September 1
The Tupelos take on their fall colors along the shores of Slough Pond where the alewives circle awaiting their journey to the sea by year's end.
The Tupelos take on their fall colors along the shores of Slough Pond where the alewives circle awaiting their journey to the sea by year's end.
September 6
As it is every September, the passage is dry as we await fall rain. It is the same at other similar locations across the Cape, we hear from reliable sources on the ground. It is an opportune time to do some maintenance along our channel. There is excessive sand accumulation, especially at the culvert pipe, due to runoff from the dirt road. No amount of rain will clear this for the fry to pass through. Various sandbags have also deteriorated.
As it is every September, the passage is dry as we await fall rain. It is the same at other similar locations across the Cape, we hear from reliable sources on the ground. It is an opportune time to do some maintenance along our channel. There is excessive sand accumulation, especially at the culvert pipe, due to runoff from the dirt road. No amount of rain will clear this for the fry to pass through. Various sandbags have also deteriorated.
Looking ahead, the next Alewife Committee meeting will be next month as well as a joint meeting with the Natural Resources Advisory Commission who will host Brad Chase, of the Division of Marine Fisheries, with the preliminary findings of his two-year nursery and habitat study which concluded in August. We understand that the DMF is also working on an updated Stream Management Plan for the spring, with contributions from the Conservation Commission.
We support the diligent efforts of Alewife Committee Chair, Abigail Archer, working with Select Board liaison Amanda Bebrin, for articles voted on at the last Alewife Committee meeting (7/8/'25) to add to the fall's Special Town Meeting warrant: their request includes adding two wardens to the committee, bringing the number from three to five (remembering that the original 18th century committee had seven wardens), as well as clarifying and codifying an improved mission statement for the committee, on its roles and responsibilities in relation to other town departments and committees, and a job description for the warden position.
We support the diligent efforts of Alewife Committee Chair, Abigail Archer, working with Select Board liaison Amanda Bebrin, for articles voted on at the last Alewife Committee meeting (7/8/'25) to add to the fall's Special Town Meeting warrant: their request includes adding two wardens to the committee, bringing the number from three to five (remembering that the original 18th century committee had seven wardens), as well as clarifying and codifying an improved mission statement for the committee, on its roles and responsibilities in relation to other town departments and committees, and a job description for the warden position.
Speaking of change, with autumn in the air, we also heartily recommend efforts to bring the time-honored tradition of stewardship practiced by the Alewife Committee into the 21st century, with all the challenges this committee and its wardens face to protect the herring migration in Brewster; from a micro to a macro perspective, some of these challenges include: working with a precipitously declining herring population, due to over-fishing and habitat loss; understanding and utilizing best practices to sustain biodiversity for the health of an entire ecosystem; water quality and hydrology issues; practical solutions for coordinating and sharing the work-load with stakeholders and partners; maintaining an efficient fish ladder and inland pond access to spawning habitats; public outreach and education initiatives; and finally, but no less importantly, creating a digital library archive, through digitizing decades of hand-written warden notebooks (at no cost to the Town), thereby establishing an accessible and dedicated state-of-the-art resource for the Town's website that will contribute to ongoing research, not only for the town but the region.
September 8
I was informed yesterday, by a data gatherer for the Brewster Ponds Coalition, that a cyanobacteria bloom was detected in Slough Pond in the past week.* Their samples are tested by APCC. This is the first such bloom. "Dolichospermum" is the dominant species detected, which possesses much less cyanotoxin than "Microcystis" which would prompt the Town posting a health advisory. No such advisory will be posted for what is considered a "one-off occurrence" such as occurred in Elbow, Sheep, and Blueberry Ponds this summer. However, official advisories were posted this summer for Lower and Upper Mill Ponds, Walker's Pond, School House Pond, and Seymour's Pond. Although the risk is considered minimal on Slough Pond, citizens should stay informed and try to keep an eye out for visible blooms (some are not- read more) here and elsewhere to avoid potential risks to themselves or pets. Read more here.
*September 10th update- no cyanobacteria detected in Slough Pond. (APCC report here.)
I was informed yesterday, by a data gatherer for the Brewster Ponds Coalition, that a cyanobacteria bloom was detected in Slough Pond in the past week.* Their samples are tested by APCC. This is the first such bloom. "Dolichospermum" is the dominant species detected, which possesses much less cyanotoxin than "Microcystis" which would prompt the Town posting a health advisory. No such advisory will be posted for what is considered a "one-off occurrence" such as occurred in Elbow, Sheep, and Blueberry Ponds this summer. However, official advisories were posted this summer for Lower and Upper Mill Ponds, Walker's Pond, School House Pond, and Seymour's Pond. Although the risk is considered minimal on Slough Pond, citizens should stay informed and try to keep an eye out for visible blooms (some are not- read more) here and elsewhere to avoid potential risks to themselves or pets. Read more here.
*September 10th update- no cyanobacteria detected in Slough Pond. (APCC report here.)
Meanwhile, at the landing, the aftermath of summer visitors, road runoff, and the drought.
September 26
As the month closes, there have been some notable changes on the pond- the colors, the quiet, the migrating waterfowl. After two days of rain there is a good measure of water in the passageway- not enough for safe passage however. The vibrant green of a cyanobacteria bloom was clear in Walker's Pond along the shore, a remnant of the summer. October approaches and there is work to be done. The culvert pipe is still clogged with sand, in fact more sand from road runoff during the rainfall. Falling leaves are accumulating. It is unfortunate that maintenance didn't occur when it was dry, that is to say, digging, as the leaves will always have to be attended to, but now resting in muck. I will bring this to the attention of the Town at the next Alewife Committee Meeting (link for virtual attendance) on Monday, the 29th.
It was a welcome sight to see the pond's waterline up a tad closer to shore so that the schools of alewife fry could be seen sweeping beneath the sparkling waters again. It's a comfort in a troubled world. My heart goes out to them for their beauty and will to survive. And I always want to help them.
As the month closes, there have been some notable changes on the pond- the colors, the quiet, the migrating waterfowl. After two days of rain there is a good measure of water in the passageway- not enough for safe passage however. The vibrant green of a cyanobacteria bloom was clear in Walker's Pond along the shore, a remnant of the summer. October approaches and there is work to be done. The culvert pipe is still clogged with sand, in fact more sand from road runoff during the rainfall. Falling leaves are accumulating. It is unfortunate that maintenance didn't occur when it was dry, that is to say, digging, as the leaves will always have to be attended to, but now resting in muck. I will bring this to the attention of the Town at the next Alewife Committee Meeting (link for virtual attendance) on Monday, the 29th.
It was a welcome sight to see the pond's waterline up a tad closer to shore so that the schools of alewife fry could be seen sweeping beneath the sparkling waters again. It's a comfort in a troubled world. My heart goes out to them for their beauty and will to survive. And I always want to help them.
September 30
As we round out the month, here is the LINK to yesterday's Alewife Committee meeting. No public comment was allowed as the committee had a restricted time frame to address their two agenda items. Here is the LINK to the packet of additional material under discussion that was provided online only that morning. The committee sought to clarify and wordsmith the warden's job description and committee charge in anticipation of being added to the Special Town Meeting Warrant in November, deadline for inclusion late October.
A few observations:
The three members of the committee and two alternates were intent on their task with guidance from NRD's Chris Miller. Although Chris has stated in the recent past that the wardens act "independently with support" from his department the committee voted on the wardens being "under the direction of the Natural Resources Department."
The NRD is listed as the "primary Town Department" in the 2023 Stream Maintenance Plan with the DMF. There have been ambiguities in this relationship, especially relating to essential work and decision-making. The Stream Maintenance Plan created by the DMF with the NRD, that I mentioned, should be a critical element to reference in the warden's job description, rather than simply including "coordination" with the DMF. The Division of Marine Fisheries is the regulatory agency for diadromous (anadromous and catadromous) fish species passage in Massachusetts and their maintenance plans, which outline the policies and procedures that govern mandated work, are detailed documents created with various towns and renewed every three years. Brewster's can be read in full under the PONDS page, Useful Links.
As the work load is often mentioned as a difficulty for the wardens who must rely on the Natural Resources Department with their own work load, and now no longer with help from AmeriCorps, it is of concern that requiring "able-bodied" wardens did not seem significant, with all due respect for those with skills but less strength to perform arduous work. Also, no mention was made of the designation of head warden nor the addition of two additional wardens, whether voting or working, to the committee. Record keeping, that includes water flow management, and coordination of said records and logs (for research and publicly accessible archives, as I have often subscribed to) also did not garner attention for inclusion.
I am attaching a paragraph from the 1974 publication on the History of Brewster by the Brewster Mill Sites Committee detailing the original 7 member committee which I mentioned at the meeting. The entire publication is available to read under our PONDS page.
As we round out the month, here is the LINK to yesterday's Alewife Committee meeting. No public comment was allowed as the committee had a restricted time frame to address their two agenda items. Here is the LINK to the packet of additional material under discussion that was provided online only that morning. The committee sought to clarify and wordsmith the warden's job description and committee charge in anticipation of being added to the Special Town Meeting Warrant in November, deadline for inclusion late October.
A few observations:
The three members of the committee and two alternates were intent on their task with guidance from NRD's Chris Miller. Although Chris has stated in the recent past that the wardens act "independently with support" from his department the committee voted on the wardens being "under the direction of the Natural Resources Department."
The NRD is listed as the "primary Town Department" in the 2023 Stream Maintenance Plan with the DMF. There have been ambiguities in this relationship, especially relating to essential work and decision-making. The Stream Maintenance Plan created by the DMF with the NRD, that I mentioned, should be a critical element to reference in the warden's job description, rather than simply including "coordination" with the DMF. The Division of Marine Fisheries is the regulatory agency for diadromous (anadromous and catadromous) fish species passage in Massachusetts and their maintenance plans, which outline the policies and procedures that govern mandated work, are detailed documents created with various towns and renewed every three years. Brewster's can be read in full under the PONDS page, Useful Links.
As the work load is often mentioned as a difficulty for the wardens who must rely on the Natural Resources Department with their own work load, and now no longer with help from AmeriCorps, it is of concern that requiring "able-bodied" wardens did not seem significant, with all due respect for those with skills but less strength to perform arduous work. Also, no mention was made of the designation of head warden nor the addition of two additional wardens, whether voting or working, to the committee. Record keeping, that includes water flow management, and coordination of said records and logs (for research and publicly accessible archives, as I have often subscribed to) also did not garner attention for inclusion.
I am attaching a paragraph from the 1974 publication on the History of Brewster by the Brewster Mill Sites Committee detailing the original 7 member committee which I mentioned at the meeting. The entire publication is available to read under our PONDS page.
