As Wellfleet resident Paula Richman recalls, her parents, who lived in Wellfleet full-time after their retirement, played an active role in the Adopt-a-Pond group, which was organized in 1994 and was active for about a decade. Comprised of fellow retirees, the group focused on educating the public about the care of the ponds and on building social bonds among the participants. The members of the group were united by their love of the ponds, and they organized themselves by dividing the ponds among their group for adoption. Since none of the members had a house on a pond, people chose a pond near to them and pledged to visit it at least two hours a week during the pond use season. The Adopters cleaned up trash and talked to pond visitors. Their educational efforts included instructing children on how to care for tadpoles and why there are rules about dogs at the ponds. The Adopt-a-Pond members became familiar figures at Wellfleet ponds. Instead of policing pond visitors, they gently taught pond etiquette and care. Paula recalled that her mother, who had had a career as a social worker, was particularly adept at educating pond visitors.
Doris and Nathan Richman in their National Park Service Volunteer uniforms.
The Adopters produced at least one pond education brochure and a video, but, apparently, no archive exists of their work. The brochure was distributed at the beach-sticker office and the video played on loop educating those standing in line. As their uniforms suggest, Adopt-a-Pond enjoyed close ties to the National Park Service (NPS), especially in the early days of the organization. In 1997, the NPS awarded them the Northeast Region Conservation Award, citing them as “a national model for community volunteer action” and for helping to “leverage a grant from the Canon corporation for inventory and monitoring of park kettle ponds.”
A loosely organized group of people who became good friends, group members made strong connections among themselves and with visitors. Interestingly, the Gull Pond Area Conservation Association (GUPACA) was an active contemporary organization, but the two organizations seem to have acted independently with different programs. While not a direct ancestor of Friends of Wellfleet Ponds, Adopt-a-Pond is clearly in our family tree. Its participants remind us of the love many people have for the ponds and their willingness to work to preserve and protect these special places.