December 1
Amazing grace to see and hear the water flowing again at the Slough Pond fish passage.
Amazing grace to see and hear the water flowing again at the Slough Pond fish passage.
It was two years ago to the day that the AmeriCorps crew was last here to help at the passage, as they were today. They built on the extensive work managed by NRD's Ryan Burch over the past few weeks. But not only that, they built on the work done by the AmeriCorps crew of two years ago and the work done by Mosquito Control one year ago, nearly to the day. It is gratifying to see such commitment.
I spoke with AmeriCorps recently and queried them about their rules regarding work on private property. Chris Miller had told us, at a public meeting in the spring, their help would not be allowed here and had been a mistake to begin with. However, I was told by the AmeriCorps office that there must have been some misunderstanding; they would certainly work under the Town on any property. I'm sure everyone was as pleased as I was to hear this and certainly to get their help again here at Slough. Their work is shown here, which involved digging (!) and side casting (!) sand, though raked and flattened along the path, with leaves and pine needles cleared away beyond.
I spoke with AmeriCorps recently and queried them about their rules regarding work on private property. Chris Miller had told us, at a public meeting in the spring, their help would not be allowed here and had been a mistake to begin with. However, I was told by the AmeriCorps office that there must have been some misunderstanding; they would certainly work under the Town on any property. I'm sure everyone was as pleased as I was to hear this and certainly to get their help again here at Slough. Their work is shown here, which involved digging (!) and side casting (!) sand, though raked and flattened along the path, with leaves and pine needles cleared away beyond.
The water depth is very good along the entire passage and it is flowing, even through the culvert pipe. The path is now finally clear for the fry to out migrate. This week's rain will only make it that much easier along with the high tides and luminance of the full moon which they like to travel by. Hope to catch a glimpse of them!
And over at the pond landing gauge the level is close to 2" which supports the efforts made down at the passage. We can expect it to rise this week.
December 3
The gauge reflects an additional 1" today after yesterday's rainfall; in anticipation, the passage was closed yesterday morning and reopened this morning. There is enough depth and flow in the cleared channel that even adults could swim through, however, no juveniles were seen emigrating today.
The gauge reflects an additional 1" today after yesterday's rainfall; in anticipation, the passage was closed yesterday morning and reopened this morning. There is enough depth and flow in the cleared channel that even adults could swim through, however, no juveniles were seen emigrating today.
December 4
No sign of any fry when I visited today but there was a sign they might have been there- a Pickerel hunting from one end of the passage to the other.
No sign of any fry when I visited today but there was a sign they might have been there- a Pickerel hunting from one end of the passage to the other.
December 7
An unusual gathering of herring fry* in the passage today. Quite a large school had made it down the passage as far as the culvert pipe and then stayed there. All day. I'm curious about this as I have never witnessed it before. Are they struggling? They were all good-sized but seemed slow moving and there were possible signs of fungal spots on their skin. Did the trip down the passage with its adequately deep and free flowing water change something? Is the culvert pipe warmer, or offer concentrated oxygen or nutrients, so they are resting? I noted three fry head down the stream from this school all the way to Walker's but then turned back. This is not unusual behavior however. The water temperature in the passageway today read 40 degrees F, as it did in Walker's, though Slough was at 42 degrees. Stratification is as complete as it will be until ice forms and 39 degrees should be the average temperature at lower depths for survival. Some fish can winter over, some depart as late as December, even occasionally in January. It is possible the juveniles have been emigrating for days but these are the first I have seen since the final clearing by AmeriCorps and the good rainfall.
* After conferring with DMF, NRD, & Herring Wardens, the fish are believed to be White Perch, not herring, which was my original instinct. More later...
An unusual gathering of herring fry* in the passage today. Quite a large school had made it down the passage as far as the culvert pipe and then stayed there. All day. I'm curious about this as I have never witnessed it before. Are they struggling? They were all good-sized but seemed slow moving and there were possible signs of fungal spots on their skin. Did the trip down the passage with its adequately deep and free flowing water change something? Is the culvert pipe warmer, or offer concentrated oxygen or nutrients, so they are resting? I noted three fry head down the stream from this school all the way to Walker's but then turned back. This is not unusual behavior however. The water temperature in the passageway today read 40 degrees F, as it did in Walker's, though Slough was at 42 degrees. Stratification is as complete as it will be until ice forms and 39 degrees should be the average temperature at lower depths for survival. Some fish can winter over, some depart as late as December, even occasionally in January. It is possible the juveniles have been emigrating for days but these are the first I have seen since the final clearing by AmeriCorps and the good rainfall.
* After conferring with DMF, NRD, & Herring Wardens, the fish are believed to be White Perch, not herring, which was my original instinct. More later...
December 8
As I mentioned yesterday as a later correction- by asterisk- the professionals weighed in and the fish gathering at the culvert are not in fact herring fry but White Perch. That is a relief. Their behavior and coloring was so unusual for herring fry that it was reason for concern. Today there were even more schooling in the same area and a large flock of Herring Gulls and various water fowl by the opening at Walker's Pond possibly feasting on those that did get out, scared off by my approach. If there are any fry moving out, not sure how they will get through this Perch gauntlet in and around the culvert pipe...
As I mentioned yesterday as a later correction- by asterisk- the professionals weighed in and the fish gathering at the culvert are not in fact herring fry but White Perch. That is a relief. Their behavior and coloring was so unusual for herring fry that it was reason for concern. Today there were even more schooling in the same area and a large flock of Herring Gulls and various water fowl by the opening at Walker's Pond possibly feasting on those that did get out, scared off by my approach. If there are any fry moving out, not sure how they will get through this Perch gauntlet in and around the culvert pipe...
December 10
Whatever was happening with the White Perch has seen its day. They have come and gone, except for a few stragglers moving up and down the passage. The sandbag weir seems to have been adjusted in the past day or so. The water level is still good and the current flowing strong with a wind moving across the pond. That very wind and higher temperatures have worked on the ice that formed in the ponds on Monday. That too is gone.
The APCC released its State of the Waters Report for 2025 today.
Whatever was happening with the White Perch has seen its day. They have come and gone, except for a few stragglers moving up and down the passage. The sandbag weir seems to have been adjusted in the past day or so. The water level is still good and the current flowing strong with a wind moving across the pond. That very wind and higher temperatures have worked on the ice that formed in the ponds on Monday. That too is gone.
The APCC released its State of the Waters Report for 2025 today.
December 15
First snow.
First snow.
December 17
The water is still flowing well in the passage and although there is ice on both ponds a good thaw has taken place. I am of the opinion that the juvenile herring are long-gone, having departed when no one was looking. And the Perch made good assistants scouring out the clogged culvert pipe during their tenure.
The water is still flowing well in the passage and although there is ice on both ponds a good thaw has taken place. I am of the opinion that the juvenile herring are long-gone, having departed when no one was looking. And the Perch made good assistants scouring out the clogged culvert pipe during their tenure.
December 21
Celebrating the Winter Solstice today and all the holidays that honor the return of the light on the wheel of the year.
Celebrating the Winter Solstice today and all the holidays that honor the return of the light on the wheel of the year.
December 28
Winter has closed in early on Slough Pond this year; it is more like January than December. The Mallards had only two open spots in the ice today and were joined there by a solitary and diminutive Eurasian Teal. There was a fox on our dock the other night and the Canada Goose (pictured on December 3) who had taken up residence here since October, unable to fly, has since disappeared. I do not know how or where she found her end. There is a singular beauty to the starkness, the bare simplicity, of the winter months and yet the hardship faced daily by our wildlife can be difficult to observe so closely. I admire and cherish these brave souls.
Winter has closed in early on Slough Pond this year; it is more like January than December. The Mallards had only two open spots in the ice today and were joined there by a solitary and diminutive Eurasian Teal. There was a fox on our dock the other night and the Canada Goose (pictured on December 3) who had taken up residence here since October, unable to fly, has since disappeared. I do not know how or where she found her end. There is a singular beauty to the starkness, the bare simplicity, of the winter months and yet the hardship faced daily by our wildlife can be difficult to observe so closely. I admire and cherish these brave souls.
December 31 ~ The Year-End Review
Thinking back on the year, it was a difficult one in so many ways, covered extensively through the monthly posts. But let's review some of the quarterly highlights.
January~ March: For the alewives of Slough Pond, 2025 got off to a slow start. In the first three months we experienced lingering reaction to the (good) work accomplished last December by the (authorized) Cape Cod Mosquito Control Project crew. Their arduous work came to no good effect as the passage was then blocked by warden Doug Erickson in December (though he did not admit this until late February); the work having raised his ire and that of the NRD and their agent for the ConCom. It took some time for that to settle out with various public and private meetings between parties and included the resignation of a warden who was not allowed to work at the passage in March (he returned to his wardenship in the fall). There was a surprise on February 28th, which I had almost forgotten about, when schools of little fry made their way out over the barricade, along the passage, and hopefully out to sea. On March 30, a NRD staffer and an Environmental Police Officer appeared at my door, no doubt in reaction to my repeated attempts to call attention to the preparatory work that needed to be done. Outreach to Town officials, including the Town manager, and various stakeholders ensued, on my part and others, and brought some attention to our passage and its management. Then there was a turning point.
Thinking back on the year, it was a difficult one in so many ways, covered extensively through the monthly posts. But let's review some of the quarterly highlights.
January~ March: For the alewives of Slough Pond, 2025 got off to a slow start. In the first three months we experienced lingering reaction to the (good) work accomplished last December by the (authorized) Cape Cod Mosquito Control Project crew. Their arduous work came to no good effect as the passage was then blocked by warden Doug Erickson in December (though he did not admit this until late February); the work having raised his ire and that of the NRD and their agent for the ConCom. It took some time for that to settle out with various public and private meetings between parties and included the resignation of a warden who was not allowed to work at the passage in March (he returned to his wardenship in the fall). There was a surprise on February 28th, which I had almost forgotten about, when schools of little fry made their way out over the barricade, along the passage, and hopefully out to sea. On March 30, a NRD staffer and an Environmental Police Officer appeared at my door, no doubt in reaction to my repeated attempts to call attention to the preparatory work that needed to be done. Outreach to Town officials, including the Town manager, and various stakeholders ensued, on my part and others, and brought some attention to our passage and its management. Then there was a turning point.
April ~ June: The AC had voted to maintain the passage for migrants this year at their march meeting but that actual work came late. By late April the spring migrants had arrived. The alewives came, waited, couldn't get through, then could, then couldn't, then could. A remarkable change of commitment occurred when the NRD created an array of staggered sandbags along the channel, which built over the weeks to take the place of digging of shoaled sand, usually allowed by permit, that became an issue for the department's agent and the NRD. This management effort did have a good, though delayed, effect. The class of 2025 fry were spotted in Slough on late May as enough adults had spawned successfully against these difficult odds. The migration was strong.
July ~ September: So, it was an eventful spring, followed by a quiet dry summer. Thousands of fry were seen circling in the pond through these months though the passage was too dry for them to emigrate.
October ~ December: The fall brought more progress. There were a total of six AC meetings this year, a first for the committee, now chaired by Abigail Archer. These meetings were highly organized, professional, productive, and informative; public comments and questions were welcomed. Accomplishments include a revised mission statement and warden job description, and the addition of two more wardens to the committee adopted through these months. The Division of Marine Fisheries biologist Brad Chase completed his two-year Habitat Study and brought his preliminary recommendations to the committee, a joint meeting with the Natural Resources Advisory Commission. He advises, and hopes for, restoration of the Slough Pond passage which he finds critical to the herring migration in the Stony Brook Watershed. We remain grateful to the NRAC for commissioning his study. In December, AmeriCorps were re-engaged, after some earlier confusion, and cleared the passage for the migrating fry to leave and to prepare for the spring. No fry were seen departing over the fall months. There was sand and leaf debris in the passage early on and rainfall was intermittent. Once the passage was cleared, and the sand bags shifted in and out, the way was open for them. Though none were seen emigrating it doesn't mean none did.
Now we are iced in, dreaming of spring and hoping for more positive improvements in the coming year. We will have to wait and see.
Now we are iced in, dreaming of spring and hoping for more positive improvements in the coming year. We will have to wait and see.
