Friends of Herring River

Wellfleet & Truro, Massachusetts

Annual Meeting

August 21, 2012

Agenda

• Welcome and Introductions• Business Meeting

– Election of Directors and Officers– Treasurer’s Report

• Return of the Tide• History of Human Use of the

Herring River Estuary• Monitoring the Spring Herring

Run• Discussion

Business MeetingBoard of Directors

• Barbara Brennessel

• Lisbeth Wiley Chapman **

• Debby Freeman **

• Barbara E. Gray• Jeff Hughes• Gary Joseph **

• Don Palladino• John Portnoy **• Robert Prescott• John Riehl• Lynn Southey,

Wellfleet Open Space Committee Liaison

**Current term expires – candidates for re-election

Business MeetingElection of Officers

Proposed Slate of Officers

• President – Don Palladino

• Vice President – Barbara E. Gray

• Treasurer – John Riehl

• Clerk – Deborah Freeman

Friends of Herring RiverMission

• Conduct education, research and public awareness activities

• Coordinate public outreach

• Raise funds

Promote the restoration and ongoing environmental vitality of the Herring River Estuary

Friends of Herring RiverWellfleet and Truro, MassachusettsWhat What can you

do?

• Become a member

• Subscribe to newsletter

• Share ideas

• Volunteer

• Visit our website n

www.friendsofherringriver.org you do?

Agenda

• Welcome and Introductions• Business Meeting

– Election of Directors and Officers– Treasurer’s Report

• Return of the Tide• History of Human Use of the

Herring River Estuary• Monitoring the Spring Herring

Run• Discussion

Backup Slides

1908 Salt Marsh

• Declared shared commitment to investigate restoration of tide to the Herring River

• Established the Herring River Stakeholders Committee to identify interests that could be affected by tidal restoration

• Established the Herring River Technical Committee (HRTC) to assess the feasibility of restoring tidal flow.

Development of the Herring River Restoration Project

1. September 2005: Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the Town of Wellfleet and Cape Cod National Seashore:

Development of the Herring River Restoration Project

2. November 2007: Conceptual Restoration Plan for the Herring River Tidal Restoration Project developed by the Herring River Technical Committee completed and approved

• Integrated technical information and analyses with issues raised by the Stakeholders Committee

• Concluded that restoration was feasible and in the public interest

• Available on Town of Wellfleet, CCNS and Friends of Herring River web sites

Development of the Herring River Restoration Project

3. November 2007: Memorandum of Understanding, MOUII, among the Towns of Wellfleet, Truro and the Cape Cod National Seashore

• Declared shared commitment to restore tide to the Herring River

• Established the Herring River Restoration Committee (HRRC)

• Tasked the HRRC with using local, state, and federal planning processes to produce a draft EIS/EIR and restoration plan for the Herring River

Herring River Restoration Committee

•Comply with Massachusetts Environmental Policy Act (MEPA) / National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and Cape Cod Commission Regional Policy Plan

•Proactively address overall environmental and social concerns and specific impacts of selected alternatives

•Produce a draft EIS/EIR using local, state, and federal planning processes

Herring River Restoration Committee

• Gary Joseph (Town of Wellfleet and Committee Chair)

• Hillary Greenberg (Town of Wellfleet)

• Charlene Greenhalgh (Town of Truro)

• Steve Block (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration)

• Eric Derleth (US Fish and Wildlife Service)

• Tim Smith (Cape Cod National Seashore)

• Stephen Spear (Natural Resource Conservation Service)

• Hunt Durey (Massachusetts Division of Ecological Restoration)

• Margo Fenn (Association to Preserve Cape Cod)

National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA)1969

Purpose: "to make sure that agencies fully consider the environmental costs and benefits of their proposed actions before they make any decision to undertake those actions"

NEPA is a decision making process and tool

Requires careful, complete, and analytic study of the impacts of any proposal that has the potential to affect the environment; requires study of alternatives to the proposed action

Wellfleet 1887

Wellfleet Center

Ryder Beach

Pamet Point

Dump

Chequesset Neck

Herring Pond

Original vs. current opening (since 1909)

-1.5

-1

-0.5

0

0.5

1

1.5

2

2.5

0 200 400 600 800 1000 1200 1400Tide

hei

ght m

-NG

VD

-1.5

-1

-0.5

0

0.5

1

1.5

2

2.5

0 200 400 600 800 1000 1200 1400

Tidal Range ~ 2.5 meters Tidal Range ~ 0.5 meters

Harbor Diked River

Natural marsh below the Dike

“Marsh” above the Dike

Ele

vati

on (

met

ers

NG

VD

)

2.0

1.0

0.0

-1.0

DIK

E

High tide

High tide

Low tideLow tide

Herring River Dike Effects on Tidal Range, Sedimentand Vegetation

Wellfleet Harbor

Gull Pond

Mill Creek

Pole Dike Creek

Duck Harbor

Bound BrookHerring Pond

Wellfleet Center

Truro

Wellfleet

1908 Salt Marsh

DIKE1909

2008 Salt Marsh

ExoticPhragmites

Nativesalt marshDike

Cape Cod Bay

Effects of tidal restriction on Herring River fish

Species River mouth Just above dike High Toss Rd

FOURSPINE STICKLEBACK X X

MUMMICHOG X X

STRIPED KILLIFISH X X

NORTHERN PIPEFISH X X

WHITE PERCH X X

BLUEBACK HERRING X X

ALEWIFE X X

HICKORY SHAD X

AMERICAN EEL X X

ATLANTIC MENHADEN X X

TIDEWATER SILVERSIDE X

ATLANTIC SILVERSIDE X X

WINTER FLOUNDER X

BLUEFISH X

ATLANTIC MACKEREL X

CHAIN PICKEREL X

PUMPKINSEED X

GOLDEN SHINER X

Tidal restoration for Herring River =

The controlled removal of tidal restrictions to allow incremental restoration of: tides, water quality and plant and animal communities.

Ecological benefitsIncreased sediment deposition

(to counter sea-level rise)Removal of exotic plantsRe-establishment of salt-marsh plantsIncreased tidal flushing

Improved water-column aerationElimination of acidity/metals

Improved migratory fish habitatRestored export to near-shore waters

Social benefitsRestored pollution controlRestored public access, recreation & education

BoatingBirdingFin- and shellfishing

Restored harvestable resourcesFinfishShellfishImproved shellfish water quality

Reduced mosquitoes

Existing Conditions

Modeled Extent of Salinity

RestoredConditions

High Toss Road