b'PREFACEFriends of Chatham Waterways has a valuable, long-standing tradition: it has a working board, that is, every member is expected to take on a project.For me, it came as an invitation from George Olmsted to write The Story of Friends of Chatham Waterways. Efforts stemming from that request got underway two years ago. Not that its meant toiling away at the lathe day in day out -other projects diverted me -but thats when the always-intriguing process of interviewing started.This past June 11, recent FCW director Hillary LeClaire and I talked by phone about his firstof-a-kind nonstop flight in a jet fighter across the continent. That was the 41 st interview, by head count. But actually, the total was close to 50, when you figure on phone clarifications and two or more sessions Debby Ecker and John Geiger described the ever-challenging Zoning Bylaw Revision process in two visits totaling three hours. And so it went for months.Im most grateful to all the individuals who put aside their timeno one in Chatham is ever unbusyto offer memories to my tape recorder. (The names of those interviewed are in the back of the book.)In the summer of 2002, the paper research got going, touched off by the high energy and organizational skill of college freshman Emily Donnan. As they say, awesome! Then, as always, the librarys Amy Andreasson periodically filled in my inevitable divots. Among the interviewees, some brought perspectives going back to FCWs launching; Lew Kimball and Martha Stone came up with early recollections, corrections, nuances. Batch Batchelder had a lot to say, too, while more-recent functionariesWalter Buder, Jane Harris, Kurt Hellfach, George Olmstedauthenticated the draft at various points. Im also grateful to Town Manager Bill Hinchey, Director of Health & Environment Dr. Bob Duncanson, and Director of Coastal Resources Ted Keon. In short, a lot of people pulled an oar on this project.One of the most important oarsmen, for a certainty, was photographer Gordon Zellner, with whom I had worked with pleasure in producing Behind a Cape Cod Fish Pier in the Nineties. More than being an outstanding man behind a lens, he has a sense of organization, harnessing Excel to keep a complex picture inventory straight. Chathams waterways offer some of the best vistas on the Cape. Luckily, Gordon, yet another busy man, found time to shoot those harbors and ponds, and the people concerned about their health and survival. When we were through collecting images, we had almost 150 to choose from.'