April 1 & 2 The water level in Slough Pond, and at our fish passage through the woods from Walker's Pond, is remarkably high due to all the precipitation. In fact, in some spots it is overflowing its banks. We couldn't be more pleased as we await the herrings' arrival here within the next two weeks.
Although the herring are running down at the ladder, the dreary weather has slowed their migration somewhat with varying water temperatures and water flow management. Technical issues with the new electronic counter may have made the count variable at the start as well. The count was 912 as of this morning; 404 last year at this time, though that doubled within days. The draw down we noted on Slough from the ladder last month seems to be having less of an impact now; water is flowing at a good even clip. Even though the sandbag weir is mostly submerged at present, it is still helping to manage the flow. The gauge at the landing has maintained its record high level of 8.5" and we expect an increase over the next few days. All of this bodes well for the herring. The first arrivals were observed here on April 16 last year so it won't be long.
As spring slowly spreads its wings over the Cape, and the Osprey pair returns, circling low over the pond, we notice new signs of life in the woods: buds on the wild blueberries, fresh tendrils of lichen and green moss, fiddlehead ferns beginning to emerge, half eaten pinecones left behind by the red squirrel, and even deer scat on the sandbags.
April 3
A celebratory day. Today is the 20th anniversary of A Journey That Never Ends, JohnHay'sThe Run. a documentary John and I made together, over a three year period. It premiered at the Cape Cinema (later at film festivals) in celebration of the Cape Cod Museum of Natural History's 50th anniversary, followed by a year-long series of talks, exhibits, and walks called The Year of the Alewife. This spring is also the 65th anniversary of the publication of John's book on the Brewster herring run and the 70th anniversary of the Cape Cod Museum of Natural History which he co-founded.
The count at the fish ladder is up to 1,544 herring, although we are still waiting here. I hear the Town has received many qualified applicants for the alternate herring warden position(s).
April 5 Another opportunity to set the public record straight is in order.
Last night the Town hosted a public forum, Stony Brook Mill Retaining Wall and Fish Passage Improvement Information Session, (video link) led by Chris Miller of the Natural Resources Department. These public forums are a significant source of information on issues that effect the community. Chris Miller does a good job with these presentations with plenty of visuals; he has a background in digital presentation which lends itself well to this part of his job.
My major concern is this: He stated that the spawning habitat for the fish ladder is 386 acres. I assume he arrived at this number by adding the acreage of Lower Mill, Upper Mill, and Walker's Ponds- which actually adds up to 387 acres. These are the three ponds the NRD and Alewife Committee focus on continually, often referred to as the Mill Ponds. However, the Stony Brook Watershed actually consists of FIVE, even SIX, not three headwater ponds (originally seven). When one adds the acreage of the other three ponds, Slough Pond, Elbow Pond, and Pine Pond the accurate spawning habitat acreage totals 527 acres.
In Curt Orvis's engineering plan for the ladder improvements, (for the Town of Brewster, The Brewster Natural Resources Department, and the Cape Cod Conservation District) which is not available on the Town's website, he originally calculated the habitat as FIVE ponds, not three.* If one adds the 6th pond, Pine Pond, the total is more accurately SIX headwater ponds, totaling 527 acres. His final plan, submitted in January of 2022 is based on "a 253 fish return rate per acre of habitat" based on only the 3 Mill Ponds, totaling 411 acres (Chris mentioned 386 acres). An engineering plan looks at the capacity of the fish ladder and compares it to the acreage of the spawning habitat in its design plan to determine if the ladder, or run, can accommodate the number of fish that will utilize the spawning area. The engineering plan for the $1.2 million project, a project paid for substantially by other organizations, was designed for the five headwater ponds originally, though backed off to three ponds in its final submission in 2022. It is beside the point that the plan will accommodate a migration population into three or five ponds. The degraded ladder has accommodated a higher herring population into all of the headwater ponds for decades and these are to be improvements for their migration. It is the insistence on focusing on the three Mill Ponds rather than the five or even six headwater ponds of the Stony Brook Watershed that is at issue, along with the quality of the spawning habitat and the ecosystem this migration supports. The DMF herring habitat and nursery study commencing this spring will determine the quality of this extensive habitat, however, the study is focusing on only four ponds of the five, Slough included. The capacity of the ladder, the acreage of the spawning habitat, and its quality complete the circle.
Chris mentioned that some herring get into Elbow Pond and a "few" into Slough. My record of the 2023 migratory season is solid in its data that thousands migrated in and thousands of juvenile emigrated out of Slough. One can only wonder if this minimization is deliberate on the part of NRD along with the AC due to their desire to close it. Again, the several professional studies underway along with elevated public awareness is grace upon grace to support proper and transparent stewardship.
Chris did not answer my question directly on whether there were plans to contract with AmeriCorps to clear the passage earlier in the fall to aid the earlier departure of the juveniles in preparation for the work beginning in mid-November. He mentioned water levels being the main deterrent and also that there would be a pipe for them to go through when they drain the ladder. We will return to this subject in the fall...
Down at the fish ladder, the water level is as extremely high as it is elsewhere. The precipitous drop noted earlier at the lip of Lower Mill Pond has been ameliorated by a heavy volume of water flowing over the center board (which might be higher now or the pond level perhaps). The current is rushing along either side of the center wooden weir, something I have never seen before. The onrush is forceful but the herring usually manage to find their way. I imagine the wardens are monitoring and adjusting on a daily basis with all the precipitation. I did not see any herring attempting the lip today, however several were resting in the pool below the road on the north side. The counter has tallied 2,580 herring so far entering the seining pool by the mill.
Today the water and air temperatures were both a chilly 44° F. The ideal temperature for spawning is 50°F, so the adults may rest and wait. Although there can be variability from year to year (see studies under The Ponds) last year at this time, the air and water temperatures had been steady at 50°F for two weeks and between April 3rd and the 11th, 3,371 adults had been counted entering the seining pool, though fewer entered the ponds; by the 19th the number had blossomed to 102, 328. The first schools of herring observed entering Slough Pond last year was on April 16, with arrivals multiplying exponentially in May.
As dynamic and inspiring as it can be to watch the herring struggling through the rapids and finally obtaining release into the pond, I have come to prefer watching them flow in along the stream in our woods, and in others, which seems a more natural and graceful setting. We await their arrival. The gauge read 9.9" today, which is the highest we've ever seen. The sandbags had been adjusted since I saw them last on April 3 and the flow was even from the pond. It bears repeating here that the Walker's to Slough Pond passage is on private land.
* Project History on the Town of Brewster website.
April 8 No fish at the passageway today, though I did not expect to see them. The water level is still high. There was one good sign of improvement in the conditions in that the water temperature had risen to 54°F and the air temperature about the same. Besides the weather conditions, the migration into the ponds is being held up down at the ladder. The Town posted this statement today:
According to the gauge at the landing, the pond level is holding steady just below 10", a record high and water in the bank for the passageway for the time being. At the passage, the current over the sandbags was steady today but not extremely so. It is another matter at the culvert pipe where the water is churning and running strong, no doubt due to the high water level and the small size of the pipe.
APCC specialists were back on the pond as promised a month after their first visit in March. They are gathering data from April through October for three years on fifty ponds under the Freshwater Initiative. They got an early start last month with a baseline measurement of the ponds stratification.
April 15 No sign of the alewives in the Slough passage as of yet but the migration is still running slow down at the ladder where nearly 4,000 migrants have been counted; fewer of this number seem to be entering the ponds however due to the high water levels and velocity. The water temperature at Slough finally reached 52° this week which is just right for spawning. According to local fishermen, regulars on our pond, the Bass are present in huge numbers and of all sizes. We spotted and heard the lonely call of a lone Loon yesterday and noted an early flock of Swallows skimming the surface. The pond level has gone down a bit in the past week, even with all the rain, as the drawdown continues. The sandbags have been shifted to allow more water to enter the passageway where the level is still high enough for the adult herring to navigate but is visibly lower than it was last week. It is no longer overflowing the banks where now Fiddleheads and Mayflowers are unfurling their bright spring petals and of an evening the peepers are in full chorus in the bogs while visitors take their rest.
I've added some new maps under The Ponds section that might be of interest as our pond studies continue, checking the facts before they become the facts.
April 16 Not herring but trout, or possibly white suckers, are our first arrivals in the passageway today, right on the anniversary of the herrings' arrival last spring on April 16. These three large, strong fish lingered at the culvert but finally dashed through heading to Slough. The water temperature is ideal for the inland migration now, although the water level in the stream has decreased over the past few days. We hope it will hold up.
April 17
April 22 Earth Day, 2024. We attended the Native Lands Conservancy's "Honor the Earth" celebration at the Wampanoag Tribal Center on Saturday. It was good to see old and new friends. What has stayed with me though is this- Senior Natural Resources Officer Amy Croteau's display (some highlights are pictured below). This warden for the Town of Barnstable has gone well beyond the call of duty to preserve the bodies and stories of animals and birds lost in her town due to human activity. We celebrate her commitment to her work and her dedication to the natural world. The taxidermists she worked hard to find to deploy their professional skill and their own personal devotion to the natural world is self-evident. It was a beautiful display, not at all maudlin. We were moved by the fact that she knew the story of each and every creature there and honored them and the earth by telling their stories. She has promised us, and her mother, a book when she eventually retires.
Meanwhile, there is no fish activity down at the Slough passage and I calculate we are at least two weeks behind... but there are other signs of spring.
April 24 At last... the arrival!
April 25 Still more arrivals today alongside (authorized) digging of accumulated sand in the shallow areas by a Alewife Warden Gary Kaser, with help from a friend.
A special note of recognition and congratulations today to our newly appointed Alternate Wardens on the Alewife Committee- Abigail Archer and Owen Nichols. Welcome! Abigail is a Fisheries & Aquaculture Specialist with both the Cape Cod Cooperative Extension and the Woods Hole Sea Grant; Owen is the Director of Marine Fisheries Research for the Center for Coastal Studies. Both are Brewster residents. Thank you to Warden Doug Erickson and Select Board liaison Kari Hoffman for guiding this process and selecting such outstanding candidates from among many applicants. Thanks too to Select Board member Ned Chatelain and Town Manager Peter Lombardi for supporting and shepherding this change.
We celebrate the progress made in the past year as we circle into another spring with our beautiful alewives. Welcome home! And a perfect way to round off the month.
April 29 No fish today but we did have a Mallard couple (drake and hen) taking in the passage, foraging along the banks. They are often down there. An Osprey and an Eagle circled overhead and the Swans were nesting where they always do along the shore of Walker's. This is a habitat they rely on. (Two alewives were spotted on April 30.)