Edmund Stevens’ letter in the Friday, July 10 Gazette, Great Pond Under Pressure from Pollution, demands a thoughtful response which I’ll try to provide. Yes, the Vineyard’s coastal ponds and estuaries are deteriorating, and they need our help, now. They are suffering, primarily from nitrogen enrichment, and it will be a long, costly and politically-charged and sustained effort to correct the problem. It will take an informed citizenry committed to investing in the restoration and protection of our ponds over many years.