On a hot and sunny July 13 afternoon, Lisa Wheeler of the Plumb Memorial Library, local professor and ecologist Dr. Mindy Labranche and Michelle Kirby of the Snow’s Pond Association brought over two dozen children to the Lawrence Way shore of Snow’s Pond to teach them about the importance of lakes, ponds and freshwater life.

            It did not take long for the 21 young explorers ages five to 12 to find tinier pond life than any of them would have expected as they dipped their nets in the mucky water’s edge.

            Zak, 11, a student at Rochester Memorial School, was one of the first to net a baby dragonfly, then later a slightly bigger “dragonfly nymph,” as Dr. Labranche called them, explaining they live in that state for about a year before becoming adults.

            Later, Zak was spotted climbing the concrete piling supporting the nearby dock, net in hand, to find more of the tiny creatures populating the pond. Asked what he liked most about exploring the pond this way, he said, “It’s just the excitement of doing it.”

            By the end of the outdoor visit, all the students had enjoyed the experience. They found tiny tadpoles and small pickerel and catfish, and they netted crane fly larvae and other small bugs. They even learned about the different types of lily pads. Some have a slimy coating on their undersides, Dr. Labranche said. That is so fish and frogs and other lizards will not eat those kinds of pads.

            Michelle Kirby, president of the Snow’s Pond Association, said as the workshop began that the program’s goal is to teach young people how to “protect and preserve our beautiful open spaces.”

            Snow’s Pond, she pointed out, has the highest water level of all ponds in Rochester. It is a 12,000-year-old “kettle pond” created by glacial activity that long ago.

            As the workshop ended, Dr. Labranche noted her goal was simply “to find bugs and get the younger generation familiar with life in the pond.” She happily noted that most of the creatures on her to-find list were found.

            Labranche hinted at the deeper meaning of the exercise when she noted that finding these pond creatures are part of a water-quality bioassessment. The organisms sensitive to water pollution will not be found where pollutants are high, she explained. Some other organisms tolerate pollution somewhat, and others will totally survive. It’s very telling about the current state of Snow’s Pond that the dragonfly nymph and crane fly larvae are among the moderately tolerant category.

            The library program’s goals are not unlike the mission of the Snow’s Pond Association (SPA) itself, Kirby later said. The association was formed in 2018 by abutters concerned about the excessive aquatic weed growth and diminishing water quality of the pond.

            “It is a group committed to the preservation and protection of Snow’s Pond and its surroundings,” she said. “We want to ensure that this natural resource will be around for generations to come.”

            Having noted in a previous Wanderer story that the association includes 14 of the 16 property owners on the pond, Kirby notes that the association has 13 voting members and over 100 people supporting the Friends of Snow’s Pond. She followed up in an email with a historical sketch of recent work at Snow’s Pond.

            “In 2019 the SPA hired a certified lake manager to identify and map the aquatic plants in the pond, perform a bathymetric survey to create a depth map and analyze water quality and nutrients in the pond, she said. This study gave the association a solid baseline of the health of Snow’s Pond,” Kirby wrote, adding that in 2020, the SPA became the first Massachusetts waterbody to join the University of Rhode Island (URI) Watershed Watch, a volunteer monitoring program that runs from May to October.

            SPA members monitor weekly and once a month bring water samples to URI’s laboratory for analysis. Data collected by volunteers are posted on URI’s Watershed Watch website, according to Kirby. “The data provides us with a better understanding of the pond’s ecosystem and will help us decide the correct route when implementing a management plan,” she said.

            The SPA is currently working on establishing non-profit (501c3) status, which is often a prerequisite to obtaining funding for lake management. Meanwhile, it continues its work to increase awareness and education of the importance of pond health and a better understanding of the impacts that human development has on watersheds around town, she said.

            The threat from aquatic invasive species and nutrient overload extends beyond Rochester waterbodies all over the country, Kirby said. “In order to preserve and protect our water bodies and water resources, we need to be proactive. SPA is currently the only pond association in Rochester and aims to serve as an example of best practices and pond stewardship.”

By Michael J. DeCicco

            Since early colonial agriculture times in this country, the Barn Swallow has been a welcome visitor to barnyards because it eats so many unwanted, crop-destroying insects such as beetles, flies, wasps, crawling ants, moths and spiders.

            At a speed of over 74 miles per hour, while skimming over ponds, lakes and rivers, the Barn Swallow is well known for collecting the insects in a compressed ball in its mouth and delivering them to its young in a nest attached to a beam under a barn roof, as illustrated in my drawing.

            Since colonial times, the agricultural population grew many times over in the next two centuries, as did the swallow numbers breeding and raising another generation several times each season until genetically reaching a total number of 190,000,000 as the largest swallow population on this continent.

            The Barn Swallow then needed more than barns for reproduction that has today grown to include bridge foundations, roofs of outdoor arenas, suburban park structures, railroad and auto bypasses and any other man-made construction.

            The Barn Swallow is the only American Swallow with buffy to cinnamon-colored underparts, underwing linings accentuated by pointed wings and deeply forked tail.

            Skimming over a water surface, it subsequently scoops down to get a drink of water or takes a bath while dunking in a bed of wet leaves along the shore. It is the most widely ranging swallow in the world, serenading both continents with a worldwide musical anthem of “chit, chit, or wit-wit” with a universal liquid overtone of notes in the tune.

            Evaluating the beneficial inspiration of having Barn Swallows feeding in your neighborhood backyard will tell you they do not come naturally to regular bird feeders but will be attracted to a generous spreading of oyster or eggshells.

            It will also help to attract them with a shelter open building keeping an open door or window for ease of coming and going. However, it is just as important to have a standing water source quite nearby for making nests out of mud with hundreds of beaks loads to complete construction.

            Having a fully operational swallow nest quite nearby could be a highly educational bird-watching experience for your children with the natural phenomena of reproduction several times in the next coming season. They may be grateful for my literary observation and illustration of Barn Swallows in motion that I have tried to create before their very eyes.

By George B. Emmons

Jillian Jensen’s young life is coming together like the plot of a made-for-television drama series with scenes seemingly interwoven even several years before reaching the action-packed scramble as the story nears its conclusion.

            It only makes sense that the 29-year-old Bishop Stang High School graduate who grew up in Rochester will appear on TV in Saturday night’s episode of “Say Yes to The Dress.”

            The show is promoted on the TLC network website as “more than 250 professionals work to make each bride’s experience inside Kleinfeld Bridal unforgettable in this show that is part bridal story, part fashion makeover and part family therapy session.”

            All told, Jensen exhibits a healthy sense of humor about finally appearing on a show she has obsessed about as far back as she can remember. “I have watched the show … with my mom (Sharon), grew up loving it,” she admits.

            Ten years ago, Jensen loved the show so much she sent out a tweet that only recently popped up and embarrassed her, but at the same time opened a door in her life to participate in the show.

            “Needless to say, I’ve been obsessed with the show forever and always. … you will find out if I say yes to the dress on Saturday,” she said.

            “Say Yes to the Dress” will not be the start of Jensen’s TV career. A singer-songwriter, she has already appeared on “American Idol” where she reached the top 30 contestants and on Simon Cowell’s show “X Factor” where she reached the top 24.

            Saturday’s episode of “Say Yes to The Dress” was recorded a year ago, which is a long time to keep a secret, though those closest to Jensen know how that story ends.

            How the larger story unfolds is still a plot thick with storylines.

            The man she will marry in September, Clay Taranto of Mansfield, may have crossed paths with her nine years ago at Mockingbird Studios in Mansfield, a place she has visited since age 15. After Jensen’s appearance on X Factor, her pop group the Varsity Girls practiced there.

            “And he was there,” recalls Jensen. “Many ways we should have met but didn’t.” Much more recently, the two eventually met on Match.com. “We were both sick of other dating sites, and we happened to meet on Match,” she said. The two bought a home in Tennessee where they now live.

            Taranto, who works in corporate sales, is also a musician, and it turns out Joe Cook of Bourne, the lead singer of Taranto’s band, has known Jensen since the two attended second grade at Rochester Memorial School.

            Jensen is working on two projects, an upscale events band known as “The Sultans” and her country-music band “Amber Eyes.” For a sample of Jensen’s talent, visit YouTube and search Amber Eyes and Paul McCartney’s song “Blackbird.”

            A reunion of sorts will take place this week in Middleborough, as Jensen’s group and Taranto’s group will both perform in a patio concert at the Burt Wood School of the Performing Arts on Thursday, July 21, at 6:30 pm. They will then perform on Friday, July 22, at 9:00 pm at the Music Room in West

On Saturday, July 23, Amber Eyes releases a new single written by Jensen called, “Say That You’re Mine.”

            Just a guess, but the new song is not about a dress.

By Mick Colageo

            Before 1961, there was no Old Rochester Regional High School. Tri-Town residents upon completing the eighth grade were separated and shipped off to various schools in the area.

            “The first half of the alphabet went to Mattapoisett Center, the second half went to Marion … for the ninth grade. For the 10th and 11th grade, we either went to New Bedford High or Wareham High,” Edith Johnson recalled. “So when the (Old Rochester) school opened in ‘61, some of us didn’t even know each other.”

            For some, the new regional high school meant reuniting with old friends but regardless of familiar faces, it was a big change for every one of the 75 seniors starting their last year in a brand-new place.

            High school is hard under the best of circumstances. Entering as a freshman can feel uncertain and scary; not only are you on the cusp of adulthood and growing up fast, but you have to adapt to a strange environment, one where a lot more is expected of you both academically and interpersonally.

            The one comfort given to upperclassmen is that they know what to expect. Seniors rule the school for a simple reason: Every last one has put in their three years to get there. Learning how to find their footing, joining sports teams, getting drivers licenses, experiencing first love and first heartbreak.

            It is easy to chuckle at teenage drama from a distance but up close, it gets personal. Something as innocuous as a new building with new people becomes the reality of having to uproot your social life, academic standing, and for Charles Jefferson, an athletic career.

            “Originally, we were told that if we wanted to stay where we were, we could. About a week later, they came back and said well, they have changed their mind, or things have happened. If you want to pay your own tuition, you can stay at Wareham. So goodbye Wareham, hello ORR,” Jefferson chuckled.

            Quick to make the best out of his new circumstances, Charles joined the football team as its captain. “I was the only starting veteran they had on the team that year. We had half a dozen that played some (junior varsity), but the starters, no, I was the only one.”

            They were a new team filled with boys who had lingering attachments to their old schools and the friends they left behind. Practices could be rough with the responsibility of pushing the team falling on Charles’ shoulders.

            “They only gave us six games that year … most sportscasters and whatnot had us as underdogs … we ended up (winning our first game) 14-6. We went on to beat Nantucket 12-2, Martha’s Vineyard 18-0. We took our first loss against Bourne; we lost to them 8-0. Then we beat Somerset and lost to Falmouth. So all in all, it was a good year.”

            The class of ’62 may have only been together for a year, but they’ve stayed in touch since with regular reunions, the most recent being their 55th. Edith Johnson, one of the organizers of the reunions, recalled how it felt to be ORR’s first-ever graduating class.

            “I think we thought we were special … you know, being young. We had the first prom. We made the first yearbook,” recalled Johnson.

            A lot has changed in the decades since. Not just the staff and the students, but the style as well. In 1962, there was a far different dress code for the students of ORR.

            “The boys had to wear bolo ties. The girl’s skirts had to be below their knees. That was standard,” said Johnson, who is most surprised by how fast the years have flown by. “None of us can believe it’s been 60 years because none of us feel 60 years older.”

            “We all really got along, which was kind of nice. We were happy to be all back together again,” said Lesley MacFarlane, vice president of the Class of ’62.

            None were happier than Jefferson, who was reunited with his future wife, having attended Sippican School together before being sent to separate high schools. “About halfway through the year, I started dating her,” he recalled.

            It wasn’t long before Jefferson had made up his mind. “I knew I wanted to marry her before we graduated. That’s how much I’d fallen in love with her,” he said. As the cherry atop this high school sweetheart cake, Jefferson proposed to his girlfriend on Christmas Day. She, of course, said yes.

            They weren’t the only ones to find love at ORR.

            “He was my date to prom, and I ended up married to him,” MacFarlane reminisced. While she worked on Wall Street as a credit analyst, her husband was across the world in Vietnam.

            Jefferson had been similarly drafted, joining the Marines and eventually seeing active duty. “The only thing I asked, I asked the Lord to bring me home safe,” he said.

            Home has become a wide range of places for the Class of ’62, some finding their way to Florida or California and others staying closer to home, right here in the Tri-Town area.

            Out of the original 75 students, 15 are meeting for a noontime lunch on Saturday, July 23. They will be gathering at Matt’s Blackboard Restaurant in Rochester, with the possibility of a few, long-distance check-ins via phone.

            When asked what wisdom she’d impart, MacFarlane took a moment to gather her thoughts.

            “Embrace what brings you joy,” she said. “There’s so much going on in the world right now, for better or for worse, y’know, and so it’s a day at a time. There’s no definite answer, but just… reach out, see what feels good.”

By Jack MC Staier