Long neglected and abused, Portsmouth’s North Mill Pond can’t get healthy without help from the community. Not only have The Advocates for the North Mill Pond answered the call, but they’ve also teamed up with fifth grade students from New Franklin Elementary School to monitor water quality and pond cleanup.

Now the two, in conjunction with the Hodgson Brook Restoration Project, are asking local residents to attend their banquet Tuesday, April 1, at the New Franklin Elementary School in Portsmouth. The banquet will be a combination of informational messages—many of which composed by the children—and celebration, to begin at 6:30 p.m. and end around 7:30 pm.
The partnership between The Advocates and New Franklin Elementary school was forged out of the need to provide local residents with a basal level of knowledge regarding local watersheds.

“If you are going to start somewhere (in the education process), you might as well start with the kids,” says Candace Dolan. As the Hodgson Brook Restoration Project watershed coordinator, Dolan saw the children as conduit to reach the community as a whole. She hopes an early education will lead to a lifetime of sustainable practices, but is also counting on the children to relay this newfound message to their parents.

The goal to educate the public has also led to a series of public service announcements, written and read by participating children on Portsmouth Community Radio, 106.1 FM. These announcements have ranged from urging listeners to pick up their trash to raising awareness of our unwitting contributions to watershed pollution.

Polluted by both residents and industry, the North Mill Pond had reached abysmal conditions by 1997. Its deteriorating health became increasingly apparent to neighboring residents and business owners, who subsequently formed The Advocates for the North Mill Pond, a committee dedicated to the area’s protection and restoration.

In the spring of 1998, The Advocates held their first annual cleanup, removing over 5 tons of trash. Their continued efforts have allowed some aspects of the pond to prosper, but increased development in the area has also provided reason for concern. Dolan knows the restoration process won’t happen overnight, “You have to have a vision, and you have to keep plugging along.”