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Date: 11/27/2023
EASTHAMPTON — A nonprofit in Easthampton has formed to enhance preservation and fundraising efforts at the Nashawannuck Pond.
The Nashawannuck Pond Steering Committee announced the creation of the Friends of the Nashwannuck Pond Inc. to help fundraise more effectively, access a wider array of grant opportunities, and reduce the committee’s reliance on Community Preservation Act dollars from the city.
The formation the nonprofit is necessary because solely relying on city funds for pond improvements as a committee was limiting the pond’s needs.
“CPA funding is used in many other departments in the city; its’ competitive so we can’t always count on it,” said Amy Marsters, the president of the Friends of the Nashwannuck Pond and current Steering Committee member. “If we’re a 501c3, we can apply for grants, reach out to foundations and we can do general grassroots funding through the community of Easthampton.”
The steering committee and its seven volunteer members will continue to stay intact as a city entity that advises Easthampton on what needs to be done to protect the pond, according to Beth Tiffany, the treasurer of the Friends of the Nashwannuck Pond and a member of the pond’s steering committee.
The Friends, meanwhile, will financially support the maintenance that is necessary as deemed by the steering committee.
According to Marsters, the formation of the Friends comes at an ideal time since the Steering Committee is currently evaluating the retention walls installed in 2001 on the park side of the pond for shoreline stabilization.
“The purpose of the retention walls is to keep sediment out of the pond,” Tiffany said. “But we’ve noticed damage and deterioration, so we have to be proactive before the walls don’t do their job.”
The steering committee’s basic annual maintenance and operating costs for the pond typically estimate around $10,000 and include things like herbicide treatment, monitoring for cyanobacteria and invasive plants and covering costs for their website.
Marsters said the committee has sustained itself financially through fundraising efforts like their annual WinterFest, but the nonprofit will help cover other larger projects like the shoreline stabilization project.
“Our basic costs are about $10,000 a year, which we’ve been getting by with by doing WinterFest, but to attack these other larger projects, that’s where the nonprofit will come in handy,” Marsters said.
According to Tiffany, the quote they received for the stabilization project costs $10,600. Because the quote alone costs so much, the committee will have to chip away at the project’s other costs over the coming years.
“This is not something that will just be quick and easy,” Marsters said, when speaking on the stabilization project.
The new nonprofit currently features six members and is governed by a board of directors. Marsters serves as the president, Tiffany as the treasurer and Hillary Ballantine as the clerk/secretary. The board will also appoint and oversee committees and committee chairs responsible for their respective areas of focus.
Marsters and Tiffany also said that they are always looking for those interested in joining the nonprofit. Readers who are interested can reach out to Marsters at friendsofnashpond@gmail.com.
Even with the nonprofit, WinterFest will continue to be an important fundraising event each year for the steering committee, according to Marsters and Tiffany.
“I applaud the forethinking of the Pond Steering Committee to create a separate 501c3 in the specific preservation of Nashawannuck Pond,” said Mayor Nicole LaChapelle in a statement. “The city is very fortunate to have environmentalists who are proactively thinking ahead. The pond is a jewel not to be taken for granted.”