Important July News
The Town of Brewster's Natural Resources Advisory Commission meeting, in conjunction with the Alewife Committee, was held on Thursday, July 13 @ 6pm. Brad Chase, Biologist with the MA Division of Marine Fisheries and Director of the Diadromous Fish Project presented information on herring run management with a special focus on the Slough/Walker passage. Video link.
July 1
Holiday wild life sightings, as opposed to Wildlife. The summer months bring recreationists to the pond, swimmers, fishermen, kayakers, paddle boarders, canoeists, inflatables, paddle boats, low power dinghies (3hp). Any thing that floats. Some visitors (Brewster beach sticker required at the public landing) and residents just like to sit and relax along the shore. It is a quiet and peaceful pond, loved by many. Have I mentioned how clean it is? The APCC, with volunteers from the Brewster Ponds Coalition, test the ponds on a bi-weekly basis throughout the summer (findings here.) There is a rustic camp across the pond too, on many acres of land, that hosts inner city kids and their joyful laughter rings across the waters. There is always room enough for Wildlife, though they seek their wilder havens, and the wildness of well-behaved dogs if they are lucky enough to live on the pond, otherwise prohibited.
The Town of Brewster's Natural Resources Advisory Commission meeting, in conjunction with the Alewife Committee, was held on Thursday, July 13 @ 6pm. Brad Chase, Biologist with the MA Division of Marine Fisheries and Director of the Diadromous Fish Project presented information on herring run management with a special focus on the Slough/Walker passage. Video link.
July 1
Holiday wild life sightings, as opposed to Wildlife. The summer months bring recreationists to the pond, swimmers, fishermen, kayakers, paddle boarders, canoeists, inflatables, paddle boats, low power dinghies (3hp). Any thing that floats. Some visitors (Brewster beach sticker required at the public landing) and residents just like to sit and relax along the shore. It is a quiet and peaceful pond, loved by many. Have I mentioned how clean it is? The APCC, with volunteers from the Brewster Ponds Coalition, test the ponds on a bi-weekly basis throughout the summer (findings here.) There is a rustic camp across the pond too, on many acres of land, that hosts inner city kids and their joyful laughter rings across the waters. There is always room enough for Wildlife, though they seek their wilder havens, and the wildness of well-behaved dogs if they are lucky enough to live on the pond, otherwise prohibited.
July 4
A little red, white, and blue...
A little red, white, and blue...
July 8
Yours truly pictured at the Brewster Conservation Day, July 8, at Drummer Boy Park. The event is sponsored by the Brewster Conservation Trust, the Brewster Natural Resources Department, and the Brewster Ponds Coalition. In the image, I am being shown how to make a corn husk doll by Paula Peters at the Native Lands Conservancy booth. The still is from a short video, A Seed Planted: the Story of the BCT.
Yours truly pictured at the Brewster Conservation Day, July 8, at Drummer Boy Park. The event is sponsored by the Brewster Conservation Trust, the Brewster Natural Resources Department, and the Brewster Ponds Coalition. In the image, I am being shown how to make a corn husk doll by Paula Peters at the Native Lands Conservancy booth. The still is from a short video, A Seed Planted: the Story of the BCT.
July 16
Deep Time Considerations...
We are grateful for the invitation extended by the Natural Resources Advisory Commission last week to Biologist Brad Chase to advise them on Herring Management issues, as this is his particular expertise of 40 years. (But even 40 years is nothing in deep time.) It is a great step forward in the public process we have advocated for since the announcement, in February, of the potential closure of the Walker's Pond/Slough Pond fish passage. This closure would have, and might still, eliminate this freshwater pond habitat from the annual migration of this keystone species who have used this passageway into Slough Pond, a prime spawning nursery, for 100- 200 years. These are serious decisions, not to be made by a few, and require further study and due diligence by experts in the field. We believe this public presentation is a step in that direction. We hope it will continue.
In matters of such deep weight and heft, such as changing the balance of an entire ecosystem, a council of experts must be gathered for their advice; matters of Deep Time, as John McPhee termed them, are what the ethic of ecology turn on.
Deep Time Considerations...
We are grateful for the invitation extended by the Natural Resources Advisory Commission last week to Biologist Brad Chase to advise them on Herring Management issues, as this is his particular expertise of 40 years. (But even 40 years is nothing in deep time.) It is a great step forward in the public process we have advocated for since the announcement, in February, of the potential closure of the Walker's Pond/Slough Pond fish passage. This closure would have, and might still, eliminate this freshwater pond habitat from the annual migration of this keystone species who have used this passageway into Slough Pond, a prime spawning nursery, for 100- 200 years. These are serious decisions, not to be made by a few, and require further study and due diligence by experts in the field. We believe this public presentation is a step in that direction. We hope it will continue.
In matters of such deep weight and heft, such as changing the balance of an entire ecosystem, a council of experts must be gathered for their advice; matters of Deep Time, as John McPhee termed them, are what the ethic of ecology turn on.
This video is reposted from last month, as a visual reminder: In late June, thousands of alewife fry are pictured here heading out to sea through the Slough/Walkers passageway, after being born in Slough Pond this spring. On a fin and a prayer, they are intrepid survivors. Intelligent and instinctive. Beautiful, and deserving, as all wildlife is, of our protection. Some people have referred to this passageway as a "dried up ditch" which I have always found deeply offensive, as well as untrue, if properly maintained, even in low rainfall seasons- because, it is, in fact, their pathway home.
July 18
There is still a good level of water in the passageway. No activity however. A line of sandbags has been placed on the dirt road that leads down to the passage. Hopefully just the beginning of attention being paid to the stormwater run off that impacts the run with heavy erosion and sand accumulations and whatever the rainwater carries into the wetland. Runoff debris already seems to have crested the line.
There is still a good level of water in the passageway. No activity however. A line of sandbags has been placed on the dirt road that leads down to the passage. Hopefully just the beginning of attention being paid to the stormwater run off that impacts the run with heavy erosion and sand accumulations and whatever the rainwater carries into the wetland. Runoff debris already seems to have crested the line.
Slough passageway late July.
July 19 - 31
We end the month of July with no further departures of fry or adult alewives and a significantly dryer, though not totally dry, stream bed; until the tail end of the month. This is perfectly normal every year at this time, with the exception of last year's drought which caused more significant conditions. There was still standing water of some depth here and there, diminishing over time with lack of rainfall. Other sections hosted only a rivulet of water, some nearly dry. And at the entrance from Walker's and the headwaters of Slough, there was some daily movement of water in and out due to wind activity. (Photos below courtesy Steve Spear.)
We end the month of July with no further departures of fry or adult alewives and a significantly dryer, though not totally dry, stream bed; until the tail end of the month. This is perfectly normal every year at this time, with the exception of last year's drought which caused more significant conditions. There was still standing water of some depth here and there, diminishing over time with lack of rainfall. Other sections hosted only a rivulet of water, some nearly dry. And at the entrance from Walker's and the headwaters of Slough, there was some daily movement of water in and out due to wind activity. (Photos below courtesy Steve Spear.)
As we transition into August, we are awaiting word from the Natural Resources Advisory Commission on their recommendations for the Slough fish passage (following deliberations after their July 13 public meeting). We expect this will be made public at their earliest convenience (perhaps their August 13 meeting) and subsequently an announcement regarding those recommendations from the Town and their decision on how best to move forward. We expect this will fall within the parameters for a timely and workable plan for the late fall of this year and early spring of 2024. There are several options that can be taken and several next steps for us depending on their decision.