July 1
ANNOUNCEMENT:
An Alewife Committee Meeting is now scheduled for Tuesday, July 8 @ 5pm at the Brewster Town Hall and virtually. See attachments below for documents related to the Agenda . Virtual Link here.
Mission Statement and Management Plan
JULY is Habitat Month at NOAA. Please check out all their good work and support this important organization.
The Class of '25 includes a wide ranging diversity of life on Slough Pond, all interconnected. Here is an earnest duckling from a family of 6, once 7. There is one other family of 4, once 9. Mallard hens are incredible mothers, protecting and teaching their broods, tirelessly.
ANNOUNCEMENT:
An Alewife Committee Meeting is now scheduled for Tuesday, July 8 @ 5pm at the Brewster Town Hall and virtually. See attachments below for documents related to the Agenda . Virtual Link here.
Mission Statement and Management Plan
JULY is Habitat Month at NOAA. Please check out all their good work and support this important organization.
The Class of '25 includes a wide ranging diversity of life on Slough Pond, all interconnected. Here is an earnest duckling from a family of 6, once 7. There is one other family of 4, once 9. Mallard hens are incredible mothers, protecting and teaching their broods, tirelessly.
I recently learned that there is a freshwater mussel called the Alewife Floater which has a particular relationship with our ponds' alewife population. A fascinating talk was given by MassWildlfe at the APCC's beautiful new barn last Friday. The intricacy and interrelationship of our biodiversity is a fascinating subject. APCC is honing its Biodiversity initiative and calls on all citizen scientists to participate.
July 7
Please see July 1st posting above for Agenda items and link to Alewife Committee Meeting Tuesday @ 5pm.
Please see July 1st posting above for Agenda items and link to Alewife Committee Meeting Tuesday @ 5pm.
July 9
Here is the link to the video of yesterday's AC meeting. An interesting one, but I'll reserve my comments for now.
Meanwhile, the alewife fry are circling daily in the summer pond and yesterday both the Brewster Ponds Coalition and the APCC were out testing the waters. The Slough fish passage is nearly dry, the gauge below any reading, as water levels drop in the ponds and their streams every summer, in the natural order of things. The passage has been impassable and completely blocked off since at least June 15th.
Here is the link to the video of yesterday's AC meeting. An interesting one, but I'll reserve my comments for now.
Meanwhile, the alewife fry are circling daily in the summer pond and yesterday both the Brewster Ponds Coalition and the APCC were out testing the waters. The Slough fish passage is nearly dry, the gauge below any reading, as water levels drop in the ponds and their streams every summer, in the natural order of things. The passage has been impassable and completely blocked off since at least June 15th.
Although the addition of staggered sand bags along the passage, and opening and closing the passage (a management plan come to late in the migration season after some push-back) did help the migrating adult alewives (and was a herculean effort) it was not nearly as good a migration this year as last, when the passageway was cleared in the fall and spring and thereby maintained.
Hopefully the temporary sandbag weir at Slough can be replaced with a permanent structure as a commitment to this migratory route, and the habitat and alewife nursery it sustains, along with seasonal clearing. After more than two years, this question has not been answered, although progress has been made. It is clear that there is still opposition to this option by at least one member of the committee. And, as predicted, there was a complaint that there is not enough "manpower" to continue the practice of this year in the future. We agree that it is not a sustainable practice and should be replaced with something that is, and that is NOT closure. We look to the DMF's study next spring for their recommendations and hope to hear more about the study in the coming months, as it ends in September, when our "class of '25" in Slough Pond begins its outmigration to join their family at sea.
Hopefully the temporary sandbag weir at Slough can be replaced with a permanent structure as a commitment to this migratory route, and the habitat and alewife nursery it sustains, along with seasonal clearing. After more than two years, this question has not been answered, although progress has been made. It is clear that there is still opposition to this option by at least one member of the committee. And, as predicted, there was a complaint that there is not enough "manpower" to continue the practice of this year in the future. We agree that it is not a sustainable practice and should be replaced with something that is, and that is NOT closure. We look to the DMF's study next spring for their recommendations and hope to hear more about the study in the coming months, as it ends in September, when our "class of '25" in Slough Pond begins its outmigration to join their family at sea.
July 10
A cyanobacteria advisory has been posted for Lower Mill Pond. One is already in effect for Upper Mill Pond. Walker's Pond often has these advisories but none as been posted as of this date- we did receive confirmation from APCC last month that the initial sign of one was present but then dissipated. There has not been any issue this year or in fact any year for Slough Pond- a consistently healthy pond. After two days of heavy rain the pond level has risen and is thus recorded on the gauge.
A cyanobacteria advisory has been posted for Lower Mill Pond. One is already in effect for Upper Mill Pond. Walker's Pond often has these advisories but none as been posted as of this date- we did receive confirmation from APCC last month that the initial sign of one was present but then dissipated. There has not been any issue this year or in fact any year for Slough Pond- a consistently healthy pond. After two days of heavy rain the pond level has risen and is thus recorded on the gauge.
July 12
What a difference an inch of rain makes raising the water table and the pond level and filling in the passage- still blocked and impassable however for the fry.
What a difference an inch of rain makes raising the water table and the pond level and filling in the passage- still blocked and impassable however for the fry.
July 16
The deadline for responding to the Town's Pond Survey is July 31. Please participate. Link here.
The deadline for responding to the Town's Pond Survey is July 31. Please participate. Link here.
July 22
Field notes.
Field notes.
