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    Patience Sundaresan Resignation Letter

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    portsmouthherald
    1) The author resigned from the Ogunquit Conservation Commission due to lack of support from the Select Board. 2) Recommendations from the Commission to protect the Ogunquit River watershed and estuary were not implemented by the Select Board. 3) Scientific reports on the ecosystem were questioned without giving the scientists a chance to address issues.

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    Patience Sundaresan Resignation Letter

    Uploaded by

    portsmouthherald
    573 views2 pages
    1) The author resigned from the Ogunquit Conservation Commission due to lack of support from the Select Board. 2) Recommendations from the Commission to protect the Ogunquit River watershed and estuary were not implemented by the Select Board. 3) Scientific reports on the ecosystem were questioned without giving the scientists a chance to address issues.

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    Patience Sundaresan resigned from the Ogunquit Conservation Commission on Oct. 4, 2021.

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    1) The author resigned from the Ogunquit Conservation Commission due to lack of support from the Select Board. 2) Recommendations from the Commission to protect the Ogunquit River watershed and estuary were not implemented by the Select Board. 3) Scientific reports on the ecosystem were questioned without giving the scientists a chance to address issues.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    573 views2 pages

    Patience Sundaresan Resignation Letter

    Uploaded by

    portsmouthherald
    1) The author resigned from the Ogunquit Conservation Commission due to lack of support from the Select Board. 2) Recommendations from the Commission to protect the Ogunquit River watershed and estuary were not implemented by the Select Board. 3) Scientific reports on the ecosystem were questioned without giving the scientists a chance to address issues.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    of 2

    October 4th, 2021

    Ogunquit Select Board,

    At the request of Heath Ouellette, on January 5th, 2021 the Conservation


    Commission presented recommendations to the Select Board regarding the OR
    Watershed, estuary, and frontal dune/dike. Our recommendations were based on reports
    prepared for the Town by a qualified estuary consulting firm, supported by scientific and
    historical evidence, as well as information from my direct inquiry to two qualified scientists.
    There were a number of actions that could have been implemented for summer
    2021 - several around enforcement, which has always been an issue for Ogunquit. The
    comprehensive septic database was created for the entire OR Watershed in 2017 and had
    never been utilized. The beaches are largely unmonitored save for the lifeguards, who are
    there for a different specific purpose. Tickets are rarely (if ever) issued to those who
    trample the dunes, take dogs in the estuary and/or leave their debris behind.
    Adding recommended PhyloChip rRNA testing to our monitoring program would
    have given us information about the entire microbial community of the estuary, and if
    microbes come from pigeons, ducks, dogs, humans, etc. It is a proprietary rRNA gene
    microarray test but the SB & BRC did not want to spend the money. [It is not a human
    fecal test as stated numerous times at another committee meeting. And there is no other
    test that provides the same comprehensive level of information.]
    The Select Board took no action on any of our recommendations. We were asked to
    return in March to “continue the conversation”. The SB focused on whether to have
    signage about the known high levels of bacteria during low tide and after rainfall. One SB
    member said he had called MHB and was told there are no dirty beaches in Maine, and he
    still believed our water is the cleanest.
    But, here we are now. New people and a new task force for the estuary and OR
    Watershed. The estuary is a dynamic ecosystem that serves as a nursery and home for
    fish and invertebrates, it is not just for swimming. It is complex filtration system created by
    nature over tens of thousands of years and the answer to its health is multidimensional.
    I was disheartened to hear at a public meeting that “there are holes in the data”
    regarding the multiple reports by the scientific consulting group that is working on the 10
    year OR watershed plan. If one accuses a professional scientist of “holes in the data” in
    their research, one should at a minimum let them address any perceived issues. This
    questioning of the work done by the estuary consulting firm and the Town continued
    recently at a SB meeting. Belittling the Town’s efforts is an insult to staff and all who have
    volunteered for the Conservation Commission over the last 18 years especially Mike Horn
    and Bill Baker who did much of the foundational work.
    This Select Board has failed to appoint anyone to the Commission despite at least
    five applications with the town clerk and a number of openings. I requested this of our SB
    liaison in May considering how much work the Commission has and I got a one line
    response that appointments would start in June. They did not.
    The new Select Board liaison (appointed in June) has never met with me or
    attempted a meaningful discussion with the Commission. He did attend one meeting
    where his participation was limited to ranting at two folks who called in during public
    comment. The outbursts seemed like threats to Conservation members and perhaps they
    were. We have gotten no support from this liaison and have essentially been shut out of all
    the watershed and estuary discussions. For all of the reasons stated (and others), I hereby
    resign from the Conservation Commission.
    I cannot participation in or subject myself to what seems to be the evolution of a
    witch hunt at the expense of those who came before me and those who continue to

    Page 1 of 2
    volunteer their precious time. I thank my fellow commissioners for their dedication and
    support. I sincerely hope the Commission will be able to thrive in its efforts to protect the
    vulnerable natural assets that connect us all and make Ogunquit unique and special.
    I have enjoyed working with the dedicated members of the Commission to promote
    conservation and protect our irreplaceable resources. We were able to support the Boston
    Land acquisition of 157 acres despite the SB initially being against it. I am also grateful to
    the family that recently donated a 24 acre parcel of land to be held in conservation in
    perpetuity for the people of Ogunquit. It was an extraordinarily generous gift.

    Sincerely,
    Patience Prescott Sundaresan

    Page 2 of 2

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