Dennis Pond,
seen from Willow Street
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Anyone
who has traveled on Willow Street north from the Mid-Cape Highway’s
Exit 7 to Yarmouth Port has seen it. Just past the commercial
area, there’s a bend in the road opening onto a remarkable
sight: a long stretch of startlingly blue water bracketed by
pines and maples. It is Dennis Pond and for many years it has
been owned by one owner, the heirs of the Simpkins family among
the original settlers in Yarmouth. The family donated the south
side of the pond to the town for conservation and gave the
swim beach to the town.
In 2003, the Yarmouth Conservation Trust, Town of Yarmouth
and Nature Conservancy partnered to permanently preserve
the northern scenic shore. At the April Town Meeting, Yarmouth
voters approved the purchase of five lots at the pond, known
as the South Sandyside subdivision, with a net cost to the
Town Land Bank of $595,000 for the 8.4 acres. The bargain
price resulted from a pledge by the Yarmouth Conservation
Trust and The Nature Conservancy, a national non-profit organization
concerned about the pond and its habitats, to raise $150,000
in private funds to supplement the Land Bank sum.
The final piece of this critical acquisition puzzle is being
completed in 2007. A 2.76-acre wooded pondshore lot is the
last remaining private, developable parcel on this sensitive
coastal plain pond. Last December, the Community Preservation
Committee selected this acquisition for recommendation to
Town Meeting and this April the voters unanimously approved
the purchase. The seller required a June 2007 closing, so
the Yarmouth Conservation Trust agreed to serve as a pre-acquisition
partner. In order to apply for a state grant worth an estimated
$250,000 for this project, The Town will take title in December
2007.
These acquisitions protect one of the highest rated pond
shore plant habitats on Cape Cod, according to state wildlife
officials. The presence of nearby conservation lands provides
an important filter to keeping the pond waters clean for
swimming and fishing. And, of course, the roadside view of
woods rambling down to blue water is preserved forever thanks
to outstanding community support.
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