About Us

The Fresh Pond Neighbors Association (FPNA) is a charitable 501 C(3) organization committed to the health of Fresh Pond, Shelter Island’s largest freshwater lake and a window into its aquifer.

We actively partner with other community associations and the town to advocate for improving the quality of the water on Shelter Island.

Some of us are residents of the Fresh Pond neighborhood, while others regularly spend time at the pond to swim, fish or watch the sunset. We came together in 2016 after noticing changes in the water quality, and seeking answers. We discovered that New York state has an association of groups like ours, the New York State Federation of Lake Associations, which we joined in 2018. 

The Federation trained our members to gather data about the changes in our water. From spring through fall for the last six years, our volunteers have headed out in kayaks and rowboats every other week to gather water samples as part of  the Citizens Statewide Lake Assessment Program. We send the samples to a state lab, which has given us data on the pond’s health that is helping to guide our work. 

We have co-sponsored a feasibility study with an engineer to learn how  Fresh Pond can again be a clean and healthy ecosystem for year-round recreation.  By filtering pond-bottom waters, we can restore the pond’s health, safety, and natural beauty, improve water quality in the aquifer and remove nitrogen flowing into our creeks and bays.  

While this restoration program is getting underway, in addition the Fresh Pond Neighbors Association is raising money to hire a wetlands management firm to remove potentially harmful blooms and weeds from shoreline areas where people enter the pond. We are starting this initiative in the summer of 2023. 

We have succeeded in raising funds for an engineer to study the water issues in the pond and to design the most effective long-term remediation project. 

The funds have come from small private contributions, the town’s water quality improvement projects fund and a grant that we received, along with the town, from the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation

And in 2021, we welcomed the Shelter Island community to a pond-side garden party to raise awareness and funds to insure the future of this unique island resource.

If you would like more information about the grants we’ve received and funds we’ve raised, please contact us at freshpondsi@gmail.com.

FPNA Officers

James Eklund, Peter Grand: Co-Presidents
Deborah Grayson: Secretary
Jerri Mayer: Treasurer