Three Problems that Threaten White Pond
This is a crucial time in the life of White Pond, its natural environment and the surrounding neighborhoods. The Pond is experiencing a dramatic increase in the number of visitors from the greater Boston area who come to swim. Today three major problems are converging to threaten the well-being of the White Pond area:
1. The Internet Age brings increased visibility and more swimmers. Because of nearby Walden Pond State Park, Concord has long been a destination for out-of-town swimmers. The Internet put an end to White Pond's "cloak of invisibility." Now blogs and "Best Places to Swim" websites direct people to the free swimming available at White Pond's unsupervised conservation land. People tweet their friends to join them at the idyllic swimming hole they just discovered. Alcohol frequently accompanies these visitors. They leave behind bottles, cans and other litter and at times make campfires and destroy the posted signs and ropes installed by the town. Now GPS reveals the previously hidden Pond to passers-by, making it easy to drive or bike to the Pond. For many out-of-town swimmers it has become an attractive alternative to the crowded, regulated, fee-based swimming at Walden Pond. When Walden's parking lot is full, dozens of hot, frustrated swimmers find their way to White Pond with its unlimited free parking in nearby neighborhoods.
2. The Rail Trail will soon bring increased visibility and more swimmers. The Concord section of Bruce Freeman Rail Trail (BFRT) will expose the Pond to many more swimmers. From the perspective of the Pond, the BFRT is like an asphalt bicycle highway bringing as many as 1,000 additional visitors a day into her already fragile ecosystem (based on BFRT estimates cited in ESS White Pond Watershed Management Plan, p. 47).
3. Global warming will bring eco-stress and more swimmers. Like other local ecosystems, White Pond is already experiencing warmer seasonal temperatures, resulting in eco-stress from higher water temperatures that affect the Pond's vegetation and wildlife. Global warming also means more hot days during the year resulting in more people looking for a place to swim. According to the EPA, the Boston area is projected to experience an increase in the number of days reaching 100°F — rising dramatically from a past average of 1 day per year to 24 days per year by 2100.
Swimming violates the posted "No Swimming" regulations and the Select Board's ban on swimming. The primary access to Town-owned land is through private streets. Unauthorized swimming causes increased traffic, speeding, parking and safety issues in the surrounding neighborhoods. The net result is a degradation of ecosystem including erosion and water quality issues
For some further information, see resident Kate Blair's 2013 Concord Journal article "White Pond Cove in Danger." For a description of the unregulated degraded White Pond future that no one wants to see, read resident Robert Gerzon's 2013 Concord Journal article "What is White Pond’s Future with Trail?"
1. The Internet Age brings increased visibility and more swimmers. Because of nearby Walden Pond State Park, Concord has long been a destination for out-of-town swimmers. The Internet put an end to White Pond's "cloak of invisibility." Now blogs and "Best Places to Swim" websites direct people to the free swimming available at White Pond's unsupervised conservation land. People tweet their friends to join them at the idyllic swimming hole they just discovered. Alcohol frequently accompanies these visitors. They leave behind bottles, cans and other litter and at times make campfires and destroy the posted signs and ropes installed by the town. Now GPS reveals the previously hidden Pond to passers-by, making it easy to drive or bike to the Pond. For many out-of-town swimmers it has become an attractive alternative to the crowded, regulated, fee-based swimming at Walden Pond. When Walden's parking lot is full, dozens of hot, frustrated swimmers find their way to White Pond with its unlimited free parking in nearby neighborhoods.
2. The Rail Trail will soon bring increased visibility and more swimmers. The Concord section of Bruce Freeman Rail Trail (BFRT) will expose the Pond to many more swimmers. From the perspective of the Pond, the BFRT is like an asphalt bicycle highway bringing as many as 1,000 additional visitors a day into her already fragile ecosystem (based on BFRT estimates cited in ESS White Pond Watershed Management Plan, p. 47).
3. Global warming will bring eco-stress and more swimmers. Like other local ecosystems, White Pond is already experiencing warmer seasonal temperatures, resulting in eco-stress from higher water temperatures that affect the Pond's vegetation and wildlife. Global warming also means more hot days during the year resulting in more people looking for a place to swim. According to the EPA, the Boston area is projected to experience an increase in the number of days reaching 100°F — rising dramatically from a past average of 1 day per year to 24 days per year by 2100.
Swimming violates the posted "No Swimming" regulations and the Select Board's ban on swimming. The primary access to Town-owned land is through private streets. Unauthorized swimming causes increased traffic, speeding, parking and safety issues in the surrounding neighborhoods. The net result is a degradation of ecosystem including erosion and water quality issues
For some further information, see resident Kate Blair's 2013 Concord Journal article "White Pond Cove in Danger." For a description of the unregulated degraded White Pond future that no one wants to see, read resident Robert Gerzon's 2013 Concord Journal article "What is White Pond’s Future with Trail?"