NOVEMBER 2023 - NEWS FROM
FRIENDS OF HERRING RIVER
AND THE
HERRING RIVER RESTORATION PROJECT
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GREAT RESULTS - 2023 Herring Count!
Announcing a big year for the annual herring run at
Wellfleet's Herring River in April & May, 2023:
65,529 herring!
This year more than 30 volunteers, masterfully coordinated by Barbara Brennessel, Co-Chair, FHR's Science Advisory Group, counted river herring daily during the annual migration. For the past 15 years, FHR and these dedicated folks haves participated in this citizen science initiative led by Association to Preserve Cape Cod (APCC). APCC works with 16 organizations in 13 towns to monitor 17 different herring runs across the Cape.
The adult herring who make it past the Chequessett Neck Road (CNR) dike are counted as they swim upriver to their freshwater spawning ponds. Based on the volunteer reports, the APCC then estimates the size of the herring run for that year.
The 2023 count is the highest number since volunteer monitoring of herring began in Wellfleet in 2009. The total number of 65,529 herring is a significant change from the worst year on record (2017) when fewer than 9,000 fish were counted. This also reflects a steady and encouraging increase over the past three years. Thanks again to all the volunteers!
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HERRING RIVER RESTORATION PROJECT UPDATES | | |
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Chequessett Neck Bridge
Construction Update | November 2023
MIG Construction continues to work on installation of the temporary bridge components.
MIG has completed installation of the bridge piers that will carry the temporary bridge across the river.
Upcoming work will include:
- Installation of four temporary bridge spans between the bridge piers and abutments.
- Installation of drainage and utility conduits across the temporary bridge.
- Grading and surfacing of the temporary bridge approaches and bridge deck.
Please observe the posted speed limit of 25 mph on Chequessett Neck Road approaching the work zone. Also, please note that, once the temporary bridge is open, a stoplight will be installed at each end to control traffic.
The Project Team thanks you for your patience with any noise or disruption the project may cause to residents or visitors.thanks you for
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Temporary bridge span installed between bridge piers / photo: Wes Stinson | |
Temporary bridge span installed between bridge piers / photo: Wes Stinson | |
HERRING RIVER RESTORATION PROJECT UPDATES | |
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Vegetation Management
As shown in this National Park Service video here,
over the next several weeks the vegetation clearing of the next 40 acres within the Duck Harbor area will resume.
In the News...
The Provincetown Independent November 2, 2023 issue featured a front-page article about the Chequessett Bridge superstructure arrival and construction. Read about it HERE
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AUTUMN WALKS!
Friends of Herring River is offering four FREE Autumn Walks in Wellfleet during the coming weeks. All are fun, factual, and fascinating. We hope you'll join us for one - or more!
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THE AMAZING JOURNEY OF HERRING FRY FROM POND TO OCEAN
led by Barbara Brennessel
Saturday, November 11, 10:00 am - 12:00 pm, 15 people max.
(Rain Date: Sunday, November 12th, 1:00-3:00 pm)
Meet at the Gull Pond parking lot, Wellfleet
This 2-hour walk will trace the beginning of the journey taken by river herring fry as they leave Gull Pond and move down the Herring River towards Wellfleet Harbor, Cape Cod Bay, and eventually the Gulf of Maine. After hatching in the spring, the young fish have spent the summer maturing in the freshwater kettle ponds and are now ready to transition to their adult life in the ocean.
CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP.
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THE ECOLOGY OF THE HERRING RIVER: PAST, PRESENT, AND FUTURE
led by John Portnoy and Erika Pfammatter
Saturday, November 18, 10:00 am - 11:30 pm, 15 people max.
(Rain Date: Sunday, November 12th, 1:00-2:30 pm)
Meet at the Great Island Trail parking lot, Wellfleet
This is a short walk from the Great Island Trail parking lot to the CNR dike to compare undisturbed salt marsh below the dike with the drained wetland upstream, and to discuss the plan for imminent tidal restoration. How the river has been negatively impacted for the past 114 years since the dike was built will be discussed, as well as how the restoration should dramatically improve the natural salt-marsh functions on which so much coastal life - animal and human - depends.
CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP.
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A VIEW OF THE HERRING RIVER AND THE RESTORATION PROJECT
led by Dale Rheault
Saturday, November 25, 10:00 am - 11:30 pm, 10 people max.
(Rain Date: Sunday, November 26, 1:00-2:30 pm)
Meet at the Herring River Overlook parking lot, Wellfleet
A scenic walk to the beautiful Herring River Overlook, a jewel within the Wellfleet Conservation Trust, will accompany a review of the Herring River Restoration Project and discussion of the exciting progress currently underway.
CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP.
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WHY WELLFLEET'S ROBUST HERRING INDUSTRY DISAPPEARED
led by Lisbeth Wiley Chapman
Saturday, December 2, 10:00 am - 11:30 pm, 15 people max.
(Rain Date: Sunday, December 3, 1:30-3:00 pm)
Meet at junction of Bound Book Island Road and Pamet Point Road, Wellfleet
Learn about Wellfleet’s herring industry Fish Station of the 1800’s, located on the banks of the Herring River near Bound Brook Island. Between 1880 and 1890, proceeds from the sale of the fishing rights were enough to pay the salaries of all elected town officials. It is estimated that the successful bidders for the herring fishery rights took about 250,000 herring from the river annually. This talk will give you an idea of why this robustly productive industry died, why the Herring River was diked at Chequessett Neck Road, and the impact the diking had on the health of the river. Beth has historical photos to share of the area when the commercial fishery was at its peak.
CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP.
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Announcing new Friends of Herring River
VISION and MISSION Statements!
In August, after the Board and Staff engaged in extensive discussions of our unique contributions to the Herring River Restoration Project over nearly 15 years, and opportunities to expand upon the ongoing roles and commitments within the Project, the Board adopted the following aspirational statements:
Vision: A future with healthy, resilient,
and revered coastal ecosystems.
Mission: To inspire and accelerate restoration
of estuaries and ecosystems for the benefit
of nature and all people.
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YOUR DONATIONS AT WORK
FHR’s Work
While we are managing multiple contracts, reviewing technical deliverables, and working on permit support and compliance - all key activities for the project - we also focus on project documentation and informing the community. Crafting visual communications and curating data archives are important aspects! The fantastic project team does not have the capacity to implement all the work needed, nor the flexibility that our nonprofit status allows.
Soon we'll be able to share the first videos on aspects of the Herring River Restoration Project that we've been producing through the talented Solano Film Collective, with funding from MA Division of Ecological Restoration (DER) and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Stay tuned!
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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.
P.O. Box 565 | 1580 Rte 6
South Wellfleet, MA 02663
(508) 214-0656
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