June 1 As we ponder the big picture questions we raised last month, there are more immediate ones.
What will be the fate of the adult alewives now "stuck" (to use the term some employ) in Slough Pond? Will they suffer the same fate as the stranded 12? Words are so important, I often say. Stranded was the right word for the situation with the 12 (see Journal, May 5-17) who didn't make it, but is stuck the right word for the hundreds in Slough now? They still have options, so there is a difference. Many adults spawn and leave immediately back to sea but many others stay, not stuck, yet anyway, but staying in the ponds to replenish their strength. How long can they stay in the pond without compromising their health (reports vary on adults but the fry will be fine)? They belong in and to the sea and will try to head out as soon as they are ready to and when the water level is deep enough for their passage. Will we let nature take its course, even if we have interfered with nature? What is our responsibility to them? At this point in time, what will help and what will hinder their survival? Questions such as these on stewardship are global in nature and how we respond differs from individual to community to nation. Right here in our own back yard we should be prepared to assist their departure over the next several months.
For us, what it comes down to is this: If we had blocked their entrance this year, they would not be "stuck" now, or unable to easily depart; if we had maintained the passageway in optimal condition, they would not be "stuck" now, or unable to freely depart. Now it is up to us to decide what to do. For my part, I am simply documenting events, advocating perhaps, but not interfering. If the "plan" is to continue the present practice, witnessed over the past three months, then all I can do is hope it rains, a lot, and if not this month then throughout the fall.
June 2 Walked the fishway with another colleague this morning. There are no longer schools of adults circling and entering at the mouth of the passageway at Slough. The water is no longer running as it was Tuesday after the Mosquito Control team dug it out, 6 inches in depth and 12 yards down into the passage. We made the sad discovery of a dead alewife and its companion who, never the less, had attempted to enter the stream and floundered on the sandy shoals. There were no predation marks on them. According to various studies, fish die of asphyxiation (suffocation) when taken out of water and because it can take a fish over an hour to die, 55-250 minutes, creating or allowing these conditions to transpire would be considered inhumane (Wikipedia).
June 6 There has been little activity down at the fishway. There is some water in the channel but it is not flowing and there are no alewives present, though they are still in the pond. Meanwhile, there has been activity elsewhere.
Yesterday, the Cape Cod Ponds Network, a partnership between the APCC and the Cape Cod Commission, announced that 50 ponds, out of the Cape's 890 ponds, have been chosen for a three year environmental study. Slough Pond is one of the ponds chosen for their study. See Resources for more.
Today, the Town of Brewster posted a notice that the next Alewife Committee meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, June 13, at 12 noon. It is an open meeting, in person and virtual, and it will be recorded. Please attend if possible. Link
June 8 Nothing but mud. It is a sorrowful sight. In fact, someone told me recently it is too painful for them to go down there, a guilty conscience.
And yet, there is still hope. The run is over for this year but the adult alewives that reached Slough Pond this season can safely summer over along with the alewife fry. We will need a short term plan to allow them safe passageway out to sea in the fall and we will need a long term plan for their future. The data I have gathered since March may provide evidence that the passageway should be closed, to some, but to others evidence of its poor management. Experts have offered advice, manpower, and finances. It is up to the Alewife Committee to accept their expertise and their help and to join with the other towns across the Cape who are protecting and preserving all of their fishways. It is within their power to decide either way, but should a committee of three be the sole arbiters of a decision with such far reaching consequences, even under the guidance of the three person Natural Resources Department (who we cannot expect to be experts on everything, notwithstanding the good work they do)? I knew Dana Condit who was Brewster's head alewife warden for 40 years and often saw him down at the passage. Though aware of the challenges of the Walker/Slough fishway (which he complained about, yes, and yes we do face new challenges today) he never closed it and respected the protection of herring runs in our state. I believe it is true that since his retirement, and subsequent death in 2020, unfortunately, we have seen its neglect, but maybe I'm mistaken. The restoration project scheduled at the mill fish ladder will be of little avail if access to the healthiest spawning grounds, such as Slough Pond, are not preserved, not only for the optimal health of the pond, to which they contribute, but to the future health of the herring population and the entire ecosystem. I urge you to attend the Alewife Committee meeting Tuesday, June 13th @ noon, in person or virtually.
~ Beannacht/ Blessing ~
May the nourishment of the earth be yours, may the clarity of light be yours, may the fluency of the ocean be yours, may the protection of the ancestors be yours.
And so may a slow wind work these words of love around you, an invisible cloak to mind your life. - John O'Donohue
June 13 The Alewife Committee meeting was held today at the Town offices and also remotely. There was a good turnout in person and virtually. The agenda included three items, a review of 2023, the plan for 2024, and the acceptance of the minutes from the 2/23/'23 meeting. Warden, and Chair of the committee, Doug Erickson read a narrative he'd written on the 2023 run with a touch of history. His review of the plan for 2024 was simply that it would be a continuation of this year's practice including the monitoring of the Slough Pond connection. He does not support keeping the passageway open and stated the intention to screen the entrance to the Slough Pond passage at Walker's.* He took only one comment from an attendee who expressed deep concerns about the Slough Pond passageway management and its future. He took a second comment from an attendee, myself, only after initial resistance, saying that the comment period was closed. Warden Gary Kaser, also a member of the Conservation Commission, expressed his opposition to the opinions of the chair in regard to the Walker/Slough connection and his hope that we would consider the management plan suggested by MA Div. of Marine Fisheries Biologist Brad Chase. The Chair did not take any other comments though there were people who wanted to comment in person and virtually and he called for a vote to end the meeting, which was taken and the committee left. We were bewildered to say the least. It was a poorly conducted, unprofessional open meeting, even if the Committee Chair is unaccustomed to holding meetings, he represents the Town. Ten people in attendance stayed and continued the discussion off the record, rather amicably I'd add, including a Select Board member, two Natural Resources staff, the chair of the NRD Advisory Commission, two members of the Brewster Ponds Coalition, one a member of the NRD Advisory Commission, a member of the Board of Health & Barnstable County Cape Cod Extension, and neighborhood landowners. The video recording of the June 13, 2023 Alewife Committee Meeting: link here. The video recording of the February 23, 2023 Alewife Committee Meeting: link here. (As it might be helpful to revisit the first meeting, posted earlier on this site under Fact Findings, and as we do not have the minutes at this time.)
*It is our position, as stated before, that all sides of the issue should be heard, respected, and analyzed with current scientific data, not silenced or dismissed with unsupportable arguments; that the consequences of closing the long established Walker/Slough passage to herring migration will have far reaching and lasting consequences, some unknowable, on the entire watershed, habitat, and the future health of the herring population- Slough Pond being the healthiest nursery for spawning. The passageway has been part of the migratory route for at least a century and quite possibly much longer. Although subject to increasing and diminishing water levels, as all passageways are, it is not a "dried up ditch" as it has been referred to repeatedly and disrespectfully We have been committed to protecting and restoring the declining herring population on their migratory journeys since the moratorium went into effect statewide in 2004. It has met with success yet is still threatened. Many individuals and organizations are dedicated to doing this hard work across the state and Cape-wide. Herring management in the 21st century faces many challenges that should be met head on, with flexibility, not rigidity; not by turning our backs on these challenges, but by meeting them with the due diligence and commitment they call for.
A decision on closure of the head-water pond to the Paine's Creek estuary for a keystone species such as the alewife should not be made by one or two members of the Alewife Committee, or one or two members of the Natural Resources Department, in isolation, without input from a broad array of seasoned experts and interested members of the public, in public process. The NRD, with all its good work, and AC, with its, are acting for the Town and the Town is responsible for their oversight for the entire community of Brewster and the integrity of the environmental ethic we are committed to. Keeping in mind the issue of trust in our Town governance, and the great public interest in the local environment, so sorely tested in the last year, we expect a more open and transparent process. We look forward to the open meeting of the Natural Resources Advisory Commission, presently scheduled for July 13th, for more detailed and participatory dialogue with the committee and its guest speaker biologist Brad Chase, of the Massachusetts Department of Marine Fisheries, and Director of the Diandromous Fish Project, for the broader perspective he can provide which might inform them in their advisory role.
The decision to "monitor" the passage this past spring, 2023, seemed designed to fail- the advice of the MA Div. of Marine Fisheries and the Natural Resources Conservation Service for a cooperative management plan was not accepted and the necessary maintenance of the passageway was not allowed. This resulted in conditions that were far from optimal for the migrating herring and in some cases caused them suffering. The decision to "monitor" the passage once again in 2024 under the same conditions is therefore unacceptable.
June 16 The Pond Summit 2023, hosted by the Brewster Ponds Coalition and the Town of Brewster, was held this morning at the Brewster Baptist Church. It was very well attended and quite informative. The summit was the second collaborative effort between the Town and the Coalition to raise awareness in the community on water quality issues effecting our 82 ponds. So much good work is being done across the Cape to protect our environment, habitats, biodiversity, and resources by so many highly qualified individuals and organizations- it is inspiring. There is a lot of work to be done that requires commitment and initiative, partnerships and collaboration. The video recording link.
June 19 Alewife fry, or fingerlings, schooling in Slough Pond this morning. Of the five fresh water ponds that connect to each other and form the nexus of spawning grounds to the herring migrating in from Stony Brook and up the fish ladder, only two are considered healthy ponds, Upper Mill and Slough, Slough being the healthiest. This makes it the healthiest nursery for healthy herring which will help sustain a strong population for the future. The fry will grow stronger and larger over the summer months (generally 3-4 months) and be ready to emigrate to the sea sometime this fall when the water level in the passageway is at least 2-3 inches, though some do leave as early as June. (We have video of fry departing as late as November.) This generation of immature alewives, born in April or May, will call Slough Pond home and return in three to four years once reaching their maturity at sea, when they too are ready to spawn. The adults who circle in the pond with them now will need the water level in the passageway to be double the depth the fry need. We have hope they will have that this fall. Meanwhile, June is a brilliant month, full of renewed life, the very air redolent with wild roses and rich with bird song. The silence of winter is forgotten with time's pendulum swing as we approach the summer solstice, light's meridian. Every evening the Fowler's toad sing in high excitement and bull frogs chant their old pond song. Occasionally there are the wolf-like howls of coyotes piercing the night as they move through the dark woods across the pond.
June bird sightings reflect the importance of alewives in the food chain on Slough Pond. Along with other birds, besides waterfowl, amphibians, plants, reptiles, mammals, and insects are all an integral part of the food pyramid, sustaining the web of life through its vibrant biodiversity; all contribute to maintaining the pond's balance. Although the presence of various waterfowl varies from month to month, in June we see more: Osprey, Eagles, Kingfishers, Green Herons, Black-crowned Night Herons, Gray Herons, Great egrets, Mallards, Swans (occasionally), Canada Geese, Swallows (insect eaters), Terns, Gulls, Cormorants, various hawks. The Buffleheads, Mergansers, Wood Ducks, Coots, and Loons, have moved on for now. The presence of herring, adults and their young (through their life cycle from egg to fingerling), March through November, are a dependable and invaluable food source for vertebrates and invertebrates alike, as they once were for humans. But alewives contribute to the healthy balance of the pond ecosystem in other ways, by eating plankton, zooplankton (animal) and phytoplankton (plant), algae, planktonic, filamentous, and macro algae (dinoflagellates being a personal favorite), small crustaceans, like mollusks, copepods, and prawns, and aquatic insects (up to 5,000 species). A healthy balance in a pond habitat, which includes all of the above, can help prevent troublesome blue-green algae cyanobacteria blooms from forming, as long as there is not an excess of nitrogen from outside sources. The natural process of photosynthesis gives life to aquatic plants, but an overgrowth can lead to toxicity and low oxygen levels in the pond. Additionally, some studies show that alewives can, could, or may contribute to protecting a pond from carbon loading as they sequester carbon in their bodies and carry it out of the pond, although this depends on the original health of the pond, the number of herring present, their size and duration of stay, and weather, which makes studies inconclusive at this time. There are the intangibles of course. It should go without saying that I am not a scientist and this is just how I understand things. One tangible piece of the scientific puzzle however, is that Slough Pond is the healthiest pond in Brewster.
June 20 ~ 30 This period has seen significant rainfall, at least 6 inches over a twelve day period, the 17th through the 29th, with two or three torrential downpours. It was enough rain to keep the water level in the passageway flowing and deep enough for some fish passage. There was more erosion on the bank by the culvert pipe added to by storm water runoff from the dirt road, filling the channel with sand accumulations, but the water flowed around it.
A few notable events. The sand and debris after a hard rain can be seen in the first photo below, taken June 28. It runs directly into the passage by the culvert and collects there. It has not been dug out this year at all, perhaps not in the past three years at least. The second image, June 21, shows the passageway at its head by Slough Pond- the digging that was done there on May 30 by the crew from Barnstable County Mosquito Control created an unimpeded flow from the pond which, once the rains began, set the stage. The third photo shows one of the Black-crowned Night Herons, June 21, whose presence alerted me to the alewives moving through the passageway, shown in the fourth photo (herons find fry easier to catch). Walker's Pond is the fifth photo showing the signs of possible cyanobacteria that have been noted by APCC already this summer. The clarity of Slough Pond is shown in the final photo.
I recorded these schools of alewife fry below on June 20 & 21. Mother Nature couldn't have created a more beautiful summer solstice ceremony, to my eyes, than this sight in our beloved stream- the hopeful ritual of life's renewal, over against its many obstacles. Smaller groups, hardly schools, travelled through in the days that followed. By the 27th they were gone. They took advantage of the increased water levels in the passageway due to the rainfall. They did hesitate and circle before the culvert pipe, with only a few at a time venturing through it. I trust that as time passed they all did. I do not think they would have turned around and gone back to Slough, though some may have. Schools such as these are quite determined to keep going forward en masse. I did not see any adults leaving and there are certainly more fry in Slough Pond. These are the progeny of the first arrivals to spawn in Slough on April 16-20 (or May 1-4). I did not post these images earlier in my June Journal as I wanted to insure their safe passage. Concerns are often raised by an Alewife Warden about the water level in the pond going down too low (they get complaints) if water is allowed to flow out. I do not believe that to be an issue on our pond. Rest assured the water in the pond is quite high and the flow quite minimal.