PROJECT UPDATES AND OUTREACH
FRIENDS OF HERRING RIVER
AND
HERRING RIVER RESTORATION PROJECT
APRIL 2024
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HERRING RIVER RESTORATION PROJECT UPDATES | |
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Construction Begins - Permanent Chequessett Neck Road Bridge
- On March 20th the temporary bridge officially opened to vehicular, pedestrian, and bicycle traffic.
- This temporary bridge is one-lane with alternating traffic managed by traffic signals located at both approaches to the bridge. Pedestrians and bicyclists are to use the the dedicated pedestrian walkway alongside the bridge. Bicyclists are asked to walk their bikes across the pedestrian walkway.
- MIG has begun work on the permanent bridge, beginning with the installation of steel sheeting around the perimeter of their current work zone.
- MIG's upcoming work will focus on installation of stone armor scour protection along the downstream side of the existing dike. Stone armor is comprised of various sizes of large stones that are bedded along the river bottom. These stones will act as scour protection against the daily tidal flow that will pass under the new bridge.
- Note that fish passage and tidal flow is maintained during construction.
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Steel sheeting installed south of the dike / photo: Wes Stinson | |
Diagram showing stone armor scour protection location / Fuss & O'Neill | |
Click the words, Building the Chequessett Neck Bridge, to view a brief, animated explainer video with a narration by the Town of Wellfleet Owners' Project Representative, Wes Stinson of Environmental Partners. | |
Updates - Herring River Estuary / HRRP | |
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Herring River Restoration & Duck Harbor Overwash Presentation
The Shellfish Advisory Board (Wellfleet) requested an update on the Duck Harbor Overwash and HRRP for their meeting on 4.12.24 to help clarify some questions and observations.
Staff from the National Park Service Cape Cod National Seashore & HRRP Team created and presented a thorough overview.
See & Hear Presentation:
Click here to view the HRRP & Duck Harbor Overwash presentation slide deck.
Click here to listen to the accompanying video/audio of the Presentation (begins at minute 3:45).
Presenters:
Carole Ridley (HRRP Project Coordinator), Geoff Sanders (NPS Chief of Natural Resources Management and Science), Tim Smith (NPS Restoration Ecologist), and John Portnoy (retired NPS ecologist).
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Mosquitos!?
Due to the recent overwashes at Duck Harbor, some people are asking about a possible increase in mosquito populations in the area for spring and summer, 2024.
Gabrielle Sakolsky, Superintendent of the Cape Cod Mosquito Control Project, recently shared the following statement:
"It is still early to make mosquito predictions for the summer. The rainfall amounts and tidal events over the next month will give us a better indication of what to expect. This area will continue to change with ongoing vegetation management and overwash events.
We started monitoring mosquito larvae around Duck Harbor a couple of weeks ago and we are finding larvae in limited locations. Cape Cod National Seashore has given us a permit to apply larvicide to areas where larval mosquito populations exceed the set threshold. Unfortunately with the extreme flooding events this year it is unknown whether or not we will be able to access all of the areas where mosquitoes are developing.
Our crews will continue to monitor the situation and do what we can to reduce mosquito populations in the area.
Feel free to contact me if you have any further questions or concerns."
Gabrielle Sakolsky
Cape Cod Mosquito Control Project
259 Willow St, Yarmouthport, MA
(508) 775-1510
ccmcp.net
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River and Atlantic Herring Still Need Support!
The Herring River Restoration Project seeks to restore an important spawning ground for alewives and blueback herring. But these fish are in jeopardy once they reach the Gulf of Maine.
Large midwater trawlers operating off Cape Cod sweep up millions of pounds of herring in nets the size of football fields. Entire schools of herring disappear. In 2021 NOAA implemented a 20-mile buffer zone, pushing the trawlers further off-shore and allowing the herring to rebound to 21% of their targeted biomass. However, this buffer zone order was vacated in 2022.
The New England Fishery Management Council held a public hearing to determine if new protective measures - Herring Amendment 10 - should be put in place. FHR Board member Beth Chapman and Science Advisory Group Co-Chair Barbara Brennessel attended the hearing and spoke to the Council about the importance of protecting the herring offshore.
Your voice is important, too. Write or Email the New England Fishery Management Council
COMMENTS DUE:
Tuesday, April 30, 2024 by 8am
WRITE
Cate O'Keefe, PhD
Executive Director
New England Fishery Management Council
50 Water Street, Mill #2
Newburyport, MA 01950
note on your letter: "Atlantic Herring Amendment 10 Scoping Comment"
EMAIL
comments@nefmc.org
title your email : "Atlantic Herring Amendment 10 Scoping Comment"
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Friends of Herring River
Spring Nature Walks!
Spring has sprung (finally!) and FHR has wonderful nature walks planned for May and June. All are open to the public and completely FREE.
Space is limited. Click on the titles below to sign up.
Sat., May 4, 10:00 am-12:00 pm
Led by Barbara Brennessel
A comfortable hike from connecting kettle ponds and along the upper Herring River to look for spawning river herring and do a “herring count."
Sat., May 18, 8:00 am-10:00 pm
Led by John Hanlon
A walk along the mouth of the Herring River and the Gut to view and learn about seasonal and native shore birds in the river basin and Cape Cod Bay.
Sat., June 1, 9:00 am-11:00 pm
Led by John Portnoy & Erika Pfammatter
A walk from the Duck Harbor parking lot while discussing the history
and ecology of the Herring River Estuary from before the dike was built in 1909, through the past century of deterioration and degradation, and moving towards a future of full tidal restoration and a thriving, healthy ecosystem.
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Eastern Box Turtle / Photo - Friends of Herring River | |
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TURTLE LOVE?
Eastern Box Turtle Male #1480 is something special.
In accordance with HRRP's Habitat Restoration and Monitoring Plan, regular monitoring of the presence and location of Eastern Box Turtles (additional species at future phases) is conducted by Oxbow Associates through a contract with FHR.
A recent monitoring visit discovered two surprises:
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In one winter burrow there was more than one Eastern Box Turtle - this is very unusual.
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The winter before last this Male #1480 brumated (a cold-blooded version of dormancy similar to hibernation) in his burrow with a female. This spring he was discovered in his burrow with a different female!
According to Oxbow Associates' VP/Senior Scientist, "This is the Casanova of Eastern Box Turtles if ever there was one."
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Article Alert!
Society for Ecological Restoration, April 2024
SER's Member in Action features Jackie Fouse plus coverage about Friends of Herring River + Herring River Restoration Project.
Click here to read the article. Thank you & congratulations, Jackie!
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Herring River Stakeholders Group (HRSG)
Next Meeting: Thursday, May 9 @ 6:00pm EST on Zoom (link forthcoming).
This meeting will include a Herring River Restoration Project update and as always, representatives who serve on the HRSG are invited to share questions and comments from the groups they represent. HRSG provides advisory input to the Herring River Executive Council on key implementation issues such as management of traffic, recreational access, environmental monitoring, adaptive management, and general community concerns. If you wish to contact a member of the HRSG, please find the groups, names and and email addresses listed HERE.
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YOUR DONATIONS AT WORK
As spring arrives on the Outer Cape, FHR continues to have many opportunities to engage even more experts in the required monitoring (of water, species, sediment, etc) and final design and plans for the next construction elements within the Herring River Restoration Project (HRRP). These are essential, highly coordinated activities of the HRRP; it would not move forward without these in place.
As a non-profit organization in its 15th year, FHR is currently managing more than $1.2M in federal and state agency grant funding, as pass-through, for 10+ non-construction contracts, including the HRRP Project Coordinator and current HRRP photo/video documentarian. The FHR team continues to draft/revise contracts, review technical products, process invoices/payment, support permitting, conduct community outreach, seek additional funding for HRRP, and to build partnership with other coastal restoration teams.
Reminders...
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You can find the videos about aspects of the Herring River Restoration posted on our website here.
- We are an organization with paid staff and overhead, we truly need and appreciate your donations!
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We Welcome & Appreciate Donations!
Support our mission - to inspire and accelerate restoration of estuaries and ecosystems for the benefit of nature and all people.
To donate, please click HERE
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Friends of Herring River is a 501c3 nonprofit organization.
1580 Rt. 6, #5
Wellfleet, MA 02667
(508) 214-0656
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