Red Lily Pond Project Association
Red Lily Pond Project Association (RLPP) History
In the 1970s, shortly after the first “Earth Day”, a small group of visionary Craigville residents gathered to address a troubling trend in the Village’s ponds, creek, and the estuary that led to the sea. The lilies, which gave the pond its name, and invasive weeds were spreading across the surface, choking out the fish and the waterfowl. As the vegetation died back in the fall, the sandy bottom was becoming covered with sediments. Eutrophication, caused by the influx of nutrients from old cesspools and septic systems that surrounded the ponds, was in imminent danger of transforming Lake Elizabeth into a swamp! Our fragile ponds were becoming choked with vegetation growth.
This group studied the problem and the underlying science, formed a nonprofit organization, wrote grants, and has been advocating with elected officials at the local, state, and federal levels for funding opportunities to provide solutions to alleviate the nutrient overload. One major accomplishment has been to install a “cluster septic system” to serve 17 homes that abut Lake Elizabeth. A second was to implement a “reverse/relayering” process to refresh Lake Elizabeth’s sandy bottom. We have now conducted a three-decade effort to restore and rejuvenate the ponds, rebuild the herring run, and prune the weed-choked embankment. The costs involved in obtaining the necessary permits to tackle the overgrowth are staggering.
Red Lily Pond Project is gearing up for a number of projects and events in 2022. In November, the Town of Barnstable Conservation Commission approved our application to move forward with weed removal from Lake Elizabeth and Red Lily Pond. Plans are now in place to measure the depth of the ponds in order to determine which type of weed removal will be able to take place.
Plans for 2022 include continuing to work with Dr. Kenneth Wagner, a lake management specialist who led our successful presentation to the Conservation Commission, to develop a comprehensive plan for the health and beauty of the Craigville Ponds.
Stay tuned for more information about Red Lily Pond Project community events this year: the annual House Tour, a “Stella Maris” event on Lake Elizabeth, our annual dinner and a silent auction, and community days for clearing phragmites from the herring run from Lake Elizabeth to the open water, and more. We’ll also be conducting our annual herring count in April and May.