Seek Friends of Friends of Georgica

The Friends of Georgica Pond Foundation, a consortium of shorefront property owners, has launched a website, friendsofgeorgicapond.org. The not-for-profit group, with a stated mission to preserve the pond’s ecosystem through science-based, watershed-wide policy and restoration, has asked the public to visit the website to learn about the organization and the restoration efforts.

The site includes photos showing blooms of cyanobacteria, or blue-green algae, which formed on the pond in the summers of 2014 and ’15, and enables visitors to contact the organization and join its email list.

The group, formed last year, retained Dr. Christopher Gobler of Stony Brook University to perform an ongoing study of the pond’s ecological condition and propose remediation. It has also appealed to the East Hampton Town Trustees to open the pond to the Atlantic Ocean more frequently than its traditional biannual schedule, arguing that salt water would help dissolve the algal bloom.

“Georgica Pond is a unique body of water and a valuable resource to East Hampton,” Sara Davison, the group’s executive director, said in a statement. “The deterioration of the water quality of the pond demanded a response in the formation of a not-for-profit organization dedicated exclusively to its restoration. The organization is working closely with all levels of government and local environmental organizations to plan and implement the most cost effective restoration and policy.