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Committee pushes volunteer recruitment and suggests paid coordinator for long-term sampling
Summary
Committee celebrated a successful first estuary sampling run, confirmed upcoming sampling windows (Pleasant Bay 7:30–9, Nauset earlier), and discussed recruiting volunteers and whether the town should fund a paid coordinator to sustain the program as volunteers age and workload grows.
Committee members said the first estuary sampling of the season went well: kits were prepared, chain-of-custody and sample handling worked, and more volunteers have been recruited for upcoming dates. Chair Carolyn Auty thanked volunteers and noted the next sampling date is Monday, August 3, with Pleasant Bay sampling between 7:30 and 9:00 and Nauset starting earlier, around 6:00.
Several members argued the volunteer program is at risk of burnout and recommended exploring a paid town staff position or part-time coordinator to ensure long-term data continuity. "I think it would be easily a full time person," the chair said, noting the various scheduling, training and data-management burdens now handled by volunteers and unpaid coordinators.
