July 1
A walk along the fish passage reveals most of it has dried up as it does every summer, although there is still water in various places. The juvenile alewives born in Slough Pond this migratory season usually spend three months feeding and growing in size and strength. The first adults arrive to spawn in late April which gives us the timetable of mid- August into the fall for their departure, water levels permitting. Some depart as late as December with no harm. The juvenile birth and departure timetable varies from that at the fish ladder where they spawn in the Mill Ponds starting in March. The passage has been blocked for several weeks now to prevent entrance or exit during this dry period.
An Alewife Committee meeting has been scheduled for Tuesday, July 7th @ 5pm at the Town Hall and virtually. Slough Pond will be discussed briefly but the main focus of the meeting will be on the potential introduction of a herring harvest in Brewster. Link here.
A walk along the fish passage reveals most of it has dried up as it does every summer, although there is still water in various places. The juvenile alewives born in Slough Pond this migratory season usually spend three months feeding and growing in size and strength. The first adults arrive to spawn in late April which gives us the timetable of mid- August into the fall for their departure, water levels permitting. Some depart as late as December with no harm. The juvenile birth and departure timetable varies from that at the fish ladder where they spawn in the Mill Ponds starting in March. The passage has been blocked for several weeks now to prevent entrance or exit during this dry period.
An Alewife Committee meeting has been scheduled for Tuesday, July 7th @ 5pm at the Town Hall and virtually. Slough Pond will be discussed briefly but the main focus of the meeting will be on the potential introduction of a herring harvest in Brewster. Link here.
July 9
After the rain... the passage is filled with a good level of water except for the area below the culvert where there are sandy shoals, however it is NOT time to open the passage for the fry to depart, in my opinion.* Some have expressed concern for the fry in Slough Pond but if you know anything about alewives you know that the fry need time to grow in size and strength before heading out to sea. The fry in Slough are only a month old and they need at least three months to prepare for their journey. Are they being eaten- sure, they are a keystone species in the food chain, adults and juveniles alike, supporting the vast biodiversity in this habitat and keeping it vital and healthy. Recall that there is only a need for a 3% escapement rate for the survival of the species. There are thousands of fry schooling in the pond; it is their nursery.
*But let the experts weigh in. I am not a wildlife biologist, neither are the wardens or the NRD staff for that matter, but having been tutored by my dear friend naturalist John Hay, I have been observing the herring of Brewster for 25 years now. As I said in the recent meeting, I am not worried about the fry, they are resilient creatures.
Here is a link to the July 7th, Alewife Committee Meeting.
July 10
The passage was not opened to take advantage of the recent windfall of rain and that was a smart move. The work would have been hard and hurried and most likely unnecessary. Though there was still water present in the passage today, there were many low spots and many dry areas along with a new accumulation of pond scum, for lack of a better term. No fish today. A walk along the path revealed the first buds of the lovely Pepper Weed and the work ahead.
Of Note: An Alewife Committee Meeting has been scheduled for Monday, August 24th, with guest speaker DMF's Brad Chase... more later.
The passage was not opened to take advantage of the recent windfall of rain and that was a smart move. The work would have been hard and hurried and most likely unnecessary. Though there was still water present in the passage today, there were many low spots and many dry areas along with a new accumulation of pond scum, for lack of a better term. No fish today. A walk along the path revealed the first buds of the lovely Pepper Weed and the work ahead.
Of Note: An Alewife Committee Meeting has been scheduled for Monday, August 24th, with guest speaker DMF's Brad Chase... more later.
July 19
At first glance they did seem much smaller than the alewives I saw ten days ago, yet, they were schooling and circling in a similar manner, in great numbers. After closer inspection, I believe they were Mummichogs, which we have seen here before. Note the small size, coloration, faint stripes, and lack of black "dot" or circle behind their eyes. I could be mistaken and there may have been alewife fry mixed in with them. If you look back to July 10th, above, I believe you can see a noticeable difference between the two schools of fish.
Nevertheless, it is heartening to see such vibrant new life in the pond and Mummichugs are considered a beneficial species. Their tolerance for adverse conditions apparently make them useful for scientific study; also, they consume great quantities of mosquitos.
July 22
Below, the sandbags at work on erosion control from runoff down the dirt road. The road has just enough of an incline, even as it turns a corner and becomes a path, that it channels debris directly into the culvert at the fish passage. It has long been a problem. It was not properly addressed with full sandbag barriers until last November, 2025; the line of four bags placed in April of that year being insufficient. I was told recently that I focus on problems over good works and that may well be for there are a number of problems needing attention. However, since last November, earnest, focused, and good work has led to some successes, nevertheless, ones that require maintenance now and again.
I did not venture out today so the following photographs were taken yesterday morning after the storms of the weekend and before last night's torrential downpours. We have been subject to torrential rains lately and no doubt we will continue to face them in the future. Even so, the passage had little water in most areas, more like puddles, with mud, in some places, completely dry in others. This is not unusual in mid-summer.
The proposed, and hopefully supported and executed, restoration of the fish passage into Slough Pond does include attending to the erosion and runoff at the deteriorated culvert (possibly eliminating it) as well as water management along the passage and at the mouth of the pond (note present sandbag management pictured).
The working plan at present was begun in May of 2025. There had been three burlap bags installed in the fall of 2023 after work completed by AmeriCorps, with installation intensified in November of 2025. Recall that in December of '24, after routine management conducted by Mosquito Control, the passage was blocked with several sandbags and piles of rocks by wardens; screens and wood barriers have appeared and then been removed between '23 and '26.
April, 2023. Things seemed so much simpler then even if work was still required.
July 24
A cyanobacteria alert was posted by the Town of Brewster for Walker's Pond today. Walker's often sees blooms by mid-summer. Slough Pond is not effected but keep an eye out. Pictured below is the public landing at Walker's off of Slough Road, note the green hue to the water.
A cyanobacteria alert was posted by the Town of Brewster for Walker's Pond today. Walker's often sees blooms by mid-summer. Slough Pond is not effected but keep an eye out. Pictured below is the public landing at Walker's off of Slough Road, note the green hue to the water.
July 30
As we round out the month another notice from the Town, the Brewster Ponds Management Plan (link), just compiled, published, and distributed by the Natural Resources Advisory Commission. At 87 pages, it is a long read, comprehensive and ambitious, and well-worth taking some time with.
As we round out the month another notice from the Town, the Brewster Ponds Management Plan (link), just compiled, published, and distributed by the Natural Resources Advisory Commission. At 87 pages, it is a long read, comprehensive and ambitious, and well-worth taking some time with.