On this page we will be concentrating on the seven original ponds (see PONDS below) which formed the destination and headwaters of the herring's inland migratory route through the Stony Brook Watershed. Only five are still connected. Below you will find several current pond study links, information on the Alewife Committee, and basic statistics for each of the seven ponds. For more detailed information on river herring see Resources.
There are 80 ponds in total in the town of Brewster. They are known as kettle ponds formed at the end of the last ice age as the Laurentide Ice Sheet began its retreat, approximately 20,000 years ago. The retreat lasted 8,000 years, forming the peninsula of Cape Cod and leaving in its wake large stones, known as glacial erratics, and deep depressions, known as kettle holes, which eventually formed the 890 fresh water ponds across the Cape (APCC) - among these ponds there are 41 herring runs, including Slough Pond.
The herrings' inland passage in the Stony Brook Watershed begins at Paine's Creek and travels through Stony Brook Valley, up the Mill Site fish ladder, and into several freshwater ponds to spawn. Slough Pond is one of five headwater ponds. One of the original seven ponds is no longer connected- Canoe. Although the three "interconnected" ponds, Lower Mill, Upper Mill, and Walker's (the Mill Ponds) are often referred to when speaking of the Stony Brook Watershed two significant points must be made: the originaldesign report for the 2023 Stony Brook Mill Sites Improvements Report (see below), created for the Town by retired US Fish & Wildlife Fish Passage Engineer Curt Orvis, significantly referred to the five headwater ponds of the watershed. The three ponds are called the Mill Ponds as they are related to the Stony Brook Mill Site alongside the fish ladder; in the 2009 Stormwater Assessment Project plan (link below) under the Coastal Zone Management for the Paine's Creek and the Stony Brook Watershed for the Town of Brewster (Tight Bond Engineers) states that the Stony Brook Watershed "extends from its headwaters in Walker's Pond and Slough Pond, down through Upper Mill Pond, Lower Mill Pond, along Stony Brook, and into Paine's Creek." The restoration will still accommodate the migration into five or six ponds, which occurs annually, not just three, especially so as the herring population is presently and possibly irreversibly diminished, which is not to say that the herring do not require the healthiest and most diverse habitats for spawning. The 1.2 million dollar restoration outlined in the plan will begin in the fall of 2024. See maps below.
As "Class B" waters, MA regulations apply, inc. "habitat for fish, aquatic life, and wildlife, including for their reproduction, migration, growth, and other critical functions..."
Description: "The Alewives Committee's duties include organizing alewife counts and monitoring their runs. The committee also exists to keep the Herring Run area clean, to post regulations, and to ensure the stream is free from obstruction so that fish can return to their spawning grounds."
Mission and Responsibilities: "The Alewife Committee oversees access to and the repair and maintenance of the Town's Stony Brook herring run. The Committee provides educational offerings to increase public awareness about alewives (herring), their habitat, and their role in the Town's history. Members are appointed by the Select Board." -Town of Brewster
The (3 member) Alewife Committee acts under the advisement of the Natural Resources Department, with contributions by the Natural Resources Advisory Commission, oversight by the Conservation Commission, the Select Board, and under state regulations of the MA Division of Marine Fisheries, the Department of Environmental Protection, and all applicable Wetlands Protection laws.
The present committee consists of Doug Erickson, Mills Sites Committee and former miller (appointed 2016/ current term expires 6/'25) and Gary Kaser, Conservation Commission (appointed 2020/ current term expires 6/'26), with alternate wardens Abigail Archer, of Cape Cod Extension Service (possibly the first woman to serve on this committee), and Owen Nichols, of the Center for Coastal Studies, both appointed 4/'24; one will be appointed to serve as full warden by the head warden. Alewife Committee members are appointed for renewable three-year terms by the Select Board.
The Alewife Committee was established in 1788* in order to protect the herring migration. The original seven person committee consisting of Kimball Clark, Nathan Winslow, Maj. William Gage, Ebenezer Snow, Benjamin Hall, and John Freeman. (In its 253-year history, there has never been a woman on the committee, though they have served in supportive roles.) *Archive.org
A vote was taken on February 23, 2023 at an open Alewife Committee meeting, to NOT close the herring run between Walker's Pond and Slough Pond in 2023 and to spend the next year gathering data from experts in the field of Herring Run Management and monitoring the passage instead. The Committee had met with the intention of voting to close the passageway but professionals who attended requested at least a year of data gathering. Video Link Here.
At an open Alewife Committee meeting March 7, 2024, due to inadequate advance notice to the community; the public was not in attendance. The third member required by Open Meeting Law was not in attendance, however a member of the Mill Sites Committee sat at the table. Video link here.
At the open Alewife Committee meeting on June 13. 2023, the management plan for the passage for 2024, as stated by the Chair, Warden Doug Erickson, includes monitoring the passage, as is, and blocking the entrance from Walker's Pond. It was the stated opinion of the Chair that the passageway should be closed. Video link here.
At the Natural Resources Advisory Commission meeting held in conjunction with the Alewife Committee (which operates under the NRD), July 13, 2023, Biologist Brad Chase, with the DMF offered 3 management options in his presentation for the Advisory Commission to research: closure, full restoration, a two-year habitat assessment study.Video link here.
The Natural Resources Advisory Committee has undertaken research in its advisory role on the Slough/Walker passageway issues with a special interest in the ecology of the habitat. It has been confirmed by the Commission that Biologist Brad Chase will undertake a two-year habitat assessment study of the Stony Brook Watershed with a focus on herring beginning in the spring of 2024. This was one of the options he presented the NRAC with in July.
The NRAC was established in 2023 and is chaired by Kimberley Crocker Pearson. Mission and Responsibilities:The mission of the Brewster Natural Resources Advisory Commission is to assist the Brewster Select Board and Department of Natural Resources in guiding the sustainable use and enjoyment of Brewster’s abundant natural resources in ways that safeguard and enhance the ecological, social and recreational benefits of those resources over the long term. Members are appointed by the Select Board.
THE SEVEN PONDS: Slough Pond
27 acres maximum depth 20 feet reported to be one of the cleanest ponds on the Cape by the APCC & CCC "Acceptable water quality. Ongoing protection required." APCC State of the Waters Report, 2022. Note: studies are underway testing the water quality of these ponds in relation to herring habitat,* which include oxygen, nitrogen, and nutrient levels, etc. Slough is connected via Walker's Pond to the seven historically interconnected ponds. It is a headwater pond to Lower Mill Pond. *According to the MA Division of Fisheries and Game, Fisheries Report:Plymouth County- 1946; Berkshire County- 1947; Barnstable County- 1948, an alewife was captured in Slough Pond in the summer of 1948.
Walkers Pond
105 acres maximum depth 7 feet prone to toxins from cyanobacteria blooms in late summer and leaches "Unacceptable water quality. Immediate restoration required." APCC State of the Waters Report, 2022.
Upper Mill Pond
253 acres maximum depth 30 feet heavily trafficked, one of the largest ponds on the Cape "Acceptable water quality. Ongoing protection required." APCC State of the Waters Report, 2022.
Lower Mill Pond
29 acres maximum depth 13 feet prone to toxins from cyanobacteria blooms in late summer "Unacceptable water quality. Immediate restoration required." APCC State of the Waters Report, 2022.
Pine Pond
23 acres depth 19.6 feet "Acceptable water quality. Ongoing protection required." APCC State of the Waters Report, 2022. Marginally connected with the other interconnected ponds.
Elbow Pond
31 acres depth 30 feet "Acceptable water quality. Ongoing protection required." APCC State of the Waters Report, 2022. Connected to the seven historic interconnected ponds via Walker's Pond & a cranberry bog, to a lesser extent. It appears on David Grose's illustration below at the bottom, not inked in or named.
Canoe Pond
14 acres depth 13 feet Apparently, no longer interconnected. Aeration system pumps oxygen into pond for improved health. Canoe Pond Village Assoc. Report, 2018
Stony Brook Watershed, Tighe Bond Engineers, 2011.