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The Friends of Herring River embarks on Spring 2013 with many events and happenings. As always, we invite your comments.
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Spring 2013
Herring Count Begins March 18
Volunteer and Informational Meeting, March 13
10:30 a.m. to Noon
Wellfleet Public Library Main Meeting Room
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The program will be of interest to those who have counted before as well as those newly interested in becoming citizen scientists.
Jeff Hughes, Wellfleet Herring Warden, will discuss night runs of herring on the Herring River. A Q&A session will follow. Jeff will also discuss the possibility of leading an evening walk along the river, probably in the second half of May.
There will also be a discussion of the methodology for this year's herring count, but there will be no major changes from last year.
It is important to register the time periods when you will consistently be able to count at the site near the corner of Black Pond Road and Old King's Highway.
First timers and those who actively counted in 2012 will be on John Duane's broadcast e-mails. We thank John for his vital volunteer work in this effort. Please let him know if you are on the list in error or if you need to be added to the list. He can be reached at 508-349-3100.
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Herring at the count site
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Status Update:
The Herring River Restoration Committee | |
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The Herring River Restoration Committee continues to prepare a final environmental impact statement that will incorporate comments as appropriate that were received from the October 2012 public hearing on the draft document. The final report is expected by the end of the year.
The Massachusetts Bays Program has just announced that the Friends of Herring River application for the FY 13 Research and Planning Program has been accepted for funding. The $20,000 grant will fund hydrodynamic modeling of dike alternatives and tidal control plans for the structure that will replace the existing Chequessett Neck Road dike. This award follows closely behind a grant for $50,000 from the Conservation Law Foundation and Massachusetts Division of Ecological Restoration to fund project coordination activities during the current year for the Herring River Restoration Committee and Friends of Herring River.
 We have submitted a grant application to NOAA that will, if awarded, provide funding for engineering and design of the Chequessett Neck Road dike replacement and other infrastructure throughout the Herring River Estuary. Other funding sources will be sought to do additional engineering and design work. |
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Outreach to Property Owners High Priority for
Herring River Restoration Committee
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Last fall the Herring River Restoration Committee sent a letter to low-lying property owners within the estuary that explained the types of impacts that could be expected for that property, and invited the landowners to contact the HRRC if they wished to get further information. If you are a property owner who received a letter and have not yet responded but wish more information, you may contact the committee at herringriverrestorationcommittee@gmail.com
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Public Outreach Plan in Preparation
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As we move from the planning and environmental study phase of the project to preliminary engineering and design, Friends of Herring River is preparing a public outreach plan to enhance our communication with all stakeholders and to provide education about the value, benefits and process of restoring tidal flow to the estuary. We welcome your suggestions and questions to incorporate in our plan so we can best be responsive to the needs and interests of the community. Contact us at info@friendsofherringriver.org
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FOHR Annual Meeting
Scheduled for August 20, 2013 | |
We have scheduled our annual meeting for Tuesday, August 20, 2013 at the Wellfleet COA. Between now and then we have several other events planned. Check our website at www.friendsofherringriver.org for details as we get closer to the date. We will post other events in the spring and summer on the website as they are scheduled.
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