Herring at the Old King's Highway Culvert
FRIENDS OF HERRING RIVER
   February, 2014     
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Friends of Herring River
P.O. Box 496
Wellfleet, MA 02667

Masthead photo by Lisbeth Wiley

Chapman
Friends of Herring River announces a new grant, the start of an investigation of the proposed dike crossing Mill Creek, and offers details on the program at the Herring Count Meeting, March 26.  So much is happening!

Lisbeth Wiley Chapman, Editor
Coastal America Foundation Awards $20,000 for Hydrodynamic Modeling for Upper Pole Dike Creek

The Coastal America Foundation, acting through its subcommittee, the Massachusetts Corporate Wetlands Restoration Partnership, has awarded Friends of Herring River a $20,000 grant for hydrodynamic modeling of Upper Pole Dike Creek to protect private properties when the restoration project is completed.

 

The goal of the Herring River Restoration Project is to restore a healthy, functioning tidal marsh within the Herring River flood plain by re-establishing tidal exchange in the river basin and its connected sub-basins. Tidal exchange will be increased incrementally over time using an adaptive management approach to achieve desired conditions for native estuarine habitats while protecting private property.

 

This latest grant, in addition to funding provided by The National Park Service, National Atmospheric and Oceanic Administration, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Natural Resource Conservation Service, the Massachusetts Environmental Trust, Mass Bays Program, the Massachusetts Department of Fish and Game, MA Division of Ecological Restoration, Conservation Law Foundation and others, provides funding to support the Herring River Restoration project. 

 Pole Dike Creek Culvert, on the way to the Wellfleet Landfill.
Fuss & O'Neill to Investigate Proposed Dike                     at Mill Creek

Friends of Herring River has awarded a contract to Fuss & O'Neill, Inc. to investigate the subsurface conditions at the location of a proposed dike crossing Mill Creek.  It is expected that a field drilling program will begin in March.  The objective is to evaluate alternative dike structures and assess the feasibility and cost-effectiveness of alternative designs of the proposed dike.  This work is similar in nature to the geotechnical investigation at the site of the Chequesset Neck Road Dike that was conducted in December.

Bill Burke, CCNS Historian and Dr. Ted Castro-Santos, Research Ecologist, USGS, to speak at  March 26 Herring Count Meeting at Wellfleet Library

Bill Burke, Historian, Cape Cod National Seashore, and Dr. Castro-Santos, Research Ecologist, USGS, will speak at the Friends of Herring River Herring Count Meeting, March 26, 10:30 a.m.  

 

Burke will speak on the human impact on the Herring River east of Route Six.  Castro-Santos will speak on a three-year study he is beginning of herring migrations in the Herring River.  He will be focusing on migratory success and passage performance of adult herring on their spawning run, with particular emphasis on passage through the existing tidegate structure as well as other culverts throughout the watershed. 

 

Results of this study are expected to provide valuable baseline data with which to evaluate the effectiveness of ongoing restoration efforts.  It has a larger purpose, however, and will improve understanding of barriers to movement generally, with implications for herring and other migratory species wherever they occur.  Castro-Santos has been a Research Ecologist with US Geological Survey since 1995 (before that worked for US FIsh and Wildlife Service, where he worked on fish passage problems.  Areas of study include optimizing hydraulic design for fish passage, biomechanics of fish locomotion, and animal behavior with an emphasis on quantifying movement using telemetry data.

Dr. Ted Castro-Santos

 

We always need more volunteers, so please invite your friends to this exciting event.

To reach Friends of Herring River, Contact Don Palladino -- Don@friendsofherringriver.org
 
To reach this newsletter editor, Lisbeth Wiley Chapman -- Beth@friendsofherringriver.org
 
For more informaton:  http://www.friendsofherringriver.org