Erosion on the shores of ponds in Nickrson State Park, MA

Nickerson State Park on Cape Cod, MA , has several beautiful ponds with steep sides. One would expect that, with the shorelines protected by parkland, they would not be polluted. Yet beginning at least in 1998, Cliff Pond experienced toxic algae blooms that killed at least two dogs. One local resident, Jeff Hook, described how his large, 50-pound dog, died within minutes of drinking pondwater. Then, several years later, it happened again. He thinks that many more dogs were affected, because at the time so few vets and officials were aware of the danger.