Meet James Goff. I asked him to write something for the blog about his school project. The following is his reason for cleaning up our pond area. Read the following and be encouraged, there is hope for a good future.
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I attend Argyle Middle School, which is a computer and technology magnet in Montgomery, Maryland. I’ll be starting seventh grade in the fall.
My interest in the bays arose from a research paper on the spawning biomass of female rockfish in the Chesapeake Bay. A concern illustrated by countless articles on ecology focuses on the fragility of the bay.
Since I live in Montego Bay during the summer I wanted to complete some student service learning hours. After a discussion with Mrs. McCullough and Ms. Denne (SSL coordinator), I was approved to clean Walkers pond on a daily basis.
Each day, I fill trash bag filled with cigarette butts, plastic bags, and other trash.
My hope is to improve Walkers pond and reduce the amount of trash that goes into it. Hopefully I can improve not only the pond, but the wildlife that depend on it for survival

ABOUT ALL THOSE RESTING BENCHES

When your bones are weary from walking in Montego Bay you can thank Phyllis Mossmiller for being inspired to have benches on which you can rest. This was totally her brainchild, in fact, she even talked her husband George and their friend Dennis Julian into installing them.

That isn’t easy work! This is two-step process one day to make the form and smooth the concrete. The next is to cement in the bench. A total of 21 benches will be placed on public property, with 12 of them around the pond. When the Pine Tree bulkhead is completed that area will also have benches so you can watch the canal. Nice!

Phyllis is also the “Get Up And Go” lady. Her next outing will be a night at the races at Ocean Downs with dinner in the Club Room. Maybe I’ll see you there.

Cheers to these people!

OH, THE THINGS THAT YOU CAN SEE
I hope you come visit Walkers Pond and rest on one of the new benches that have been placed on the Harbour Drive side of the pond. You can rest after you walk around the pond and see all the new life.

When the momma duck saw me coming toward her and her six ducklings she swam them almost out of camera range. I walked all the way around the pond hoping I would see her again, but she took her little ones off someplace for a rest.

Next, I saw the baby bunny that wasn’t afraid of me at all. It just sat there nibbling away at clover.

Steve Borkowicz had been cutting his grass, we stopped to talk about the new life; he pointed out the bunny. He was elated when he saw the beautiful wild poppy blooming on the shoreline in front of his house. This was the work of Dr. Roman Jesien, Maryland Coastal Bays Program. If you look close to the bank on the Bahia shoreline soon you will see other flowers blooming.

Yes, Walkers Pond is alive and well, teaming with little fishes and shorebirds feeding on them. Come see for yourself and don’t forget your camera.