Baymen Would Be Consulted in Pond Study

In an unusually lively first meeting of the year, the East Hampton Town Trustees heard an appeal from Sara Davison, executive director of the Friends of Georgica Pond Foundation, for permission to conduct a survey of the pond’s marine life. The trustees also reappointed Francis Bock as clerk, or presiding officer, without dissent. Mr. Bock, a Democrat, became the clerk a year ago, following his election in November.

However, it took a 7-to-2 vote for the trustees to reappoint Bill Taylor, a Democrat, and Rick Drew, a first-term Democratic trustee, as the body’s two deputy clerks. Mr. Drew replaces Pat Mansir, another first-term Democrat, who was not renominated. Ms. Mansir said on Tuesday that she was not upset about failing to be reappointed. “It’s politics. Rick Drew is a really hard worker, and I’m glad that he got it,” she said.

Diane McNally and Tim Bock, Republicans, opposed both deputy clerk appointments. Mr. Bock had nominated Ms. McNally, the body’s former longtime clerk, for a deputy position. However, she declined the nomination. “Thank you very much,” she said.

Georgica Pond has experienced toxic algal blooms over the past several summers, prompting the trustees to close it to the harvesting of crabs and the foundation to be established by pond-front property owners in an effort to improve its ecological condition. 

Ms. Davison proposed a survey of fish and crabs to be conducted by Bradley Peterson and Christopher Gobler, both of Stony Brook University’s School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences. Dr. Gobler has been monitoring the pond’s quality for the trustees for the past few years, and more recently for the foundation.

The plan calls for one winter survey, possibly in early March, and two or three daylong surveys in the summer. A 12-foot aluminum boat with a 9.9-horsepower motor would be used as well as a crab dredge, allowing evaluation of the number of crabs in different areas of the pond. The trustees would have to grant permission and the town board authorize trawls since motorized boats and trawls are not now permitted on the pond.

In the summer, traps and crab pots would be set, the traps baited and left overnight. A small trawl would do brief tows at multiple locations, and its contents and the contents of the traps processed on the boat. Densities of crab and other larvae would also be quantified, and all marine life would be returned to the pond, Ms. Davison said.

Dr. Peterson would also interview baymen working on the pond, and information from the town’s Natural Resources Department would be solicited. Survey results would be summarized in a report to the trustees.

Ms. McNally asked for specific dates and prior notice, as well as detailed information in the final report on where traps and pots were set and trawls conducted. Overall, however, the trustees were amenable to Ms. Davison’s proposal.

Also at the meeting, the trustees set the cost of an annual lease for a trustee-owned house lot at Lazy Point in Amagansett at $1,716.66, a 2-percent increase over last year.