: Martha’s Vineyard’s Great Ponds

Features
Islanders are hard at work conserving Martha’s Vineyard’s Great Ponds — what exactly is a Great Pond? And what's at stake? Reporter Sam Moore dives into these brackish waters to explore the history of Great Ponds conservation.

What is a Great Pond?

The Code of Massachusetts Regulations defines a great pond as “any pond which contained more than ten acres in its natural state, as calculated based on the surface area of lands lying below the natural high water mark.”

However, some Martha's Vineyard ponds that appear to meet these criteria are not listed on the official list of Great Ponds.

Official Great Ponds on Martha's Vineyard

  • Edgartown Great Pond
  • Tisbury Great Pond
  • Squibnocket Pond
  • Chilmark Pond
  • Oyster Pond
  • Long Cove Pond
  • Black Point Pond
  • Job’s Neck Pond
  • Watcha Pond
  • Trapp’s Pond
  • James Pond
  • Big Homer’s Pond
  • Farm Pond
  • Oak Bluffs Harbor
  • Paqua Pond
  • Crystal Lake

Other Ponds That Are More Than 10 Acres

  • Cape Poge Pond
  • Sengekontacket Pond
  • Lagoon Pond
  • Tashmoo
  • Eel Pond
  • Pocha Pond
  • Nashaquitsa Pond
  • Crackatuxet Cove
  • Caleb’s Pond
  • Upper Chilmark Pond
  • Stonewall Pond
  • Middle Point Cove
  • Duarte’s Pond
  • Job’s Neck Pond, East
  • Quenames Cove
  • Harlock Pond
  • Brush Pond
  • Squibnocket Ridge
  • Seth’s Pond
  • Ice House Pond
  • Daggett’s Pond

Help Protect Our Great Ponds

The Great Pond Foundation is a non-profit that aims to cultivate the resilience of our coastal pond ecosystems through science, collaboration, and education. For each sign-up for our new Hub newsletter, Bluedot Living will donate 50 cents to the Great Pond Foundation.

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Slide Squibnocket Sunset, Edie Yoder. Slide Quansoo Tuned, Lanny MacDowell Slide Wooden Boat, Janet Woodcock Slide Boat and Dunes, Adolf Dehn Slide Crab Creek-Tisbury Great Pond, Barbara Norfleet Slide Aguas em movimento, Leni Goncalves Slide Menemsha, Robert Siffert Slide Quitsa Pond, Alison Shaw Slide Storming up, Thaw Malin Slide Schooner, Lanny McDowell Slide Osprey, Robert Siffert Slide Menemsha channel with red buoy, Elizabeth Taft Slide Edgartown pond, Gary Mirando Slide Untitled, Gretchen feldman Slide Menemsha Currents, David Fokos Slide Sea Clams, Andrew Moore Slide Lighting on the tisbury great pond, Sam Moore Slide Calm Cove, Charles Rosen Slide Untitled, Neil Rantoul Slide Colin Ruel Slide Sunrise, David Fokos Slide Quansoo, Lanny McDowell Slide James Pond, Leslie Baker Slide Fishing the cut, Ruth Kirchmeier Slide After The Rain, Hannah Moore Slide Moving Into Night, Leslie Baker Slide Colin Ruel Slide Sepiessa Ice, Marjorie Wolfe Slide Farm Pond, Laura Murphy Slide Romance, Andrew Moore Slide When Sun Broke on Chilmark Pond, Leslie Baker Slide Sepiessa Trail, Marjorie Wolfe Slide Quill, Andrew Moore Slide Sepiessa Sunset, Majorie Wolfe Slide Windswept, Majorie Wolfe Slide New Cut at tisbury Great Pond, Lanny Mcdowell Slide Colin Ruel Slide Upper Chilmark Pond, lanny McDowell

A selection of the above art will appear at the "Art of The Great Ponds" exhibit, on display at the Martha's Vineyard Bank in Chilmark Aug. 12 – Sept. 1.

Six Steps to Preserving Our Great Ponds

Advice
What we do on the land affects the nearby water. Anne Mazar points out six measures we can take to reduce our impact on the Island's Great Ponds.

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