And
Sometimes, the Island Is Marooned on You
By PAM BELLUCK, The New York Times, Published: November 6, 2005
ABOARD A ROWBOAT IN ISLAND POND, Mass. - The island of Island Pond had
it in for Andrew Renna.
Or so it seemed one Saturday evening a few weeks ago. In the middle of
a pounding storm, Mr. Renna looked out across the pond, which borders
his backyard
"It was raining crazy," he recalled. "I said, 'That wind's going to
blow that thing right over here.' Ten minutes later it did. When it
moves, it moves pretty quick."
The island, about the size of a football field, made a beeline for Mr.
Renna's house - crushing his three-foot chain-link fence, swamping his
red-blue-and-purple flagstone patio, wrecking his dock, flooding his
shed, hobbling his weeping willow, and drowning the oregano, cilantro,
tomatoes and peppers in his garden. Then, with an insouciant shrug, it
came to a standstill in Mr. Renna's backyard, an interloper squatting
in stubborn silence.
"Normally when it floats you can actually hear the roots rip - it
sounds like ripping up carpet," said Mr. Renna, 51, a roofing and
siding sales manager. "But this time, it didn't make any noise."
Island Pond's island has been floating for as long as anyone can
remember, buoyed by a mat of sphagnum moss and gases from decomposing
plants. It is a curiosity and sometimes a nuisance for the 20 or so
homes around the shoreline of this nine-acre pond in Springfield,
Mass....
Such islands appear across the country and around the world - familiar
enough that Minnesota
issues removal permits to homeowners, and prevalent enough in some
lakes in Florida that they are chopped up or pulverized by large
machines with sharp blades....
The islands, which can be as big as an acre and six inches to six feet
thick, are rich environments for wildlife, allowing small creatures to
outfloat predators. Many of the islands sprout trees, which act as
sails; the 20-foot birches, alders and pines on the Island Pond island
can ferry it across the entire pond in as little as 20 minutes,
residents say....
